Use of Technology-Supported Educational Tools in General Music Education and Its Contribution to the Process of Music Education

Abstract Introduction: In our current century, technology continues to exist in almost all domains of human life. In this day and age, technological changes and developments make a great contribution to the rapid production of information and easy access to it. As a result of rapidly developing and changing needs, it is considered essential to organize education in line with these needs and to incorporate technology within the education system. In the present study, it was aimed to identify the use of technology supported educational tools in general music education and their contribution to the process of music education. Methods: The convergent parallel design, which is one of the mixed research methods, was used in this study. Based on this particular point in mind, it was attempted in this study to establish the opinions of music teachers about the level of use of technology-supported educational tools in general music education through both closed-ended and open-ended questions. In this study, homogeneous sampling was used and it was attempted to reach out the teachers who taught general music knowledge in Turkey. The study group of the research was formed with 59 music teachers teaching at different institutions who agreed to participate in the study on a voluntary basis. Results: In line with the data obtained, it was concluded that teachers found themselves partially sufficient and willing to improve themselves in terms of using the technology-supported educational materials more effectively and efficiently in the process. Discussion: From the results of the research, it is seen that technology-supported applications are used especially in the listening and expression stages of the teacher, and it is preferred in the sampling, song teaching and showing and telling stages. In addition, it was determined that these applications were used by only 1 participant during the evaluation phase. It has been determined that technology-supported applications contribute positively to learning speed, permanent learning and the realization of more effective lessons. Throughout the music education process, which includes abstract concepts, the students' acquisition of the knowledge and making sense of this knowledge will contribute positively to their academic success. It is believed that it is essential to draw students' attention and include them effectively within the education process by getting them to gain new experiences. In this sense, it is crucially significant that teachers have the competence to use different applications in today's age of technology. Limitations: The research was limited to 59 music teachers who voluntarily agreed to work during the data collection process. The research was carried out in the spring term of the 2020-2021 academic year. Conclusions: In accordance with the findings obtained from the study, it was found that the participants utilized the technology-supported teaching tools especially in listening and lecturing, and they did not use these tools throughout the process. It was revealed that these tools had positive effects such as increasing students’ attention and contributing to their permanent learning, as well as negative effects such as the tendency (to expect everything to be handed to one on a silver plate) and reducing the teacher's remedial role.