As education continues to transform and technology becomes more integrated into the classroom, we as educators need to make sure that we are using the technology to enhance our teaching and content rather than replacing it.
Koehler and Mishra (2009) developed the TPACK framework. This framework describes how teachers integrate technology into their teaching. Content knowledge consists of knowledge about a certain subject area that is taught, such as social studies. Pedagogical knowledge consists of the understanding about educational processes and operations or methods of teaching and learning. Technological knowledge refers to the understanding of what types of technologies are available, understand how they work and how they can be implemented in the classroom to make teaching more effective.
Although using technology in the classroom can be tricky, it is wholly beneficial to the students. I have been lucky enough to have the opportunity for each student in my middle school social studies class to have access to their own computer. This allowed me to use the technology almost on a daily basis. Admittedly, it is a hard balance to strike, figuring out when the technology enhances a lesson vs having little to no impact, and it is something that I know I will continue to deal with as my teaching career progresses.
Reproduced by permission of the publisher, © 2012 by tpack.org
I am drawn to the TPACK model because it simplifies the process of integrating technology. I also like that it can be broken down into its many parts:
Technological Pedagogical Knowledge- Understanding how to support your teaching style with technology
Pedagogical Content Knowledge- Understanding how to effectively teach your specific content
Technological Content Knowledge- Understanding how to support your content with the use of classroom technology.
I have worked hard to integrate technology into my classroom and set an example to other teachers that it is not scary. Yes it takes some extra work to integrate the technology into the lessons or come up with a way to use the technology to enhance the lesson. Yes, it may be a little scary the first time you look out at 25 faces and they have the blue light glowing as they boot up the computer. But most importantly, you must be confident with your knowledge of your teaching ability and content.
The students we teach are extremely adaptable and are willing to try new things all the time. As educators, we should take a page out of their book and try to integrate these new technologies into lessons that will allow the students more creativity and the ability to grow in ways previously not known. As the prices of these technologies drop and teachers become more familiar with the concept of students having devices in class, more and more teachers will see the benefits, both to their teaching style and the students learning abilities.
I will agree with you that is does take extra work to integrate technology into the classroom, however I feel that as more and more of our students are working in the digital domain it is important that we put in that work. It is great that you have a classroom set of computers. Have you done a lot of online search for websites or software that you could use to drive your lessons? There are sites such as http://www.edheads.org/ and http://www.lessonplanet.com/ that have some great resources on them. Even places like http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/buildingbig/bridge/ can be fun and useful for the classroom. I found a lot of my resources just by googling and touring around the web. Also http://www.stumbleupon.com/ can be a great way to find things that may benifit your students and teachings. Keep up the good work!
ReplyDeleteMeredith-
ReplyDeleteYou really hit the nail on the head when you wrote about the fear teachers have for technology and you mentioned extra work. These two items are completely connected. Teachers work long days. Most get to school long before they are required to be present and stay long after the final bell rings. Showing teachers how technology can mean less work is the key to integrating it into the classroom. Flubaroo, Doctopus and the like can save teachers endless hours of menial tasks and allow teachers to give immediate feedback to students and adjust lessons on the fly. A renewed focus on TPACK will save teachers time!