Reflection Questions
What are the key areas in which you learned new skills/information about technology this semester?
I believe that creating this Weebly website drastically improved my skills in promotion and design. I have always wanted a website to present myself as a musician and an educator and this website not only gave me what I was asking for, but also drastically increased my knowledge with things like embedding media and files to a social or private media.
Besides the Weebly site, creating a podcast and an eBook was a very informative experience. I enjoy listening to podcasts every once in a while, and having the opportunity to create one myself not only gave me more appreciation for the craft but also made me think in depth about a subject (Musical Musician) that I have been interested in for a long time.
The same can be said about the eBook, except that it is based on a visual instead of audio media.
What are the key areas in which you increased your knowledge about integrating technology into your teaching?
The YouTube lesson strategy was a breath of fresh air in my view of teaching. Everybody watches videos on YouTube, both for educational and recreational purposes. I watch a decent amount of videos on drumming technique, fills and grooves. I've also imagined using such videos as an educational medium, since that's how I use them myself, but never knew exactly how to integrate them into an actual private lesson. Usually my private lessons have been presenting what I studied that week, so I always assumed that that was the extent of a lesson. Thanks to this project, I now have a broader perspective on what the content of a private lesson could be.
Of all the topics we addressed this semester, which one (or more) would you still like to learn more about?
I believe that we've only scratched the surface on how to make an eBook. As musicians, one might think that we only need our ears to get us interested in something, but a visual presentation excites us the same amount.
I personally despise the prices of educational textbooks nowadays and also find most quite boring to read. With the skills for writing an eBook I could be able to write a short textbook for my own classes that is affordable and (hopefully) entertaining enough for the students not to lose interest.
How would you compare or contrast what you learned this semester from the way technology was used by your teachers during your K-12 schooling?
A comparison is difficult, as growing up in Switzerland I experienced a different kind of educational system than the standard K-12. During elementary school we rarely used technology in any kind of class room curriculum.
In that case, what I learned in this class had a great contrast to what I experienced. I do believe that educators, be they music teachers or any other kind of educator, should embrace technology as an aid. This class gave me multiple options to incorporate technology in any kind of classroom.
How would you describe your attitude toward technology now compared to the beginning of the semester?
I already knew, at the start of the semester, that technology can and should be used as a medium of education. However, I did not realize that there were so many different ways to incorporate technology into a classroom. This class definitely broadened my perspective on how to use technology to an educational advantage.
I believe that creating this Weebly website drastically improved my skills in promotion and design. I have always wanted a website to present myself as a musician and an educator and this website not only gave me what I was asking for, but also drastically increased my knowledge with things like embedding media and files to a social or private media.
Besides the Weebly site, creating a podcast and an eBook was a very informative experience. I enjoy listening to podcasts every once in a while, and having the opportunity to create one myself not only gave me more appreciation for the craft but also made me think in depth about a subject (Musical Musician) that I have been interested in for a long time.
The same can be said about the eBook, except that it is based on a visual instead of audio media.
What are the key areas in which you increased your knowledge about integrating technology into your teaching?
The YouTube lesson strategy was a breath of fresh air in my view of teaching. Everybody watches videos on YouTube, both for educational and recreational purposes. I watch a decent amount of videos on drumming technique, fills and grooves. I've also imagined using such videos as an educational medium, since that's how I use them myself, but never knew exactly how to integrate them into an actual private lesson. Usually my private lessons have been presenting what I studied that week, so I always assumed that that was the extent of a lesson. Thanks to this project, I now have a broader perspective on what the content of a private lesson could be.
Of all the topics we addressed this semester, which one (or more) would you still like to learn more about?
I believe that we've only scratched the surface on how to make an eBook. As musicians, one might think that we only need our ears to get us interested in something, but a visual presentation excites us the same amount.
I personally despise the prices of educational textbooks nowadays and also find most quite boring to read. With the skills for writing an eBook I could be able to write a short textbook for my own classes that is affordable and (hopefully) entertaining enough for the students not to lose interest.
How would you compare or contrast what you learned this semester from the way technology was used by your teachers during your K-12 schooling?
A comparison is difficult, as growing up in Switzerland I experienced a different kind of educational system than the standard K-12. During elementary school we rarely used technology in any kind of class room curriculum.
In that case, what I learned in this class had a great contrast to what I experienced. I do believe that educators, be they music teachers or any other kind of educator, should embrace technology as an aid. This class gave me multiple options to incorporate technology in any kind of classroom.
How would you describe your attitude toward technology now compared to the beginning of the semester?
I already knew, at the start of the semester, that technology can and should be used as a medium of education. However, I did not realize that there were so many different ways to incorporate technology into a classroom. This class definitely broadened my perspective on how to use technology to an educational advantage.