2. EDU 210
Before this course, I knew little about technology within teaching.
Although I understand that technology is used in teaching, I never
thought about the complex ways that it can help or hinder student’s
learning. From this course I’ve come to understand that there are
many ways to incorporate technology into the classroom, some
more beneficial to others. I’ve learned that depending on what
subject I’m teaching and how I’m formulating the lesson, there may
or may not be an appropriate use for technology. Technology must
be precisely balanced with pedagogy and content in order
effectively balance a lesson.
On the next slide, you’ll find my philosophy of teachnology. I
wanted to include this in my TPACK powerpoint because it uses
examples to reflect how I feel about the use of technology in the
classroom.
4. MOST AND LEAST EFFECTIVE USES
OF TECHNOLOGY IN THE
CLASSROOM
In one of my university classes, we were told to make a Twitter. We have had a few
different guest lectures in this class. During the lectures, we were told to log onto
twitter so that we could partake in conversations about the speaker during the
lecture itself. Although I can see the potential benefits in this plan, it was not
successful. A large portion of the conversations that took place were off topic,
rude, or inappropriate. Even when the discussions were on topic, taking part in
them meant taking your attention away from the lecture. Using twitter while in
class proved to be a huge distraction.
On the other hand, I have seen technology used very effectively in the
classroom. One example is using the Internet to research. Looking up information
on the Internet is a very fast and effective way of learning. If I had not been taught
this skill inside of a classroom, I would not understand how to tell if information is
accurate, where to look, etc. I can now access unlimited information in a safe
manor at the click of a button.
5. HOW LEARNING ABOUT TPACK WILL
IMPACT ME AS A TEACHER!
As a teacher, understanding how
to effectively incorporate all
three domains will make sure
that my students get the most
out of their lessons, technology
or no technology. As a part of
this course we learned about
various web 2.0 tools that can
further students learning. Not
all tools are effective. In the
next slide you will find my
evaluation of what makes a
great web tool!
6. EVALUATION OF WEB 2.0 TOOLS:
MODULE 6
1. Fun Factor!!!!!!
Students will be much more engaged and interested if the tool they are using is fun! If a tool allows students creativity
to personalize their work, I think the students will put a lot more effort into it! Everyone loves to have fun!
2. Time and Difficulty
A major factor that I look at is how much time it takes to figure out the tool. Time and difficulty overlap a fair amount.
If a tool is user friendly and easy to figure out, it will take students less time to create and share their work, so that
more time can be spend on learning.
3. Personal Information Required
An important requirement is how much information is needed to register, if any. Ideally, students would not have to
give any information, or register. Depending on the age of the student, it may not be appropriate to have them give out
their email. Also, certain websites have a minimum age required to register, which may exclude may grade levels .
4. $$$$$$
Some tools cost money! I would not use a resource in my classroom that either my students or I had to pay for. There
are many sites that are free for basic features, but cost money for extras. Most of the time for basic classroom tasks
this would be okay. Other website, for example Voki, only require one fee for an entire class. Voki Classroom requires
the teachers to pay one reasonable fee, which allows students and teachers to interact and share online .
5. Learning Objectives
Will this tool allow me to reach my learning objectives for this class? Some tools seem really cool, but in the long run
don't help students out very much. Each tool must be relevant to the lesson, and help improve the level of
understanding coming from the students. If the tool confuses the students further, clearly it isn't worth using .
6. How General?
This ties in with number 5. I always want to look at how general the uses or the tool are. Some tools are relevant to
multiple subjects, which would be very handy! That way, for example, once students learn how to use the tool for
math, they can use it for social as well! If the tool is more specific, that may have it's own advantages. If one tool is
very specific to science, it likely goes more in depth, and has multiple uses revolving around science.
7. MY PERSONAL TPACK DIAGRAM
This diagram shows my personal development within TPACK. The
three domains range from large to small to demonstrate my
knowledge in each area. The distance between the circles
represents my knowledge in each sub-domain. This diagram is
constantly changing as I learn and evolve as a student, and
eventually as a teacher!
8. MORE ABOUT TPACK
In the next slide, you will find the section of my “Theories and
Frameworks” mind map that outlines TPACK. This information is a
very brief summary of the things that I learned about TPACK. In this
mind map there is a link to www.tpack.org, which contains articles
and diagrams demonstrating the interconnectedness of TPACK.
