As a pre-service educator, I see technology as an important enhancer in the classroom, when integrated well. As technology advances, it becomes an increasingly necessary enhancer. The students being taught in school right now and in the future will likely never know a world that isn't full to bursting with rapidly advancing technology. Thus, in order for them to be successful, their education must include technology in practical and creative ways.
The following is a three-song "soundtrack" of how this tends to play out in a learning setting.
1. "A Whole New World," Aladdin (1992)
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| Promotional poster for the film ©Walt Disney, 1991 |
Originally sung by Lea Salonga and Brad Kane
This song, as many people know, is sung by the main characters of Aladdin as they take a magic carpet ride, seeing things neither of them had had the opportunity to see. In many settings, including a classroom, technology serves as a kind of magic carpet, opening students up to an all-new set of experiences. A major aspect of this is the way it allows instructors to stray from strictly reading or writing based tasks. Through the internet, students do not only have access to a much wider array of information; they also have access to different ways of accessing information. Rather than reading the text, for example, they can have their device read it to them using text-to-speech programs, or they can listen to podcasts or watch films on the topic. This also impacts the products they create. While platforms like Google Docs have created ways to make writing essays and papers easier, other programs have created different avenues for students to prove their knowledge without the written word. They might create podcasts or videos, as previously discussed, but they might also use technology in more creative ways, such as creating a mock social media page for a fictional character, historical figure, scientist, or mathematician.
2. "They Just Keep Moving the Line," SMASH (2013)
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| Album Cover ©Columbia, 2012 |
Originally sung by Megan Hilty
This song, as the title suggests, is about getting close to a goal only to have that goal shift. In the context of the television show, it is about show business, but it can very easily be applied to technology. Both are frequently evolving, creating a similar sensation of frustration for many aspiring actors and students, respectively. It is impossible to stay on top of every technological advance and students are often put in a position in which they must learn the technology before they can work toward the subject-specific learning goals they should be working towards. Even if a student is familiar with a program, it may change in ways the student finds challenging to adjust to. This is often also true for educators.
3. "Learn to Do It," Anastasia (1997)
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| Movie Cover ©20th Century Fox Animation, 1997 |
Originally sung by Kelsey Grammar, Liz Callaway, and Jonathan Dokuchitz
In this song, Vlad and Dimitri are encouraging Anya to learn royal customs in order to convince the Grand Duchess that she is, indeed, Anastasia. As her memory consists only of the time she spent in an orphanage, it is a bit of an adjustment. However, as she was raised as a young child, in the palace, regardless of her memory loss, she catches onto many of the mannerisms and details quite quickly. Regardless of whether students have an extensive history of using technology in their classrooms (which, at this point, is almost always the case) they've grown up in a world in which they are constantly surrounded by technology. Because of this, they will likely catch onto the platforms rather easily and may often find things without teacher guidance.
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