Before beginning courses at MSU, I had never heard of TPACK before. I didn't know there was a name for integrating technology into my lessons. I was surprised to learn that it was called TPACK. TPACK stands for Technological Pedagogical Content Knowledge and it attempts to identify the knowledge required by me for technology integration into my lessons. There are three forms on knowledge that are crucial properly using TPACK. They are Content (TC), Pedagogy (PC), and Technology (TC). To apply TPACK to my Wicked Project, I have to think about how to incorporate these three knowledge types.
The first one I have to work on incorporating is the TP. For this project the technology I have chosen is social media and making students responsible digital citizens. The main area I see this being used in is Twitter and Facebook. Students today only see these two sites in only one way: as a way for all the fun stuff they do to be posted. But this becomes a problem because the students don't see how these "fun" things will be viewed in the future. There minds don't see the long term affects of what they do. This supports the teaching strategies and methods I have chosen because I can use the two sites that cause the most problems and show the students how these two can be used to benefit them. I will be showing them the educational applications of Twitter and Facebook.
Next I have to consider the TC, specifically how this technology makes the content more intellectually accessible. To do this, I plan to use the social media sites as teaching tools. They wouldn't be the only resources. I plan to incorporate blogs, Twitter, Facebook, and other social media sites that the students use to relate the material and technology to them. If I am using something that they already are familiar with, chances are they will be more responsive to it.
The final thing to consider is the PC. Some instructional strategies that I will use to help the students through this lesson is to use deductive strategies. I have found that my students tend to remember material as well as get excited about it if they are the ones who discover the answers on their own. One way to do this is to divide them into groups and have them relay the information they find. This would be done through Tweets, blog posts and responses. These are just a few of the ways to incorporate TPACK into creating responsible digital citizens.
Wonderful project! Elementary aged students would benefit from these lessons, too. It never ceases to amaze me just how many of them have Facebook pages. In reading through your post, I found myself wondering if direct instruction and project-based learning strategies could be included in the PC section along with the deductive and explicit instruction that you already mentioned. Looking forward to listening to your podcast next time out=8-)
ReplyDeleteI agree that often students and teachers alike only see Facebook and Twitter as only "social" outlets. I agree that these are not used enough in education as a way to communicate and and connect with students. If this is what our students are constantly checking to stay updated, then why not have teachers set up a Twitter or Facebook page for his or her class.
ReplyDeleteI have thought this very same thing so this year (in fact yesterday) I set up a Twitter for my students in AVID to help keep them informed! Figured it was worth a shot to try and see how it works.
ReplyDeleteSocial channels such as Twitter and Facebook are generally viewed as social media only and people have barely tapped into the educational aspect of these channels. At my work we use these two channels as modes of teaching and communication of important updates. What better way to teach the importance of a tool than using the same tool that students use and like regularly and incorporate it as a solution! Please keep me posted on the results of this project. I would like to see if we could use your approach for our teaching this to our international students.
ReplyDelete