Blog #8

I got a pretty quick handle on Diigo, which makes me confident that my students would be able to use it because I'm not always the fastest with new technology! I never knew there was a way to bookmark pages in the cloud. I could see this being extremely useful for group projects with the annotation and comment tool. When researching and collaborating, this can all be done wirelessly so if group members cannot meet up the work can still be done. I have already used it personally to bookmark important music festivals I want to audition for. The tags keep things tidy!

Powerpoint has been the most common presentation tool to aid lectures that I've seen in my schooling. While it continues to be relevant, it can be of great assistance in learning at each level of Bloom's Taxonomy. Presenting knowledge is the most used feature of Powerpoint, because you can type all kinds of information that are written by students as notes. Comprehension and application takes it to the next step by asking questions so the students are making meaningful connections with the knowledge you present. Analysis involves grouping and separating elements and understanding each in the fullest. Synthesis and evaluation can be strengthened by having students create Powerpoint presentations of their own. They say you really know something if you can teach it!

Because my profession is going to be a college cello professor, my use of technology will be limited. However, as the profession adapts, I can see myself needing to understand how to mix audio. I recently recorded an arrangement of What a Wonderful World for cello quartet, which required me to know how to write music in Finale, record and mix sound with audacity, and perform each of the four parts proficiently. I have also made short music videos before that required me to know how to edit video. Additionally, I made posters for my senior recital which forced me to learn the best ways to present the information (and I have received a lot of compliments!). Point is, while my main profession is teaching cello, I will always have to use technology on the side for special projects. As things become more digital, it will be important to understand these things as a musician. 

I found this awesome site that will help me stay up-to-date with the latest innovations and direction of technology. It's called EdTech, and there are articles sorted by categories like classroom, business intelligence, hardware, and internet. It is even divided into two sites, one with a focus on K-12, and another which is focused on Higher Education. With it, I know I can keep myself informed!