Joshua Stefans Education Blog

I briefly mentioned in my last post about technology changing education that the changes also reach into the world of music education. I mentioned programs like Sibelius and GarageBand. These two programs are well known but they're not the only ones being used. In fact, there's much much more out there and are far more accessible. This is because of that wonderful piece of technology that's either in your pocket right now or sitting next to you as you read this; the smartphone. The smartphone, where would we be without it and all of its useful apps that we take for granted on a daily basis? Remember that old iPhone commercial that had the slogan "There's an app for that"? We all know how true that is. This is especially the case for music. There's an app for just about any type of musical training out there. This has made it more accessible to learn music or refine music skills. For example, there are countless apps for metronomes and tuners with all var...

I grew up and attended school during a time when technology was changing at a rapid rate. It seemed like every new school year brought a new piece of technology being incorporated into the classroom. For example, I remember being in first grade (2001) and receiving a report card written on a typewriter and then, in second grade (2002), I received a report card that was typed on a computer and printed. Obviously, that's not all. I have seen the phasing out of overhead projectors and the rise and embrace of ELMO projectors in the classroom. I have seen computer screens in computer labs become thinner and thinner before my eyes. I also remember the frustrations of dealing with turnitin.com when I got into high school. (By the way, is that still around?) Since I have witnessed these changes as well as many more, I can see the pros and cons to this rapid change of technology in education. A pro to technological advances in education is that it can improve a student's understanding...