Three Generations of Teachers on Teaching with Technology
George Litterst is a nationally known music educator, clinician, author, performer, and music software developer. A classically trained pianist, he is co-author of the intelligent accompaniment software program, Home Concert Xtreme, and the electronic music blackboard program, Classroom Maestro, from TimeWarp Technologies.
I still remember my first two piano students. The time was the early 1970s. I was a junior at Vassar College, and my piano teacher thought that it would be a good idea for me to do some teaching. Accordingly, I ended up with a couple of students from the community. One was 7 and the other was 70.
At that time, I had no formal training in the art of piano instruction. Not surprisingly, my choice of literature was based on my recollection of what books I had used in my earlier study, and my various teaching techniques were derived from my most recent lessons. I enjoyed my early teaching experiences and eagerly looked forward to a career divided between teaching and performing.
As I moved through my graduate school years and beyond, I had my compass pointed in two directions: forward and backward. I was always looking ahead to new opportunities in my chosen profession. At the same time, I admired my mentors so much that I largely modeled my teaching on the ways in which they had taught me. In essence, I assumed that the contemporary musical landscape was relatively unchanged from what it was when my teachers launched their careers.
In graduate school, I was somewhat arrogant about my teaching skills, and I passed up the opportunity to take a course in piano pedagogy from one of the leaders in the field. Little did I realize that (1) the art of piano teaching is one of the most studied teaching arts in existence, (2) there was a lot that I didn’t know, and (3) it was quite possible to teach for years and be completely oblivious to the many educational philosophies and approaches related to teaching the piano.
Fortunately, my mother woke me up in the late 1970s when she introduced me to a new group teaching method that a colleague of hers was exploring. It was a curriculum authored by David Kraehenbuehl and Richard Chronister under the name of National Keyboard Arts Associates. Wow! What an eye-opener that was!
Although I never taught the Kraehenbuehl/Chronister curriculum, I became keenly aware that times change and that we have an obligation both to learn from the past and to move forward as our understanding of teaching possibilities continues to expand.
In more recent years, the introduction of so-called new technology into my studio has been nothing more than an exciting continuation of this journey into the musical future. For me, the use of new technology has been neither a repudiation of the past nor an abandonment of the musical goals that launched my career. Instead, the incorporation of new technology in my work has given me wings and enabled me to fly over an ever-changing musical landscape.
The fast pace of change in contemporary society has lead me to wonder whether the issues that new technologies pose are really so different from circumstances faced by our musical ancestors. After all, isn’t the entire history of music a history of technological change and innovation?
As an accompaniment to this article, I have prepared a timeline of technology highlights that have impacted our profession. I hope that you will spend some time contemplating these events and the changes that they made possible.
For example, you might ask yourself:
- Where would we be if Cristofori had not invented the escapement action?
- How did the change from knee-lever-controlled dampers to pedal-controlled dampers affect subsequent compositions for piano?
- What was the impact of the cast-iron frame and the accelerated piano action on the development of piano technique and the technical demands of subsequent piano repertoire?
- How many adolescent piano students continue their piano studies because they are inspired—in part—by play-along MIDI accompaniments?
I hope that this introduction has piqued your interest. Please read on and enjoy a glimpse into the studios of three different generations of piano teachers who have incorporated new technologies into their teaching.
Meet Serena Mackey http://www.thestudionotes.com
A Young Teacher Tackles Technology
Because I am a gentleman, I won’t reveal her age, but I shall start by telling you that Serena Mackey is under 40 years old. And, she radiates a youthful energy which suggests that anyone would have a fun time in her studio!
Her academic pedigree implies nothing out of the ordinary about her as a teacher. She received both a B.A. in Education and a B.S. in English from the University of Idaho. She also had the opportunity to study music with Dr. Del Parkinson at Boise State University. Her path to a career as a piano teacher, however, started much earlier under unusual circumstances.
“I taught my first lesson when I was a sophomore in high school. I lived in a small town and traveled 150 miles one way, every other week, for my own piano lessons. There was no one in town who was able to teach me, and no one who was able to teach anyone else, so I started teaching. I remember keeping a little ledger I bought at King’s Department store (where I also worked), and I used it to track my income: $3.50/lesson. One little girl would bring the amount all wadded up in her hand in dollar bills and change each week.”
