Meet Liz
Liz is a music teacher at a private girls’ school in Melbourne and she is a self-titled “technophobe”.
Like most music teachers I meet, she feels she is behind with technology and a little worried about her (perceived) lack of skills. I’ve worked with Liz a number of times: we’ve done some one-on-one Sibelius training in the past which have covered the creation of classroom worksheets and other resources. We’ve even done a session covering general, non-music-specific IT skills and spent some time organising her digital files.
What sets Liz apart from many others though, is her enthusiasm and willingness to learn. Even though she can become overwhelmed by the possibilities (and there are many!), she is determined that the music department at her school incorporates technology in a meaningful way. She even hopes that one day they might be ahead of the curve; a leading example of technology integration.
It’s because of this positive attitude and her motivation to learn new things that I know Liz will go far.
The Big Picture
So recently we’ve been looking at the bigger music technology picture for her school: we’ve been examining the school’s resources and discussing adaptable technology projects that can be integrated into their music curriculum throughout all of the years 5-12.
It’s not use of technology for technology’s sake. Liz sees the importance of moving with the times, of taking advantage of all the great things technology has to offer: portability, access, ease, affordability and differentiated learning.
Music Technology Stocktake
Lately, I’ve visited a number of schools, who – just like Liz’s school – want to do a “stocktake” of their music technology resources and skills:
- what they have
- what they need
- what their aims are
- how best to use technology effectively
- how to ensure their teachers are trained to implement it all
It’s apparent that technology is here to stay and its presence is increasing all the time through teacher laptops, 1:1 student laptop programs, school computer labs and iPads or other mobile devices. Liz, like most teachers, wants to seamlessly integrate the technology into the school’s current music curriculum, so that it becomes an extension of what they currently do.
Stay Tuned
I hope you’ll join me as I track the progress of Liz and her school. Stay tuned for part 2 where I report on our first meeting, carry out the music tech stocktake, make some software and hardware suggestions and discuss music technology projects that suit students in years 5 through 12.
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One Comment
I would love to hear the progress report of Liz and technology at her school.