Kassner's article made me rethink classroom management. A major point was made about isolation, and that is the way I feel society has become. It is so much easier to text or email someone instead, of going next door or down the hall to just tell them. On the other hand, a text or email is a written document that serves as a reminder, or necessary archive for records.
The single computer concept bridges the chalkboard with technology. In this case, stations could be used to teach a variety of subjects in one class period. For instance, a classroom of 30 nine year olds could have 12 students at the single computer (with possible use of a IWB), 6 at a music writing station, 6 at a listening station, and 6 on Orff instruments.
Band-in-a-Box is a much more sophisticated interactive version of the Jamey Aeborsold CD's. I watched students practice jazz routiments with their teacher's instruction, finding transcribing a master's solo from a recording difficult to swallow. Aeborsold transcribed many solos from the greats, and playback can be altered with the speakers, but BIAB allows much more. BIAB captured the style of many genres and even shows visually, what each instrumentalist is playing. For example, isolate the drummer, and BIAB shows what heads and metals are used on the set.
The authors of these articles not only talked about the experience of technology in the classroom, they also showed various situations of practicality. Music software for skill and knowledge showed a more performance oriented style geared towards practice, but emphasized the importance of the teacher's guidance. The IWB's talked about the location and layout of the classroom, and how to raise money. The other articles showed in detail what software and setup works best for a particular classroom setting.
Finally, classroom management, requires the knowledge of the teacher to determine what software, setup, and style is necessary to have a successful year.
Classroom management is always a constant item on any teacher's mind. It is very important to think of the idea of classroom management, and I fully agree with your thought about society becoming too isolated and impersonal. Your thoughts on the different types of technology in relation to classroom management raise excellent points, and when bringing in technology, teachers must keep that idea on their minds and remember to keep the students interacting with each other not just a computer.
ReplyDeleteDefinitely! Let's not let the computers TEACH our class, let's continue to let the teachers do the teaching. I think that's a valid perspective that we all have to keep in mind especially as tutorial websites and software become more prevalent. They are only tools, but are wonderful for remedial activities or to push ahead the student who needs more challenging assignments.
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