It wasn’t long before Serena introduced new technology into her studio:
“I started teaching on the Baldwin upright (www.gibson.com/Products/Pianos/Baldwin Pianos) I grew up with. When I was a senior in high school—and had 30 students!—I got a small portable keyboard for Christmas. It had a few tones, a few rhythms, and it was BIG technology. Oh, and I also had a metronome that needed batteries and ticked with a red light. That, too, was HUGE.”
Following her college studies, Serena taught in public schools for a period of time before deciding to settle into a career as a piano pedagogue. It was then that she was confronted with issues that could be best addressed with contemporary technology.
“After teaching in public schools for several years, I decided to stay closer to home, change my hours, and develop a studio again. One day I wandered into the music store looking for keyboards to use during a summer piano camp. After spending 20 minutes playing on a digital piano, the needs of my students came crashing out of the keys in front of me: I had to have this technology in my studio!
“That was 1998. That same summer I purchased a Roland KR 375 digital piano (www.rolandus.com). Three weeks later I bought three more and began teaching group lessons in the basement of my house.
Instruments
- Roland KR105 Digital piano
- Roland MT90s Music Tutor MIDI playback device
- Boxes of rhythm instruments
Computers And Software
- Windows XP Laptop Computer
- Windows XP Desktop Computer
- PrintMusic (notation software)
- Home Concert Xtreme (score-following software)
- Classroom Maestro (electronic music blackboard software)
- Alfred's Essentials of Music Theory (theory software)
- QuickBooks (financial management software)
- Microsoft Publisher (desktop publishing software)
Video And Audio Recording
- Roland CD-2 CF-CD recorder
- Apple iPod
- Canon digital still camera
Websites
- www.thestudionotes.com —management of the Studio (a music school)
- Websites her students use constantly:
“I was immediately fascinated by the possibilities of teaching piano concepts and general musicality using the orchestral tones of a digital piano. For me, these sounds are an essential tool for reaching students who listen to so much polyphony (cacophony?) in their daily lives. I found The Music Tutor feature of the Roland piano especially useful because it enabled me to teach using background accompaniments, and these accompaniments were very effective for overcoming so many teaching hurdles.”
If you have ever attended a music conference where Serena made a presentation, you are probably aware that she has a strong entrepreneurial spirit. It is difficult for most teachers to go out and purchase four full-featured digital pianos all at once, unless the economics of the situation make the purchase compelling. When Serena decides to make such a purchase, you can be confident that it makes sense from both a pedagogical and a business perspective.
In Serena’s case, she has used digital pianos and other modern technologies to help grow her studio and teach more students—especially groups. Not only that, she has found a way to leverage her purchases and build a small music school that offers individual and group lessons in piano, voice, and Kindermusik, taught by a total of seven teachers, including herself.
“Three in-home studios and two outside studios later, I now have 2,000 square feet of teaching space, 17 digital pianos, and thousands of MIDI files. And yes, the digital piano and MIDI technology are still at the core of my teaching.”
Obviously, Serena has to keep on top of a lot of things, not the least of which is the fast-paced change of technology.
“Changes in technology don’t just follow the cutting edge, they follow trends in education which track our new generation. Ignoring these changes is like driving blind.
“How do I keep up? Simply put: I find what works and don’t use something just because it’s new.”
And, she rolls with the punches: “How do I keep up with technology?!?!?! I have to have technology to keep up with my students!
“This year, my teenage students are making me a little crazy. I can’t get them to play more than 16 measures of Mozart, Chopin, or even Joplin. They are obsessed with their own lives, their phones, and their iPod downloads. So I caved in to the technology they use and decided to teach from it.
“My teenage students are now required to bring their iPod/mp3 players to their lessons. We hook them up to the digital piano with simple $10 cables so that the piano acts as a stereo for their music. We select tones on the piano that match notes from their favorite songs, and then proceed to work on ear training, finding the key signature, picking out the melody, and harmonizing the tunes. Once students ‘earn the right’ to work on a piece by completing these ear training exercises, I send them to a website ( www.musicnotes.com) where they purchase, download, and print out the music to their favorite iPod songs. In this way I am now using the music of Keith Urban, Snow Patrol, Hinder, and Vanessa Carlton to teach balance, theory, transposing, and technique.
“My students are also required to text message or email me once a week. I have all their email addresses and send them “blasts” the day after the lesson, just to stay in their face and let them know I think about them.”
