According to Koehler (2012) TPACK or Technological Pedagogical Content Knowledge seeks to identify the knowledge needed to integrate technology in the classroom by the teacher. As well TPACK extends further to include the inclusion of each singular knowledge base as pairings together. For example Technological Content Knowledge. (TCK). TPACK focuses on the inclusion of technology in the classroom. Technology must include the old and the new. In addition to the benefits of including technology in the classroom TPACK seeks to explain how an educators understandings of technology can interact with Pedagogical Content Knowledge (PCK) to create effective teaching with technology. From these readings my understanding is that every day new technologies are developed and I must stay educated on new improvements to best assist in the education of my students. Technology is a learning tool that can bring about better effective learning when used correctly.
Romell (2014) states that the SAMR Model: Substitution, Augmentation, Modification, and Redefinition focuses on evaluating mlearning or mobile learning. In today’s world the use of mobile instruments is becoming more prevalent each day. Mlearning can be defined as learning that is personalized, situated, and connected by the use of a mobile device. A mobile device can include phones, smartphones, tablets, and personal laptops. Mobile learning can be used on these devices to distribute information through images, videos, and audio recordings. I have noticed that Mobile devices are becoming more prevalent even with younger children. I think that this is a great avenue for personalized education. However, my only concern is the current cost to provide personalized mobile devices to each student.
Bryn Mawr College (n.d.) has that The Digital Competencies consist of 5 areas: Digital Survival Skills, Digital Communication, Data Management and Preservation, Data Analysis, and Presentation, and Critical Making, Design and Development. They were designed as a tool for students to use to find new ideas from the digital skills they developed while in college. (Digital Competencies, n.d.) This website really caught my attention in that it has a systematic plan of educating students of their digital use and understanding. As our society relies more on technology I feel that the competencies of computer and digital use will become more sought after for employers.
When reviewing the different readings and thinking of my own classroom the one that stood out the most was TPACK. I want to be able to include technology within my classroom and be able to connect it to my own current Pedagogical Content Knowledge (PCK). I see that new advances in technology occur every day such as video being available in the classroom. I feel that the inclusion of technology will not only bring in new avenues for teaching but, will also better prepare my students for when they join the workforce. Computer use and understanding will be a big expectation in the future, as I have learned in my years of working in society. The use of mlearning in my classroom may not have as much influence as overall technology use in that the use of personalized mobile devices is expensive and from my experience visiting my classroom I did not see a personal device available for each student. As with any technology it seems that as time goes by it becomes cheaper. Hopefully one day every student will be able to have their own personal mobile learning device. I feel that the Digital Competencies will as well bring a lot of value to my classroom. It seems that this learning tool is focused on the use of a computer. Along with TPACK I feel that this website provided will serve as a guide when deciding what to focus on in computer literacy.
Madea (2012) the issue I see in only focusing on the newest technology as these models focus on it seems that we may miss the balance of “good” that John spoke about. By having a mix of the old and new you find the balance between the two that seems to be the best place to be. Technology only makes possibilities however, with proper leadership by combing the old and new we can create action was the key I found in his presentation.
Works Cited
Danae Romell, E. W. (2014). The SAMR Model as a Framework for Evaluating mLearning. Article in Journal of Asynchronous Learning Network , 1-15.
Maeda, j. (2012). How art, technology and design inform creative leaders. TED Global.
Matthew J. Koehler, P. M. (2013). What Is Technological Pedagogical Content Knowledge (TPACK)? Journal of Education, 13-19. Mkoehler. (2012, September 24). What is TPACK? Retrieved from TPACK ORG: http://www.tpack.org/
Blog 2
Aguilera (2019) compares two articles, Christo Sims’ “Disruptive Fixation” and Antero Garcia’s “Good Reception”. What is looked at in these articles is the positives and negatives of introducing new media technologies into currently used methods of teaching. While Hilton (2016) focuses on two teachers and the integration of technology in their social studies classroom using iPad carts. The two teachers examine the integration of the technology through the TPACK and SAMR models over a yearlong evaluation. Smith (2012) speaks about how the millennial and Net generations are perceived as “digital natives.” She points out that there are higher technology issues facing these generations today due to them being raised immersed within technology within the Canadian context. In addition to being presumed tech savvy, these generations have new traits and expectations than previous generations. In the last article we were to read Smith, Kahlke, and Judd discuss the stereotype of the term “digital natives” and argue that digital literacy should be focused on. Even though the Millennial and Net generation have always known a world full of technology. These authors wish to incorporate knowledge and skills in three key areas of technology domain: procedural, technical sociocultural, and cognitive.
