Technological Pedagogical Content Knowledge (TPACK)
The Venn Diagram below shows the three areas for the TPACK framework for teaching with technology (http://tpack.org/ ). In the center of the venn diagram is our "ideal" where all three areas converge. Pedagogical knowledge is what teachers learn about how students construct knowledge as well as understand learning theories based on social and cognitive development. It is the how we teach including strategies, using prior knowledge, and how these apply to our students. Content knowledge is what we teach from standards, from experiences, from content texts and student knowledge. Technology knowledge is how we choose the tools for our lessons so that they are woven through the curriculum and the appropriate technological tool is used for the lesson. This could range from pen and paper to an iPad. I continue to work on all three areas in order to improve my teaching. However, the area I am most struggling with right now is software/hardware development as our classes move more toward the STEAM model (Science, Technology, Engineering, Arts and Math) and the expectation of technology teachers to not just teach about computer skills, but how students can program and build computers. At the middle school level, the introduction of sites such as http://www.code.org, http://www.codecademy.com, and the implementation of MOUSE squad are allowing me to learn right along with my students.
The intersections of the diagram are where each area overlaps. I've provided some examples that illustrate this as well as more broad areas. In the center which encompasses all three areas (TPACK). In my classroom many of my lessons encompass all three, although my content (technology skills) is slightly different than an academic subject, even though I also weave academics through many lessons. Some examples of how that might look in my classroom are: 1) Working on a research paper about food production/farming that is collaborative on a Google document. 2) Using online tools to access digital lessons on citizenship, digital reputation and computer literacy and then share what they have learned through a media of choice (pamphlet, video, song, etc.).
The intersections of the diagram are where each area overlaps. I've provided some examples that illustrate this as well as more broad areas. In the center which encompasses all three areas (TPACK). In my classroom many of my lessons encompass all three, although my content (technology skills) is slightly different than an academic subject, even though I also weave academics through many lessons. Some examples of how that might look in my classroom are: 1) Working on a research paper about food production/farming that is collaborative on a Google document. 2) Using online tools to access digital lessons on citizenship, digital reputation and computer literacy and then share what they have learned through a media of choice (pamphlet, video, song, etc.).