Serena seems to be unflappable when it comes to using new technology. There is very little that frustrates her.
“If I need it, I learn it. I don’t learn new technology just because it’s new. If I can’t use it or teach others from it, or if I can’t find a direct application to my teaching, presenting, or writing, I let it go. There’s too much out there to get frustrated over any one thing.”
And, she looks forward to future technological developments and studio expansion:
“At this point, I could really use effective, online technology that I can tap into right here in the classroom. I research online quite a bit for my students, but usually I do it at night, before or after a lesson. I also wish I had more laptop stations so that when a student or teacher wants to download and purchase a song at a lesson, the music can be obtained instantly.”
These days, most of Serena’s teaching is done in groups. Each lesson starts with technique exercises using music-style, drum pattern accompaniments that are built into her digital pianos. She manipulates the beat patterns, tempo, and subdivision of the beat according to the concepts that she is working on in class.
“I often begin an hour lesson by asking students to spend 5 minutes recording either their best/favorite piece or one I select. They can quickly record into the memory of the digital piano, listening through headphones. Then I might ask students to play musical chairs, moving to the next piano, putting on the headphones, and listening to the piece another student recorded. We continue until everyone has heard every piece, then have a brief chat about what they heard. This is a great technique for obtaining collaborative feedback.
“Yesterday, we started class with 10 minutes of sight reading using MIDI files stored in the memory of the piano. Students read the music right off the piano’s screen and don’t need additional books (or page turning!).
“We had an iPod performance at the end of class in which one student played along with a tune he had been working out by ear.
“I also downloaded a MIDI file of Mozart’s Viennese Sonata and we listened to it and critiqued it. (It was awful! Which was fun!) Then we chatted about how it wasn’t originally written for piano. This discussion led us to a project of rewriting it in the original 3-part divertimento style using other instrumental tones available on our keyboards.”
As I contemplate all of Serena’s activities, I find myself wondering how she does it all. Is it her youth that provides her with that energy or is it the nature of creative music-making?
Meet George Litterst http://www.georgelitterst.com
Technology Keeps this Middle-age Teacher Young!
“My first piano studio was pretty traditional. During and immediately following my graduate school work at New England Conservatory, I was an apartment dweller, and the centerpiece of my studio was a Yamaha P2F upright (www.yamaha.com). The piano itself had one novel feature: If you depressed the middle pedal and locked it down, a strip of felt was lowered between the hammers and the strings thus muting the sound. I used that feature so much when I practiced that I actually wore out the felt!
“The other technology accoutrements that adorned my studio included an electronic metronome, a manual typewriter, a cassette recorder, and a phonograph. The phonograph had a somewhat unusual and important feature: pitch control. There was a knob that enabled me to speed up and slow down recordings. This made it possible for me to match the pitch of Music Minus One recordings (www.musicminusone.com) to my piano for concerto practice.
“My first foray into radically new music technology began in 1984 when my wife—a teacher of the deaf—decided that we needed to purchase our first personal computer. The motivating factor was her desire to create professional looking worksheets. The task of researching which computer to purchase fell on my shoulders.
“At that time, I had a vague idea that someday I would be able to play on a musical keyboard and notes would magically appear on the computer screen. By 1984, polyphonic electronic keyboards were just starting to appear with a new feature called MIDI, which enabled them to be connected to computers. Based on an intriguing ad for an unreleased program called Professional Composer from Mark of the Unicorn (www.motu.com), I decided that we should purchase a Macintosh.
“Although I had no clear idea how I would use Professional Composer or how I would pay for it (it cost $500!), I started to dream about my digital future. Very quickly, though, my excitement turned to despair: Mark of the Unicorn announced a change of plans; when it was finally released, Professional Composer would require a $1,000 memory upgrade for my computer!!!
