I had the opportunity to read and evaluate two
different research papers concerning Technological Pedagogical Content
Knowledge. The first paper describes
what exactly TPACK is and the pieces that make up the system. The second paper discusses preservice
teachers compared to expert teachers and how TPACK affects the classroom
environment. I was also privileged enough to watch a video on YouTube about
Khan Academy. It is a technology system that helps aid in the educational
success for all students.
The first paper entitled Teachers’ Technological Pedagogical Content and Learning Activity
Types: Curriculum-based Technology Integration Reframed by Judith Harris
and Punya Mishra and Matthew Koehler.
This paper breaks down what TPACK is and how teachers use it in the
classroom. “TPACK emphasizes the connection among technologies, curriculum
content, and specific pedagogical approaches, demonstrating how teachers’
understandings of technologies, pedagogy, and content can interact with one
another to produce effective discipline-based teaching with educational
technologies” (Harris 397). Teachers must apply TPACK to their classrooms in an
effective way. When doing activities,
the teacher should incorporate TPACK. It encompasses understanding and
communicating representations of concept using technologies, appropriate
pedagogical techniques are required to teach content in different ways to
students of different learning needs, knowledge of what makes lessons easy or
difficult to learn all while incorporating technologies. I believe TPACK is an
effective system to keep teachers on track of what they need in his or her curriculum.
The second research paper I read is entitled WebPack: Future Teachers’ Plans and
Practices with Emerging Tools by Ugar Kale, Cheng-Hsien Wu, and Christopher
Clausell. In this research I discovered
there are many useful Web tools out there to aid any teachers in teaching about
a specific subject. There are websites where students can access and gain
knowledge or there are apps and games where students can relearn, practice, or
discover new ways of learning. No child learns
the same so to have options on how to teach with technology is a great aspect
to preservice and veteran teachers. This review on TPACK goes into more depth
about the technologies that cosine with grade level. Majority of elementary
school teachers use Classroom Tools such as smart boards, clickers, and
projectors. These items are convenient
for the teachers to display work or the activity for the day.
Speaking of convenience, the Web Tool YouTube is
very helpful. I looked up a Khan Academy video on physics. The tool uses many different ways of relaying
a message. The person is talking; giving
step by step instructions but also giving visual in a multitude of color. This video was effective in teaching me the
unknowns of physics and how to use the equations. The break downs and explanations opened my
views on how physics can actually be worth learning.
Technology is a useful resource that students enjoy
learning from and with. I would allow my
student to use all types of technologies to see what technology best fits his
or her learning needs.
