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When students are using technology as a tool or a support for communicating with others, they are in an active role rather than the passive role of recipient of information transmitted by a teacher, textbook, or broadcast. The student is actively making choices about how to generate, obtain, manipulate, or display information. Technology use allows many more students to be actively thinking about information, making choices, and executing skills than is typical in teacher-led lessons. Moreover, when technology is used as a tool to support students in performing authentic tasks, the students are in the position of defining their goals, making design decisions, and evaluating their progress. The teacher's role changes as well. The teacher is no longer the center of attention as the dispenser of information, but rather plays the role of facilitator, setting project goals and providing guidelines and resources, moving from student to student or group to group, providing suggestions and support for student activity. As students work on their technology-supported products, the teacher rotates through the room, looking over shoulders, asking about the reasons for various design choices, and suggesting resources that might be used. (See example of teacher as coach.) Project-based work (such as the City Building Project and the Student-Run Manufacturing Company) and cooperative learning approaches prompt this change in roles, whether technology is used or not. However, tool uses of technology are highly compatible with this new teacher role, since they stimulate so much active mental work on the part of students. Moreover, when the venue for work is technology, the teacher often finds him or herself joined by many peer coaches--students who are technology savvy and eager to share their knowledge with others.

When students are using technology as a tool or a support for communicating with others, they are in an active role rather than the passive role of recipient of information transmitted by a teacher, textbook, or broadcast. The student is actively making choices about how to generate, obtain, manipulate, or display information. Technology use allows many more students to be actively thinking about information, making choices, and executing skills than is typical in teacher-led lessons. Moreover, when technology is used as a tool to support students in performing authentic tasks, the students are in the position of defining their goals, making design decisions, and evaluating their progress.

Computers and KeyboardsWe have all 8 computer and keyboard stations connected together through MIDI interface cables. As of August, 2007 we connected all keyboards to the computers using USB cables, a much more economical way to make the connections. The keyboards are used to enter notes onto the screen in Sibelius when creating compositions. Students also enter notes into the computer in note reading drills in Music Ace and Alfred's Theory Games, along with some use in the Groovy music series by Sibelius. We also use Alfred Midi files on the computer as an accompaniment with the students as they practice on their keyboards. All computers have splitter cables to split the sound between the keyboard, speakers and headphones. This helps me to have the students practice on their own or practice with the entire class. We do not have funding available for a group education controller, but hope to be able to purchase one in the future. The computers are either Windows 98 PC's or Windows XP PC's that I repaired on my own from obsolete computers no longer being used at our school. We have limited Internet access in our room. I post our websites on each stand-alone computer so students may work on the quizzes and other lessons if time is available during class.

“I’ve read a lot of reviews about ‘Wii Music,’ and I think there’s a lot more depth to this program than people have initially given it credit for,” he says. “Wii Music” doesn’t ask players to match beats, like “Guitar Hero” or “Rock Band.” Using the Wii Remote and Nunchuk controller, players can experiment with more than 60 different virtual instruments ranging from bagpipes to ukulele. They can play mini-games such as "Handbell Harmony" and "Pitch Perfect." And they can jam or improvise as part of an ensemble. That’s the one feature that really hooked Krofchick, who says that younger kids can often be reluctant to improvise musically. “Children spend a lot of their classroom time following specific directions — what to read, what to do — and very little time … actually expressing themselves in the arts,” she says. “Some can be shy to come forward and actually sort of jump in and try something. “But if anything is presented to a child in the form of a game, it’s going to be much more student-friendly or kid-friendly,” she says. “For some reason, there doesn’t seem to be a fear there.”

Smart and Getting Smarter- This site provides ideas to maximize SmartBoards as interactive hands-on, minds-on technology tools to support students as they demonstrate what they know in multiple ways. It provides an overiew and lesson activities and interactive sites in math, science, social studies, humanities, language arts and early learning.

Using Electronic Whiteboards in Your Classroom -This site provides ideas, lesson plans, and websites for using the SmartBoard in the classroom. This site is divided by content area.

MSD of Decautr Township Student Technology Skill Sets- below you will find skill set sheets that sow skills that our students will need to master at each grade level with 21st century tools.

My Name is Nekeyma Martin, Music Technology Instructor at Carter G Woodson Elementary School in Jacksonville, FL. What you are about to watch is the end of the year 5th grade music video. This video & song was choreographed, produced, written, and performed by 5th grade students. This is a story of a student failing her classes, yet gets an intervention by dream voyage to help her appreciate her opportunities in education

Immediately following the release of the National Standards for Music Education in 1994, MENC--The National Association for Music Education released Opportunity-to-Learn Standards for Music Instruction as a guide to what schools should provide to help students achieve both the National Standards for Music Education in grades K-12 and the MENC prekindergarten music education standards. MENC recommends that states either adopt these opportunity-to-learn standards or use them as a basis for developing their own. The standards challenge all who are committed to high-quality music instruction to work together to improve the teaching and learning of music in the nation's schools. The writers of the opportunity-to-learn standards were well aware that new technologies have an impact on the ways schools deliver music instruction. Throughout the text of those standards, there are references to computers, software, MIDI equipment, CD-ROMs, and other resources that are important to the world of the music teacher, as well as essential to the world of music outside the classroom. In the years since the publication of the opportunity-to-learn standards, technologies useful for music education (as for all education) have grown more capable, more varied, simpler to use, and certainly more ubiquitous.

Being able to take pictures and video footage on the same device where they can be edited and then immediately be uploaded and disseminated is a game changer in my eyes. Imagine the possibilities of students taking the devices on field trips or on location to interview eye witnesses or experts for research projects.

hen a similar survey was undertaken five years ago, students' number one complaint was the speed of Internet access at school. Now, they point instead to school filters and firewalls. 71% of high school students and 62% of middle school students say that the most important thing their school could do to make it easier for them to use technology would be to allow them greater access to the websites they need

This site is dedicated to improving k-12 learning process by using digital media to document, disseminate, and advocate for innovative, replicable strategies that prepare students to thrive in their future education, careers, and adult lives.

Very interesting article on the utilization of technology in schools to assist children with disabilities

This section of the site provides information and resources for using educational technology

hese champions, however, must be coordinated into a team that is established by policies and procedures—rather than ad hoc—within the school system

Having regular access to technology specialists during the planning process meant that teachers could feel more confident and supported when integrating technology.