Instruments
- Yamaha DC6 Disklavier Pro Reproducing Grand Piano
- Yamaha PSR 8000 portable MIDI keyboard
- M-Audio Keystation 49e MIDI keyboard
Computers And Software
- Macintosh OS X Desktop Computer
- Windows XP Desktop Computer (for software development)
- Macintosh OS X Notebook Computer
- Home Concert Xtreme (score-following software)
- Classroom Maestro (electronic music blackboard software)
- Finale (notation software)
- Digital Performer (sequencing software)
- Adobe GoLive (web page editing software)
- Thousands of MIDI files from major publishers and the Internet
- iChat (video conferencing software)
- Skype (video conferencing software)
- Keynote (presentation software for use in concert presentations)
- Arkaos VJ (MIDI-controlled presentation software for use in concerts)
- Audacity (audio recording software)
- iMovie (video editing software)
- Roxio Toast (CD/DVD creation/duplication software)
- Garritan Personal Orchestra (software tone generator)
- Adobe Photoshop (image editing software)
- Amazing Slowdowner (variable speed, audio playback software)
- ChronoSync (backup/synchronization software)
- SmartScore Pro (music scanning software)
- Parallels (software enabling Windows to run on a Macintosh)
Video And Audio Recording
- Sony HD digital video camera
- Sony digital still camera
Websites
- www.georgelitterst.com
- professional activities and publications
- concert promotion
- student performances coming soon
- www.timewarptech.com
- sales of Home Concert Xtreme and Classroom Maestro
“At the end of 1984 I made one of the most important decisions of my musical career. Not knowing how I was going to explain it to my wife, I decided to take our computer into the shop for the $1,000 memory upgrade—and get the tax deduction sooner rather than later. I still had no idea how I would find $500 to pay for Professional Composer once it was published.
“When I entered the computer store, I found a new Macintosh magazine called Macazine. Suddenly the light bulb came on in my brain: If I could persuade the magazine to let me write music software reviews, I wouldn’t have to pay for Professional Composer! I quickly got in touch with the magazine, received a writing assignment, and before I knew it I became the author of a column called The Well Tempered Macintosh.
“That gig lasted for a few years and enabled me to learn about the quickly evolving field of MIDI keyboards and music software. Most importantly, the need to explain new products to the readers of the magazine forced me to learn new things. During this time I discovered that the act of teaching is the ultimate act of learning.
“Since 1984, I have used many different technologies and applied them in many different ways. Some of my efforts turned out to be nothing more than interesting experiments. Nonetheless, certain tools have gradually emerged and proved themselves to be very effective in my work.
“Following the introduction of the personal computer in my life, the Disklavier piano (www.yamaha.com) has been the most important tool that I own. Of course it does certain useful things all by itself, such as record and playback performances. This enables me to record my students (or myself) and playback the recording for analysis. Slowing down the playback to 50% of the original tempo can be very revealing!
“More important to me, however, has been the fact that the Disklavier can be connected to the computer. This feature has extended the functionality of my traditional, acoustic piano in amazing ways.
“Today, a large monitor sits atop my Disklavier. The computer to which both the monitor and the Disklavier are connected enables to me to have most of my teaching materials available on the computer screen.
“For example, let’s say a student comes in for a lesson. We may need to work on a piece from the Frances Clark Music Tree, a piece from one of the Harry Potter movies (published with MIDI accompaniments by Warner Bros./Alfred), a piece by Paul Sheftel, or even a piano concerto. With just a couple of mouse clicks, I have the music open and displayed on the computer screen.
“I should clarify what I mean when I say that I have music displayed on the computer screen. I am using a software program that has been written by my friend and colleague, Frank Weinstock (http://ccm.uc.edu/keyboard/Weinstockbio.html)—a talented pianist on the faculty of the College-Conservatory of Music at the University of Cincinnati. The program is called Home Concert Xtreme (www.timewarptech.com), and it works with Standard MIDI files.
“I obtain MIDI files for all of the method and supplementary books that I use from Alfred, Frederick Harris, FJH, Hal Leonard, and others. This collection encompasses nearly all of the elementary and early intermediate level music that I teach. In addition, I acquire piano concerto MIDI files from various Internet sources, such as the Classical Archives (www.classicalarchives.com). Home Concert Xtreme opens these files and shows me the piano tracks in music notation, at which point I can add fingerings, add dynamics, and otherwise edit the look of the score.
“I have come to enjoy reading the music off of the computer screen for several reasons. I can change the size of the notation to suit my students or myself. For example, I have found that beginners of all ages benefit from large notation. In addition, I enjoy reading large notation without having to wear my glasses!
