21st Century Introduction

As a choir director in a middle school, my technology needs might look a little different than other classrooms. As technology has become more available I am constantly trying to come up with ways to incorporate it into my teaching tools. I do this not for the sake of just using technology but as a way to have a variety of tools for the different learning styles. The current ways I use technology include using the Internet to support instruction such as listening to examples of other choirs. I use MIDI and audio files to accompany singing. I also use a software program for ear training instruction. I use multi-media such as Microsoft PowerPoint and Prezi, a presentation editor. I also have access to a Smart board, airliner and doc cam. In my choirs I want to create a learning environment that allows each student the ability and confidence to take on more of a leadership role. With peer based collaboration; the student is both learning and teaching. We as educators know that teaching helps in discovering what you yourself know and don’t know. As children have the opportunity to take more responsibility for their own learning I need to find ways for that to happen in my classroom. It is more difficult for a choir director to be more of a guide because of the nature of the class. But with creativity I can give more opportunities for leadership through various forms of technology. While watching the video, New Learners of the 21st Century (http://www.pbs.org/teachers/digitallearners), one of my favorite statements came from James Glee, Professor of Literacy Studies in the Department of English Arizona State University. He said “If a learning system is well designed you don’t finish it without the guarantee you’ve learned it already. Now that is true with a good game. If you finished it, you have learned how to play it. It is designed in such a way you don’t get to the next level unless you are prepared to learn on that level.” Having the students learn and assess themselves at the same time is ideal in that assessment is continues on their part. I enjoyed watching this video and loved seeing all the ways technology fostered learning. It really got my wheels spinning on how I can incorporate some of these things in my classroom.