Week 7 - Productivity and Professional Development

This week's reading/lecture focuses on utilizing technology to complete organizational and administrative task and how technology can aid in providing professional development to educators around the globe. There are several points mentioned in the text that made me stop, think, assess, and/or reevaluate some things. As I ponder on the school year that has just begun, the areas that I will address and reflect on are organization, personal learning networks (PLNs), and distance learning. I am choosing to address these topics because they hold a significant value within my educational realms. As I bring this technology class to a close, I've discovered several things about myself. You think you know all there is to know about yourself until a little pressure is added, and your back is against the wall.

If I could turn back the hands of time and restart my teaching career to implement some of the technology described by Bauer (2014) [pg.169] in the productivity section of the text, I would. As I think about overseeing marching band alone, there are a few things mentioned here that can benefit me now and in the future. The use of digital calendars and "to do list' are ideas I have just begun to dabble with. This change came about after I upgraded to an iPhone and purchased an iPad. Dates and times that I schedule, notes I create that are used as reminders, and music and other things that I may need on a daily basis can be sync across all of my Apple Devices. As long as I have access to the Internet, my iCloud storage space, my work is always just a click away should I need it.
Dropbox is another feature that I have been using inside and outside my classroom. I love this digital storage space because it eliminates the excuse of students forgetting materials I've handed out and losing/forgetting their flash drives. Files can be shared easily between multiple people and are available from any device connected to the Internet.

Distance Learning is definitely a new concept for me. I would have to say if was one of the most eye-opening, overwhelming experiences of my life. I decided after some soul-searching and research that online classes were more feasible as, I balanced a career as well as maintain my personal affairs. I knew for some time that I would continue my education, but I simply was not ready. And I am still not totally confident in supplying what is demanded of me. Despite all of my ill-temperament, my saving grace was and currently is the PLNs. My personal learning network for this particular helped to grow as an educator. We shared information pertinent to our areas of interest and expertise, offered advice, engaged in dialogue, shared strategies, give others a brand-new outlook on some of the challenges they have faced, and offered solutions. Because of technology usages such as blogging, discussion boards, and social media, I am able to blossom. My spirit has been rejuvenated. I am encouraged to use technology in the classrooms to improve student learning. In the future, I plan to consciously seek ways technology can assist my students and further meaningful student learning in music, and consider how technology can facilitate students creating, performing, and responding to music (pg. 185).

Bauer, W. I. (2014). Pedagogical Approaches to Composition. In Music learning today: Digital pedagogy for creating, performing, and responding to music. New York, NY: Oxford University Press.