“Home Concert Xtreme works interactively with the pianist. If your piano or keyboard is connected to the computer, Home Concert Xtreme compares your playing to the score and figures out where you are in the music—despite wrong or missing notes and incorrect rhythms—and how fast and how loud you are playing. Accordingly, the program turns the pages automatically and provides many other interactive features. For example, I may set the program to play the accompaniment at a steady tempo but also to pause the music every time an elementary student fails to play the correct note. Alternatively, I may change the settings so that the program coordinates the tempo and volume of the orchestra to match the soloist as he/she plays a piano concerto.
“The program always records the student’s playing automatically. This means that I also have a very convenient way of playing back any portion of a student’s performance for analysis. This also enables me to hear and see the playback coordinated with the music display. I save the best performances as part of a progress archive, and I eventually make audio recordings of these performances and burn them to CDs that I give my students.
“I readily admit that I enjoy experimenting with new technologies and tinkering with the possibilities. At this moment, I have a unique opportunity to experiment with an unreleased feature of the Mark IV Disklavier that makes it possible to connect two or more Disklaviers together over the Internet. This means that you can teach a student in a remote location. When your student plays the piano in the remote location, the keys and pedals of the piano in your studio move up and down in exactly the same way, as though the student is right there in the room playing your instrument! I am currently using this feature in conjunction with Apple’s iChat video conferencing software (www.apple.com/ichat) so that the student and I can see each other and have a conversation.
“At this point, I balance my professional work between teaching, presenting conference workshops, writing articles, developing music software, and performing. In the latter area, my work is focused on coordinating multimedia elements with my playing for the purpose of engaging audiences that do not necessarily have a deep understanding of classical music.
“I have been fortunate to have such a multifaceted career. No doubt, the constant pace of change and the infusion of new technologies has kept me fresh and on my toes!”
Meet Paul Sheftel http://www.paulsheftel.com
The Older Generation Continues to Get Younger
I’ll never forget the day that I introduced my mother (a violin and piano teacher) to Paul Sheftel at the biennial convention of the National Conference on Keyboard Pedagogy (www.francesclarkcenter.org/NationalConference.html). The first thing she said to him was, “I have been laughing at your music for years!” Paul—I hasten to add—was delighted to hear it!
Paul is one of the most engaging performers, teachers, and personalities that I know. His approach to life, music-making, and teaching constitute a unique blend of seriousness, humor, and joie de vivre. If you or your students have worked with any of his compositions, you probably could not avoid at least wearing a perpetual smile if not occasionally laughing out loud for the sheer joy of it.
In his earlier years, Paul undertook studies at The Juilliard School, receiving B.S. and M.S. degrees in piano performance. Following that, he pursued a career as a performer for some time. Teaching, however, was in his blood. In fact, he was just 15 years old when he taught his first piano lesson.
“I always loved teaching and working with others. I started thinking about writing my own method when living in Rome in my late twenties. The combination of thinking about and creating materials and then using them was a powerful, motivating force.”
Paul’s first piano studio was pretty traditional. “My studio was my living room. The only technology I used then, apart from the piano, was a metronome and later a tape recorder.”
As for using contemporary technology in his work, the tape recorder was just the beginning.
“In the late 1960s, I took a job with Baldwin pianos. They had just developed their first piano lab. That was an eye opener for me, and I began to see the implications of using a lab for group instruction.”
Paul subsequently taught class piano at Hunter College in New York City. And, he even developed one of the first group teaching methods for piano, Exploring Keyboard Fundamentals, which was used for many years at various colleges and universities.
During these years, Paul got his first computer “to study those early efforts at programmed instruction. I also obtained my first electronic keyboards (large and small) around this time. Then, in the mid-1980s, Roland introduced the first stand-alone sequencer, the MT-100 (www.rolandus.com), which became a very important part of my teaching life.”
Paul got his MT-100 just a couple of years after the introduction of a new computer language for real-time musical communication. The language was called MIDI, which stands for Musical Instrument Digital Interface. MIDI made it possible to connect keyboards, tone generators, computers, and stand-alone sequencers ( MIDI recorders) and use them together.
