What’s being a digital native got to do with it? Preservice music teachers perceptions of music technology for teaching and learning

Julie K. Bannerman, Crane School of Music, SUNY-Potsdam

Emmett J. O’Leary, Crane School of Music, SUNY-Potsdam

olearyej@potsdam.edu

Music teacher education programs primarily serve students born after 1980, when the digital native generation began (Prensky, 2001). The premise of being digitally native is that students are comfortable using technology and thrive in a world in which technology is seamlessly integrated into their lives (Palfrey & Gasser, 2008). Prior research has reported a gap between preservice teachers’ personal or informal use of technology and their use of technology for educational purposes (Kumar & Vigil, 2011). In music education, Barry (2004) found that students were comfortable using technology for personal use, but required training in order to utilize music technology in music teaching and learning situations. The divide between preservice music teachers’ personal use of technology and their ability to effectively implement technology for music teaching and learning presents a challenge in music teacher education.

The purpose of this study was to gather information about preservice music teachers’ uses of technology in their personal lives and their views towards technology in music teaching. This study examined how preservice music teachers use technology in their personal lives, preservice music teachers' attitudes towards technology for use in their future professional lives, and how preservice music teachers rate the importance of, their comfort with, and the necessity of specific music technology competencies.

A survey was administered to music education majors (n= 65) at a large undergraduate institution in the Northeastern United States. The survey included 5 sections: demographic information; personal technology use; views towards technology for music teaching (partially adapted from Lei, 2009); comfort, necessity, and importance of ten music technologies (selected from Webster and Williams, 2014); and open-ended questions discussing priorities for technology in their own music education and future teaching.

Preliminary findings indicate the majority of preservice music teachers actively use technology and social media in their personal lives on a daily basis. In regards to teaching and learning, respondents indicated that technology was used ineffectively in their k-12 music educations, but perceived more effective use of technology in their college education. Respondents reported a high need for and interest in technology for their future teaching, but a lower level of knowledge about technology use in the music classroom. The music technologies viewed as most important included music notation software and presentation software. Those viewed as most necessary included knowledge of copyright and presentation software. Editing digital audio and recording/mixing were the technologies with which respondents were both the least comfortable with and viewed as least important for their future teaching.

Preliminary findings indicate that, as digital natives should, respondents frequently use technology in their personal lives, but this this has not led to the development of comfort with technology for music teaching and learning. Preservice teachers expressed a desire for development of technological skills. Since respondents perceived music technology as being used ineffectively in their k-12 educations, music teacher educators may play a role in bridging the gap. Skilled use of music technology in music teaching and learning situations may require meaningful and intentional facilitation in music teacher education curricula.

References

Barry, N. H. (2004). University music education student perceptions and attitudes about instructional technology. Journal of Technology in Music Learning, 2(2), 2-20.

Kumar, S., & Vigil, K. (2011). The Net Generation as preservice teachers: Transferring familiarity with new technologies to educational environments. The Journal of Digital Learning in Teacher Education, 27(4), 144-153.

Lei, J. (2009). Digital natives as preservice music teachers: What technology preparation is needed? Journal of Computing in Teacher Education, 25(3), 87-97.

Palfrey, J., & Gasser, U. (2008). Born digital. New York, NY: Basic Books.

Prensky, M. (2001). Digital natives, digital immigrants part 1. On the Horizon, 9(5), 1, 3-6.

Webster, P.R. & Williams, D. B. (2014). Defining Undergraduate Music Technology Competencies and Strategies for Learning. Paper presented at the Association for Technology in Music Instruction/ College Music Society National Conference, St. Louis, MO.