Week 13 - Final Provocations
How can I be an enthusiastic cynic?
The seeming dichotomy between those who deem technology to be primarily damaging to young children and those whose research suggests that technology is fundamentally beneficial is highlighted in Dimitri Christakis' Ted Talk "Media and Children." Christakis raised many relevant and thought-provoking points; one of the most remarkable points made was that for children 3 years of age and younger, there is a discernible psychological reaction to what they are exposed to. This is highlighted in the image below, as the breathing patterns of a one day old infant change as the baby listens to the music of Mozart and then Stravinsky.
Christakis pointed out that early experiences of a child matter because the connections (or synapses) grow based on early experiences, raising the question of brain stimulation; is too little stimulation bad and is it possible to overstimulate a baby's brain?
The answer to both questions is YES
Current research shows that children three years of age and under spend up to 40% of their waking hours watching TV which, per hour of TV watching, increases their chances of attention deficit disorders by 10%. In contrast, cognitive stimulation for a child, such as reading them a book or singing to them, reduces inattention. Each hour of cognitive stimulation reduces inattention by 30%!
“All children know how to do deep learning. They learn surface learning when we bring in assessment”
Surface knowledge = facts
Deep learning = applying knowledge
Two books I'd like to read over the break:
· Ron Berger - An Ethic of Excellence
· Ken Robinson – Creative schools
My opinions/thoughts on how to achieve balance when it comes to the use of technology...
Before I started this course in week 1 of semester 2, I was just like any typical uni student in terms of my phone usage (or so I thought). In fact, I was quite different in my phone usage habits, as research suggests that the average person spends over four hours a day on their phone (Curtin, 2018). According to my ScreenTime reports on my iPhone, I was spending about 2 hours a day on my phone. Since taking the TME course at the Con with James Humberstone, I have not only challenged and extended myself to bring technology into the music classroom, but just as importantly I have been given invaluable strategies and advice in terms of productivity and effective use of technology. For me most notably, I have been much more aware of my social media usage and have cut back, setting rules for myself such as not logging in before 11am and only checking once a day. Additionally, I have really taken on board mindfulness and more regular exercise which I have definitely noticed has allowed me to concentrate better on uni assignments and well as practice guitar with a greater level of focus and attention to detail. This course and it's holistic approach to technology both inside and outside of the classroom has been the highlight for me.
The application of technology in the music classroom is vital, as it's a part of children's culture and is for them, a means of accessing information efficiently and easily. As future classroom music teachers, it's our responsibility to build a culture of respect and trust in allowing our students to engage in technology for the benefit of their music education. I hold the position that technology is an integral part of our lives however imparting the knowledge that I have taken from TME to my students is part of the equation as I feel that appropriate use of technology has to be accompanied with education on how to use it best so that it doesn't become the focus of our daily lives.
For example:
- Screen-free time in evening
- Meditation time
- Exercise and eating well
- Reduce social media usage in the morning for enhanced productivity
A little recap on what we've covered in this class:
- Daws/sequencers
- Filming/audio
- ScreenFlow
- Copyright
- Text, audio, video, graphics (iBooks)
- Kindle Textbook Creator
- (Question of format) – how can they be downloaded?
- BYOD – BOB (bring your own browser)
- Synthesis w/ little bits kits
- Soundtrap synthesiser
Reference list:
Dimitri Christakis - Media and Children (2011). Retrieved 8 November 2019, from https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BoT7qH_uVNo
Are You On Your Phone Too Much? The Average Person Spends This Many Hours On It Every Day. (2018). Retrieved 9 November 2019, from https://www.inc.com/melanie-curtin/are-you-on-your-phone-too-much-average-person-spends-this-many-hours-on-it-every-day.html