Throughout
my time in both high school and college, I have spent lots of time in both
school’s music technology labs. In high school, I took two Music Theory courses
and worked as a lab assistant. In college, I took a Music Technology course,
and I have been working as a lab monitor since last semester. Both jobs are
similar, as both involve helping other students use the technology to complete
their assignments; however, there is one thing that sets the two jobs
completely apart from one another, and that is the technology in each lab. The
difference between the two labs is astounding.
My
high school’s music technology lab seemed really exiting and advanced at the
time. Located in the lab were somewhere between 12 and 15 Mac computers from
the late 1990s/early 2000s. Each computer was equipped with an older version of
Finale (a music notation software), Safari (for browsing the internet), and
that was about it. The computers were slow, they sometimes froze and were
unresponsive, and their limited screen size made it very difficult to complete
larger and more complex projects. In addition, some of the computers had MIDI
keyboards, but only some of them functioned. All of the computers were
connected to one printer that was located outside of the lab. Although the
facilities may sound somewhat disappointing based on my description, they were
still put to good use.
When
I first visited the technology lab in the new music building at MSU, I was
absolutely astounded. Located in the lab are somewhere between 12 and 15 Mac
computers, just as in my high school lab; however, these were brand new
computers at the time (now they are probably about 3 years old). Each computer
has around 20 different music-related programs on them, a functioning MIDI
keyboard, individual sound system controller, external speakers, and more. The
extent to which these computers can be used is endless. I have only learned the
basics of three of these programs, and I usually only need one, occasionally
two, to complete the types of projects that I work on. In addition to the
computers, there is a printer, a scanner, and a cabinet full of headphones,
microphones, stands, cables, and other equipment that may be loaned out to
students for their individual use.
Part
of my job as a lab monitor is to sign out equipment to students so that they
can take it with them out of the technology lab in order to complete
assignments in practice rooms or even outside of the music building. Because we
have a newer building with many state-of-the-art technologies, some music
students may take it for granted that this equipment is available for us to use
on daily a daily basis; however, comparing it to the technology lab where I
spent lots of my time in high school makes me really appreciate the facilities
in the music building at MSU, specifically the technology lab. Perhaps the most
impressive aspect of the technology lab at school is the base computer. This
base computer has the same capabilities as all the others plus several more. In
addition, it can connect to a large presentation screen in the front of the lab
(often used for classes that take place in the lab). It is also connected to
each and every one of the computers in the lab, which means that at the push of
just a few buttons, all of the computers in the lab can be taken over and
completely controlled using the base computer. (I believe this is done through
a program called Remote Desktop.)
For anyone who read this post and
would like to respond for participation purposes, here is a question I present
to you: Does having access to advanced
facilities, such as the ones I described in the last two paragraphs, make
students more inclined to develop an interest and/or comfort level when it
comes to using technology for educational purposes? Why or why not?
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