This week we are learning about TPACK. TPACK is an educational framework that connects Technology, Pedagogy and Content Knowledge. This blog included a nice graphic that I think illustrates the concept of TPACK nicely.
As you can see, TPACK is the space that exists between technological knowledge, content knowledge and pedagogical knowledge. When all of these entities come together in one unified and coherent lesson, TPACK is being utilized. During my research on technology in the classroom, I stumbled upon the John Dewey quote, "If we teach today as we taught yesterday, then we rob our children of tomorrow." I think this quote is spot on. It points to the fact that our world is constantly changing. The children of today are not the same as the children of thirty years ago. Their environments are different. The way they learn is different. The way they interpret and understand the world around them is different. Most noticeably, the way they express themselves is different.
School should always prepare students to be meaningful and active participants in the society they live in. Although integrating new technology successfully into the classroom can sometimes be a challenge, it is essential to preparing our youth for success in the modern world. In the past 20 years, technology has completely reshaped the way we as humans communicate, play, relax, learn, connect, share and grow as a population. We as teachers would be doing our children a disservice to exclude meaningful technology from our lessons.
That being said, just because something is technological, that does not make it worth using. There are countless technologies available to teachers out there, how do we choose which ones to use? When integrating new technology into the classroom, you want to make sure that the tool is appropriate and effective. Before I consider using a new technology in my classroom, I ask myself, is this tool easy to understand and realistic to use? I look at a number of things, including the user interface, the platform it is to be used on, and the availability of the technology. I want to make sure that my students will not be completely bewildered or distracted by the technology being considered for class. I do not want the content knowledge to fall by the wayside while students struggle with or become distracted by the technology being utilized. That's not to say that you can't effectively spend a day teaching a new technology to a class so that it may enhance their learning for the rest of the semester. It's just important to make sure that the time spent learning the technology is paid forward throughout the course of the semester for your course.
In a blog post here, the writer, Nada Salem Abisamra creates a pretty exhaustive list of the potential benefits and pitfalls to integrating technology in classroom. According to Nada, technology in the classroom can motivate students to work together more effectively. He writes, "Students tend to work together more while using technology to write stories, search the web, and create multimedia presentations. Hypermedia and hypertext increase their understanding-- hypermedia environments are dynamic and interactive and create a non-linear collection of information." He continues on to claim that students experience a heightened sense of motivation when working with technology. Technology aids their reading, fluency and comprehension skills with access to audio books and read along applications. Nada also claims that technology enhances student's ability to express themselves in writing with word possessors removing the laborious process of writing so that students can focus on content and organization instead.
In his post, Nada claims that one of the primary factors holding teachers back from utilizing various technologies in their classrooms is the fact that many teachers are not technology natives, unlike the students. Simply put, teachers are not as comfortable with new technologies as the students are, so most teachers do not feel comfortable including technology in their classrooms since the students are better at the technology than they are! To compound things further, teachers are often under-educated in the field of technological applications in the classroom. One class in college is not enough to prepare educators for a career of technological relevance in the classroom! As teachers, we need to immerse ourselves into the field of technology.
As a special educator myself, I've seen first hand that the sky is the limit as far as technology in the classroom goes. I am encouraged by the new technology that I see being utilized in the classrooms for accommodating and modifying lessons. One of the most amazing tools I have seen utilized in special education to date is the iPad. iPad's allow each student to have a powerful machine at their fingertips that can connect them instantly to the world around them. When the teacher is going over a lesson on the board, an iPad can provide each student with their own personal version of it. I love the way that iPads are being used to increase communication with students that have special needs as well. Student who are non verbal are using iPads to communicate their needs and desires to the classroom they participate in. Classrooms are using iPads so students can access their writing 24/7 via Google Docs. I am anxious to see what new technologies I learn about as I continue my education this semester!
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