Use your TPACK to get learning on track.

     As teachers, we need to be competent in the content areas, as well as expert in the pedagogy. There is no point in knowing the content if we cannot share our understanding so that students can learn. And even having great ideas of how to teach and how to reach students is irrelevant if there is no subject knowledge to inform the teaching. Another element that teachers must now also be confident in, is the area of technological knowledge.

     How do these all fit together? Mishra and Koehler, composers of 'Too Cool for School? No Way!' have coined the TPACK framework. This punchy acronym stands for Technology, Pedagogy And Content Knowledge – the three different forms of knowledge required for today’s successful teacher.

     One skill that Mishra and Koehler value highly is that of repurposing. This is the process of taking ‘new toys’ or emerging technologies that have not been designed for educational purposes, and giving them value in the classroom. This has to be deeper than just tacking the technology on; it has to be used meaningfully. As we are constantly reminded, the technology cannot drive the pedagogy, but there must be a balance between the three elements. How can we use wiis, ipads, ipods, blog, xboxes, digital cameras and all the rest? 

     Should this strike fear in the hearts and minds of all teachers out there? Heck no! We should rejoice! In order to achieve this creative repurposing, and thus in order to become the best teachers we possibly can be, we need to be ‘fluent’ in the technologies, which gives us a license to play! 

     Little Miss Neet raises a good point too; the Internet gives us free access to a wealth of helpful how-to info on just about every piece of technology. Don’t know how to do something? Google it, or watch a YouTube tutorial. We are information rich, and we just need to know how to access it.

     So do you want to be an expert teacher? Yes? Well, go and do your homework; blog, wii, wiki, ipod, ipad and more until your heart is content. It is all professional development after all!

Thanks to Flickr for Image: 'excessive amount of apple products' 

http://www.flickr.com/photos/16941958@N02/5597918732