Instruments
- Yamaha C1 Grand Piano
- Roland Digital Piano
- Roland MT 300
Computers And Software
- Windows XP Desktop Computer
- Macintosh OS X Desktop Computer
- Windows XP Notebook Computer
- Home Concert Xtreme (score-following software)
- Sibelius (notation software)
- Cakewalk Sonar (sequencing software)
- Web Page Editing Software
- Sheftel MIDI files
- iChat (video conferencing software)
- ChatFX (visual effects software for iChat)
- PowerPoint (presentation software for use in concert presentations)
Video And Audio Recording
- Digital Video Camera
- Superscope CD recorder
Websites
- www.paulsheftel.com
- student activities
- professional activities and publications
- student performances
- listening options for students (Paul Sheftel Radio)
- blog
- www.soundstartcourseware.com
- sales of MIDI orchestrations
The MT-100 represented a new genre of musical product called a sequencer. Sequencers could be stand-alone (like the MT-100), built into a keyboard, or even be a software program running on a personal computer.
Sequencers were ground breaking products for music educators for several reasons. First, if you connected one to a digital piano or MIDI keyboard, you could record and play back student performances (and even change the tempo without changing the pitch). Second, you could create multi-track recordings that used different instrumental voices for each part. Last of all, you could use a sequencer as a simple to use, but effective, playback device.
For many teachers, the use of a sequencer for playing prerecorded accompaniments has made it an indispensable tool. However, it cannot be used this way unless creative MIDI orchestrators have previously recorded (i.e. sequenced) material. Paul was possibly the first influential piano pedagogue to plunge into MIDI sequencing.
He started, naturally, by making MIDI accompaniments for his own teaching materials. Very soon, however, his work in this area expanded to include MIDI recordings for the Bastien (www.kjos.com) and Music Pathways (www.carlfischer.com) piano methods. You can find an impressive listing of these materials on his website, and many of the MIDI orchestrations can be purchased directly from Paul online at www.soundstartcourseware.com.
Paul continues to use his early MIDI sequences in his teaching, and he is constantly composing and arranging new MIDI material. As times change, however, he has had to update his keyboards and sequencers, and he has gradually come to rely more and more on personal computers—not just for sequencing but for everything from composing, to teaching long distance, to making visual presentations that coordinate with his recital performances.
When I asked him how he keeps up with the fast pace of technological change, he replied, “I don't. I get my young friends and students to help me as best they can.”
And therein lies some of the brilliance of Paul’s work with new technology. His mind is always free to imagine the most creative possibilities without any regard for the technological limitations. Then by trading lessons with his teenage and young adult students, he gets assistance with creating his website, learning how to use a new computer, et cetera.
In recent years, Paul has deployed technological resources in three novel and interesting areas.
First, there is his studio website. Of course, it serves as his professional calling card by listing his publications and upcoming performances. More importantly, he uses it as a tool to teach and inspire his students. For example, he posts video recordings of student performances which anyone who logs onto his website can enjoy. The more inspiring material, however, is found in a private section that is accessible only by user name and password. This area features Paul Sheftel Radio, which is a growing archive of musical recordings and erudite narratives that Paul has put together for his students. And there is also a blog area where Paul and his students can leave comments.
The second innovative area that Paul has been exploring is real-time, long distance piano instruction. Currently he gives weekly lessons to several students (including three of his own grandchildren) using Apple’s iChat video conferencing program (which comes free with Macintosh computers). By switching between two camera inputs, he and his students enjoy both face-to-face communication as well as side-views of the pianos.
I have observed Paul’s use of video conferencing and can testify to the fact that you can feel his presence in the room from the remote location, despite the actual distance between student and teacher. He has even added a fun, software program call ChatFX (www.scriptsoftware.com) to iChat that enables him to provide spontaneous visual effects to his video conference lessons, such as facial distortions and floating bubbles, all of which keep the teacher-student communication fun and personal.
Finally, Paul has been using Microsoft’s PowerPoint software program (www.microsoft.com) to bring a visual dimension to his engaging lecture performances. In fact, he states that PowerPoint has become a “vital part of my public lecture performances, used in particular to present, highlight, and illuminate ideas as well as provide images to accompany the music.” His most recent experiments center around achieving a way to change PowerPoint “slides” from a foot pedal as he plays.
Today, Paul teaches approximately 40 private students, equally divided between children and adults, encompassing all ages and levels of development. In addition, he teaches a one-semester graduate level course at The Juilliard School on piano pedagogy.
Although he is chronologically the most senior piano teacher profiled in this article, his activities suggest that he is, perhaps, the youngest!
In the next issue: How do you use technology in the study of advanced literature?