10th January 2016

TPACK framework

Describe how the TPACK framework might be useful for you in your development of classroom technology skills.  Where do you think you sit on that diagram?  Imagine you had to mark a spot of the diagram - where would it be?  Which group of knowledge areas are you the strongest in?  Often teachers with a lot of experience in the classroom have a lot of "P" - pedagogical knowledge or "PCK" - Pedagogical Content Knowledge - that is they know their subject and know how to teach it well.

I think the framework is useful as it is a way of incorporating all three knowledge areas together when planning a course or even unit of work or individual lesson.  It is important to understand the interrelationship and interactions between the 3 knowledge areas: content, pedagogy and technology. "a change in any one of the factors has to be 'compensated' by changes in the other two" Mishra & Koehler (2006).  I think I sit on the overlap of pedagogical and content knowledge at present, I'd like to say that integrating technology comes naturally and is seamless, but I don't think it is.  I've been out of the classroom for a while now and in that time technology has changed considerably and teachers in my section are using apps and software in their lessons that are unfamiliar to me.  Also from taking this subject I've come to realise that I am "behind the eight ball" when it comes to integrating technology effectively with pedagogy and content. 



As Koehler & Mishra (2009) point out, newer digital technologies are "protean" (usable in many different ways), "unstable" (rapidly changing) and "opaque" (inner workings are hidden from users) (p. 1).  Nor are the technologies "neutral or unbiased", each has its own affordances, propensities, potentials and constraints and are more suitable for certain tasks than others.  They also say that most popular software programs are not specifically designed for educational purposes, e.g. Microsoft Office suite is designed primarily for business purposes and web-based technologies such as blogs, podcasts etc., are designed for entertainment, communication and social networking so teachers need to be very creative, forward thinking and open-minded and  'reconfigure' the technology or 'customise' it for pedagogical purposes.  I think to sit or "live" in the centre of the diagram when the 3 knowledge areas overlap I'd need to be back in the classroom full-time and update my professional development in the latest technologies being used in my area.  There are teachers in my section who definitely sit in the centre of this diagram, they are by far the most effective teachers.

Two academic articles about TPACK and how it relates to my professional area (ESOL):

Baser, D., Kopcha, T.J., Yasar Ozden, M. (2015). Developing a technological pedagogical content knowledge (TPACK) assessment for preservice teachers learning to teach English as a foreign language.  CrossMark Computer Assisted Language Learning.  DOI: 10.1080/09588221.2015.1047456

Yuksel, I., & Yasin, E. (2014). Cross-sectional evaluation of english language teachers' technological pedagogical content knowledge.  Educational Research Quarterly, 38(2), 23-42.  Retrieved from http://search.proquest.com/docview/1636356723?accountid=10344


References:

Koehler, M.J., & Mishra, P. (2009).  What is technological pedagogical content knowledge? Contemporary Issues in Technology  and Teacher Education, 9(1). Retrieved from http:www.citejournal.org/vol9/iss1/general/article1.cfm