The article “Too Cool for School? No Way!” by Punya Mishra and Matthew Koehler is a very interesting article on how technological resources can be used for educational purposes. All of the new “tech toys” are not constructed for educational purposes yet the authors of this article argue that with enough knowledge, creativity, and teacher re-design these tools can be used in the educational field. First the authors describe what technology is. Then they introduce the term (TPACK) which is best described as technological pedagogical and content knowledge. Second, they describe in details how pedagogy and content and their relationship. The authors argue that just because one is fully trained in a subject area does not mean he or she will be a great teacher; however, the transformation of content in ways that make it intellectually accessible to students is quality teaching. Third, they explain how technology can be repurposed through (TPACK). TPACK “requires teachers to go beyond their knowledge of particular disciplines, technologies, and pedagogical techniques in isolation.” The goal is to use the new tech tools but to redesign to for educational purposes. Repurposing is possible when the teacher is knowledgeable of the tool. The authors give three example of repurposed technology for educational use: microblogging, visual search engines, and music DJ.
Will I incorporate TPACK in my classroom as a teacher?
I would use this new idea to incorporate technology in the classroom. I think it is great since students like to bring in their new “teach toys” to school. I believe this can make learning more interesting and introduce students to a fun an innovative way of learning.
Can most technological devices be repurposed and used for educational purposes?
Yes, I believe that as the author’s stated if the teacher is willing to learn all that there is to know about the device. They argue that “making it an educational technology required creative input from the teacher to redesign or even subvert the original intentions of the software programmer.”
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TPACK is Mishra and Koehler's baby. It goes beyond knowledge of technology and includes specific knowledge of how a particular piece of technology can be applied in a particular subject area for a particular group of students.
ReplyDeleteI appreciate your willingness to learn about technology and use it in your teaching. It will take years for you to learn the art and craft of effective teaching (with technology).