According to Smith, Kahlke, and Judd (2018), “The term digital natives often implies inherent or innate abilities to use and understand technologies, the term digital literacy emphasizes the process of learning to effectively use technologies” (p.510). I feel that we cannot assume that while our students have spent their entire life in a world of technology they are adept at using that technology for the betterment of their education and life. I think that we should incorporate technology in our teaching in addition to being fully ready to explain and help our students use the technology to the best effect on their work. In the article by Hilton (2016) I found that the best way to view the integration of technology in the classroom of the social studies classrooms was through the SAMR lens. The question I found posed using this lens was are we looking for enhancement or transformation within the learning goal. Hilton’s (2016) article stated the following:
The SAMR model approaches each use of technology as a different task. As Kirkland (2014) explains: designing a rich learning task is a challenge for any teacher, and trying to synthesize the dynamic world of technology into the mix adds an extra element of risk and uncertainty.” SAMR is meant to pro-vide a means for assisting in such a process. (p.68)
SAMR focuses on four different sections: Substitution, Augmentation, Modification, and Redefinition. As I stated before the focus is to identify whether the learning task needs to be enhanced or transformed. Using the SAMR lens we can hope to alleviate some of the complications associated with integrating technology in a teaching world of “digital natives.” (Hilton, 2016, p.69) According to Rushkoff (2019), “It’s a matter of retrieving the values that were in danger of leaving behind and imbedding them in the digital infrastructure for the future.” I think that we cannot lose sight of where we came from. Today’s youth is so caught up in staying connected through social media but, one thing I feel we are forgetting is how to actually talk and socialize in person. I think we need first think about how things were done before the advent of a particular technology, such as writing vs typing. Typing is a great skill to have but, being able to write is just as important in everyday life from writing checks to sending a letter. I do however think we need technology integrated within the classroom as today’s youth have grown up encapsulated with technology. According to Hilton (2016) “During the reflective process, the social studies teachers spoke frequently about the use of technology to spark interest and hold motivation for their students” (p. 71). It seems that to best capture the minds of our students we need to hold their interest with technology enhanced learning tasks.
Works Cited
Aguilera, E. (2019). ON DISRUPTION AND INTEGRATION: TWO VIEWS OF DIGITAL MEDIA. Pedagogies, 1-18.
Erika E. Smith, R. K. (2018). From Digital Natives to Digital Literacy: Anchoring Digital Practices Through Learning Design. Proceedings of ASCILITE, 1-6.
Hilton, J. T. (2016). A Case Study of the Application of SAMR and TPACK for Reflection on Technology Integration into Two Social Studies Classrooms. The Social Studies, 1-8.
Rushkoff, D. (2019). How to be “Team Human” in the Digital Future. Smith, E. E. (2012). The Digital Native Debate in Higher Education: A Comparative Analysis of Recent Literature. Canadian Journal of Learning and Technology, 1-19.
Blog 3
In the first article it was about how computer games and scaffolding were viewed as a teaching tool to young adolescents. The students would meet once a week on Saturday and spend a couple of hours working on a computer game that they were trying to design. It highlighted what worked as far as educating but, also showed the flaws that such a limited classroom setting and high expectations had. (Willett, 2017)
The second article discussed the project Up River, which was an interactive game style learning tool that required students to travel all over the estuary in St. Louis to find a meal for the virtual chef. It incorporated live people, audio recordings, as well as using digital media. (Mathews, 2018)
The last article to read from the website MiddleWeb talked about educating through video. Media literacy education is something that needs to be addressed and this website article focuses on areas of media that may be misleading for young students. Areas include: fake news, propaganda, and understanding photographs. Short videos are a great way to grab young adolescent’s attention. (Baker, 2018)
The first video regarding Art as important subject matter to be taught in our school was very informative in that what we look for in students is statistics and scores. One thing that regardless of a score that we should focus on is whether or not a student can create something. The act of storytelling and the use of tools that we have access to be another important factor in creating something and how we present the information we wish to share. Art is a subject that needs to be focused on more in our schools. (Halverson, 2011)
The last video spoke about the way a school tests a student after a year of study for example. It talks of digital learning through perhaps performance based learning. The speaker talks about how there is an emerging new school for the 21st century that uses more competitive individualized learning that is more effective than the everyday basic school we get in our public system today. His use of comparisons from video games to school testing indicate that perhaps our way of grading may not be the best option. (Gee, 2011)
According to Willett (2017) in his article one of his principals was to draw on the importance of the student’s culture. When thinking of my own classroom and how I wish to incorporate technology in my classroom I can’t help but think that may the best way to go. I feel that by focusing on technology that my students are more familiar with especially as I have a lower level learning class I wish to focus on what they are comfortable with. This age group has grown up immersed within technology and are very familiar to it. However, that does not mean they are effective at using it. I wish to make them interested as I can by relating my teaching to what is going on locally or within their own interests. For example my students may be into video games. I would wish to focus some of my education on competitive based games such as Gee (2011) was stating his video on. As a “gamer” myself I cannot only relate to my students this way but, also helps me in finding what will work best with my students if they are gamers as well.
My biggest takeaway from these readings is that I need to make things interesting. Like with the Up River experience learning tool by Mathews (2018) I need to create something in my lesson plans that will really immerse my students in the material. I need to do it in a way though that does incorporate technology. Technology in my opinion, or media use, will be a corner stone to education soon as it is so commonplace and widely used by all young adolescents. It is hard to find a young adolescent without a cellphone in their hand or close by. We need to use thee individualized media learning tools through the use of Apps or short video clips as Baker (2018) favors. We need to find what works best with our students and use that to further educate them on the effective use of that technology for a better understanding of the content we are educating them on.
Gee, J. P. (2011, Aug 4). Games and Education Scholar James Paul Gee on Video Games, Learning, and Literacy. Connected Learning Alliance.
Halverson, E. (2011, May 2). Art and Stories. TEDx Talks. TEDxMadtown.
Mathews, M. W. (2018). Up River: Place, Ethnography, and Design in the St.Louis River Estuary. 41-60. Willett, R. (2017). New Models of Learning for New Media: Observations of Young People Learning Digital Design. Medien Pädagogik, 127-144.