Motivating the Net Generation:

Five Simple Tools to Get Your Students Thinking, Practicing, and Learning at Home

January 28, 2011: Waco Music Teachers Association

Dr. Lesley Sisterhen McAllister

Characteristics of the “net generation”:

1. —Need for immediacy (fast response time)
   

2. —Multi-tasking (attentional deployment)
   

3. —Interactivity
   

4. —Learning by doing (inductive discovery)
   

5. —Intuitive visual communicators
   

Benefits of using the Internet in music assignments:

-Accessible and part of our daily lives

-Students are used to using it for projects and papers in school

-Provides communication between teachers and students, as well as between studio members

-Motivates students and provides a variety of reinforcement activities

Websites:

Facebook: http://www.facebook.com: social networking site

-post videos, pictures, and send messages to “friends”

-create groups that communicate through discussion boards and posts

-send event invitations for recitals

-be sure to join the TMTA group and post on the discussion board! 

http://www.facebook.com/group.php?gid=81398799618

Email Lesley_Sisterhen@baylor.edu to become a member

Send me a message with your ideas for the group

Email me or send a message if you want a message sent to all of the members

YouTube: http://www.youtube.com: video-sharing service

1. -require students to watch videos related to assigned repertoire or featured performers/composers
   

-upload videos of students practicing or playing in recitals

Blogging: http://www.blogger.com: “web log” posted by individual featuring subject commentary or a personal diary

-posting could serve as a repository for lesson notes or reminders, or center around a weekly topic

-can post pictures, video, and links to other web resources

Delicious: http://www.delicious.com: social bookmarking site

-save and share bookmarked websites with students

Other web resources:

Music Theory Games and Tutorials:

http://www.musictheory.net: Ricci Adams’ site for lessons and trainers

http://www.pedaplus.com: Flash games

http://www.musictechteacher.com: Worksheets

Downloadable Music Scores:

http://imslp.org/wiki/Main_Page: IMSLP/Petrucci Music Library

Music Repertoire Databases:

20th century intermediate repertoire:

http://kathyrabago.com/pianorep/advanced.php

Treasures for Piano:

http://www.music.umich.edu/departments/piano/pplp/treasures/search/

http://www.findpianoworks.com

http://www.pianopedia.com

Sources:

Howe, Neil and William Strauss.  Millenials Rising: The Next Greatest Generation.  New York: Vintage Books, 2000.

Oblinger, Diana G. and James L. Oblinger, editors.  Educating the Net Generation.  Educause, 2005.  (Available online at http://www.educause.edu/educatingthenetgen/5989). 

Contact Information:

E-mail: Lesley_Sisterhen@baylor.edu

Delicious username: Lsisterhen

TMTA Facebook page: http://www.facebook.com/group.php?gid=81398799618

Many resources for teachers are available on the TMTA website, www.tmta.org, or on the Music Teachers National Association website, www.mtna.org.