Technology integration in your music education involves more than learning about knobs, buttons, faders and what you can do with them. But learning what your tools are about and how to control them is a smart place to start levelling up your digital skills.
Consider the levels in the TIER approach to be tiers of a wedding cake
The TIER approach will support you in enriching your music education with technology. Ultimately it ensures that you actually use technology in your music lessons and that you continue to use it without extra effort.
Start at the right level
The TIER approach (click to see more)
Technology integration in your music education involves more than learning about knobs, buttons, faders and what you can do with them. But learning what your tools are about and how to control them is a smart place to start levelling up your digital skills. And if you already know the tool you want to integrate inside and out, just start at the next level.
The TIER approach will support you in enriching your music education with technology. Ultimately it ensures that you actually use technology in your music lessons and that you continue to use it without extra effort.
| – 1 – TRAIN |
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The base level is the important foundation on which the other levels can build. It is also a tier that takes much effort and time to learn and operate specific tools.
Still, this tier will give you the foundation for the other layers of technology integration. Plus, this tier will become easier over time because you will discover similarities between the technologies you delve into.
The second layer of the TIER approach makes the connection to education. This tier is about learning how to use the technology for teaching music and how to integrate the technology in your teaching meaningfully.
| – 2 – IMPLEMENT |
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| – 3 – ENSURE |
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The third tier is about ensuring the conditions required for the actual use of the technology.
For this layer the involvement of others is required, such as from your colleagues, your schools’ management, and your ICT department.
Moreover, you need the experience and expertise of the base and second tier of the TIER approach.
The highest level of the TIER approach is the level for which you must have overview over the other tiers.
This level of technology integration is about how to support and train others in technology-enriched music education and become a leader in the field.
| – 4 – REACH OUT |
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Without the first three layers, technology integration is prone to failure. But don’t let this put you off. You can start simple and you’ve come to the right place for support.