Teachers and Lifelong Learning

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I'm back. :-)

Lifelong learning? This is something I take for granted too often. I always look for something new, different, and unusual to keep my thoughts occupied. If I'm not learning, I'm stagnating, and then I get bored, and then I get grumpy, and no one wants a grumpy old music teacher! (Especially my wife.)

The technology available today is opening up a whole new area for collaboration and learning. In the past, I would consult and 'network' with friends and colleagues whenever we would get together at some function or performance. Some of them I have kept in contact with, but I find that more and more often, they have retired and are not keeping current with new developments. I suppose I'm becoming the "old man" I used to look for to ask about things. (Note to self: make a point of contacting the new music professionals in my area. I still have not met all of them.)

With the availability of a wide range of internet resources, staying current is easier than ever. It takes some time to sort through all the 'static', but there is plenty of good information to be found. While I miss the face to face interaction (and some of the interesting places) I used to have, the web provides an avenue to get good ideas, and to provide some of my own.

I used to think "give me a book, and I can learn anything". Now more often, I am thinking "give me a web connection, and I can learn anything." The only drawback is time to find it all.

Reflections on Shifts in Teaching

I have always been one to look for new ways to get my students to acquire information. It seems that today, however, I need to look for ways to allow them to be a part of the creative process, so that they actually get to DO something, rather than just passively take in what I am dishing out.

Using technology to facilitate that has long been a goal. In my rural setting, the availability of technology has long been a drawback. Up until March of this year, our technology in my elementary building was the one computer in each classroom networked for grades and attendance. With the addition of a mobile technology lab, I hope to be able to allow my students to do more.

The ability to share networked applications and ideas will expand my capacity to show students the vast storehouse of knowledge available to them. Just the ability to use PowerPoint demonstrations has proved a huge help. Now the entire class can review and research together. I no longer have to try maintain a personal library of information; with network web access, an even wider variety of literature is available than anything I could possibly compile on my own.

It is a bright new future. I just hope to keep up to speed on this information highway!

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