Interactivity #5

I interviewed a Junior High band teacher from Kittatinny Regional High School in Newton, NJ, which is a secondary school ranging from 7th grade through 12th grade.  This particular teacher is responsible for all Junior High grades (7th - 8th grade) that participate in the band program.  This teacher also happens to be a graduate of Montclair State University and, therefore, had to complete this very course in order to graduate.  I was informed that this particular school district has not only begun to implement these technology standards, but are continuously committed to encouraging their teachers to participate in provided workshops and meetings.  Technology in the music classroom is extremely beneficial.  This teacher uses recording devices in order to record the 7th and 8th grade bands, so that they can then get a sense of what they sound like and what their strengths and weaknesses are as a whole. This teacher also uses computer programs, such as Sibelius and Finale, in order to rewrite particular instrumental parts for a different instrument when needed (i.e. rewriting a trumpet part for a french horn).  Another beneficial technology is the access to websites, such as YouTube.  YouTube can provide students with a complete recording of a piece that their band is performing.  This is beneficial because students, especially in Junior High, tend to only hear their part when playing and cannot get a sense for the entire piece.  Therefore, if the teacher shows them an example of this piece on YouTube, they can get a sense for the entire sound of the band and not just theirs.  All these technologies are used for the benefit of the students in order to facilitate learning experiences.

However, this teacher also raised some concerns about the implementation of technology in her classroom.  She states how the technologies she uses now are very accessible and beneficial for her students, but that the administration is looking for the use of more complicated technologies.  Her concern is that the administration will take the NETS-S and NETS-T to a higher level than necessary.  She finds that the technologies that she uses and provides in her classroom are extremely beneficial and are an organic outgrowth of the lessons she has planned.  It is her thought that the administration is looking for the use of higher technologies just for the sake of the NETS-S and NETS-T standards.  This administration isn't taking into consideration how or why these technologies are used, just that they are used in order to say that they are effectively implementing these technology standards.  Her concern is that the students will be inundated with technologies that are not lending aid to the lessons that the teachers in this district are trying to teach.

I find that this teacher has raised some valid concerns.  She is mainly concerned about the ability for students to learn the material at hand when technology is arbitrarily thrown into the mix.  Her attitude is that the use of technology must come organically out of the goals and lessons for a particular class. I happen to agree with that, and very strongly.  The use of technology within our classrooms must have a firm grounding in the subject matter and is there to enhance learning on that subject, not to detract from it.  That is something that I would take with me into my classroom: a firm belief that music (my subject area) is the main learning target and that the use of technology is something that will enhance students' learning, not detract from it.

Edited Spreadsheet with NETS-S Standards Included