What is the TPACK model?
- Technical knowledge is knowing how to use computers and being able to adapt and learn new technologies. This is extremely important for today's teachers, who must be flexible and able to learn how to use new and emerging technologies.
- Content knowledge is knowledge of a specific discipline. Teachers must also understand how to integrate content material across the curriculum. For example, how can English Language Arts be utilized in math class?
- Pedagogical knowledge is the set of skills teachers develop in order to implement learning activities. This includes teachers' individual learning styles, classroom management techniques, Bloom's Taxonomy, etc (Koehler, Mishra, Akcaoglu & Rosenberg, 2013).
Teachers who use TPACK make decisions based on the subject matter, available technology, and their pedagogy. In other words, all three types of knowledge must be combined in order for teachers to implement TPACK. Any school who has technology available is able to implement TPACK.
Possible obstacles when implementing TPACK
There is ample research to prove that integrating technology into education is beneficial for student learning. However, technology is not always easy and there are often obstacles involved during implementation. One mistake teachers often make is that they begin planning their lessons by first deciding which tools and resources students will use (Harris & Hofer, 2009). It might seem like it would be easier to begin this way, but it actually sets up the lesson for becoming too centered on the technology, and not focused enough on the standards. Teachers should avoid this by first selecting the learning goals for the lesson. Next, they should make pedagogical decisions, design activity types and assessment strategies, and then select the tools (Harris & Hofer, 2009). When teachers follow these steps, the tools for technology will be much more straightforward and will help to enhance the focus of the lesson and not deter from it. This is one effective way to implement TPACK.
Teachers may also face obstacles when trying to find appropriate tools to use. Teachers would find it beneficial to begin by deciding which level of Bloom's Taxonomy they wish for the learning activity to fall. For example, if the activity is designed to build knowledge, then the activity could be to view images, research, or read text (Harris & Hofer, 2009). Teachers can then determine which technologies would be most appropriate for each task. Electronic books are great tools for reading text, google notebook is excellent for researching, and Flickr or Powerpoint would work for viewing images. It is important that teachers plan the learning activity (what students will do) before choosing the tool (Harris & Hofer, 2009).
Sample activity types
Harris & Hoefer (2009) describe a variety of knowledge building learning activities that allow students to connect with material in their own ways and express individual understandings. Here are some examples from different activity types as well as tools that could be used to accomplish the activity:
- Knowledge building-->Conduct an interview--> Audacity, iMovie, digital camera
- Convergent knowledge--> Answer questions -->Inspiration, BlackBoard,
- Written divergent knowledge--> Create a diary-->Blogs, Google Docs
- Visual divergent knowledge --> draw a cartoon --> comic creator, digital cameras
- Conceptual divergent knowledge--> develop a knowledge web --> Imagination cubed, PowerPoint
- Product-oriented--> Create a film --> PhotoStory, iMovie
- Participatory divergent knowledge --> Do a performance -->PhotoStory, Audacity (Koehler, Mishra, Akcaoglu & Rosenberg, 2013).
Teachers should provide students with multiple opportunities for gaining and processing information as well as expressing understanding. The examples described above could be used in combination to help students gain more exposure to information and help them grasp content in different ways. Since every student learns differently, it is important that they are given individualized ways to express understanding.
Technology and differentiated instruction
Technology and differentiated instruction go hand in hand. Differentiated instruction offers a framework for meeting the needs of all different learners (Smith & Throne, 2007). Both technology and differentiated instruction give students diverse options for making sense of information. Students are encouraged to work at their own pace and take charge of their own learning. Technology even helps to personalize learning and promotes higher student engagement. Teachers should collaborate and attend professional development workshops to learn more about how to use TPACK effectively in the classroom.
References
Harris, J., & Hofer, M. (2009). Instructional planning activity types
as vehicles for curriculum-based TPACK development. In C. D. Maddux, (Ed.). Research highlights in technology and
teacher education 2009 (pp. 99-108). Chesapeake, VA: Society for
Information Technology in Teacher Education (SITE).
Koehler, M. J., Mishra, P., Akcaoglu, M., & Rosenberg, J. (2013). The technological pedagogical content knowledge
framework for teachers and teacher educators. Commonwealth Educational
Media Centre for Asia. Retrieved from http://cemca.org.in/ckfinder/userfiles/files/ICT%20teacher%20education%20Module%201%20Final_May%2020.pdf
Smith, G. E.,
& Throne, S. (2007). Overview and principles of differentiated instruction.
In Differentiating instruction with
technology in K-5 classrooms (pp.5-16). Retrieved from
http://www.iste.org/images/excerpts/DIFFK5-excerpt.pdf
I just have to start by saying I absolutely love the Wordle at the top of your post! It is an amazing way to sum up the various ideas of TPACK!
ReplyDeleteI think you make a great point about teachers struggling to find appropriate tools for the task at hand. I think quite often teachers get focused on new technology and new methods and forget that sometimes the older methods and older technology is just as good, if not better. I had a student who was part of an audio book club. This student liked to stop the audio and take notes for their questions. Unfortunately the iPod they were using was not easy for them to do this. Instead we switched to a tape player and the student was doing much better with the controls! As teachers it is our job to consider all tools available to us, not just the newest and shiniest!