Journal 3 – Learning & Leading with Technology
“Too Cool for School? No Way!”
By Punya Mishra and Matthew Koehler
The authors believe there is the looming possibility that technology will alter the fundamental course of education for teachers and students. I particularly enjoyed the introductory cartoon in this article because it illustrates graphically how a teacher can overly fret about the new technologies coming about in the school classroom. However, the simple realization for a teacher is that there are good ways to incorporate these technologies into the educational arena. Re-purposing of the “gadgets”, as they are called, is possible, but teachers need to dig deeper and understand more than data-entry know-how and simple program manipulation. They must also understand the nuances of these technologies or, you might say, the ins-and-outs of each gadget’s potentials and problems. A true understanding of and the ability to transcend the common educational model are required. “Technological, pedagogical, and content knowledge” (TPACK) framework is the key to the ability to achieve this in the classroom.
I adhere to authors’ tenet that technology will alter education for teachers and students, as well. The future belongs to new generations and, if they have their way, more and more uses will be realized for these exciting new gadgets.
As the author of the article “Social Networking” would attest, there are new and innovative uses of technology realized every day in the school environment. All teachers need to do is harness its power, but they must also be able to understand how technology can enhance the pedagogy and content knowledge requirements of teaching.
It is a known fact that students will be more motivated if they are being taught things in which they are interested. If the educational environment is personalized to fit their generation then they will be more motivated and engaged in the learning process. The authors said, “Teaching requires the transformation of content in ways that make it intellectually accessible to students.” They are not there just to play with the new tools.
1. What is “TPACK” and how does its framework relate to the classroom?
“TPACK” is an acronym for technology, pedagogical and content knowledge, and it is a model of an “expert” teacher. A teacher is considered an “expert” if he/she understands these three knowledge bases and merges them in creative ways so as to achieve “dynamic equilibrium.” The TPACK teacher is flexible, finds solutions to complex dynamic problems, and adapts information to their special classroom challenges. They use each of the three naturally and, if one changes, they are able to instinctively adapt. Curricular and pedagogical decisions are always at the heart of the way they teach.
How its framework relates to the to classroom: Teachers must understand how to re-purpose gadgets. They must be creative and understand with fluency how technology, pedagogical, and content knowledge work together to form appropriate uses for these gadgets in the classroom.
2. What are the new gadgets and how are they used in the classroom?
· Microblogging (twitter): It is used to supplement classroom discussions. Students are limited to 140 characters or less. I believe this will enhance critical thinking because students learn to self-edit and are practicing the skill of clear and concise communication.
· Specialized visual search engines, such as Viewzi, Cuil, and Clusty: These search engines differ from Google’s text-based returns in that they return distinct visual icons or “tag clouds.” These search engines are “meta search” tools, meaning they send the search request to several search engines and/ or databases and then it filters and groups results into several distinct interfaces like a photo album. Viewzi is my favorite and I am quite excited about using it in the classroom and my own learning experience.
· Cuil: It is an old Irish word for knowledge, and it groups information on topics in a cluster or photo album too. Clicking on images will lead to other website and information pages.
· Clusty: It is a “clustering search engine” by clustering similar themes into a folder instead of scattering them throughout the list. Students using this learn the art of language manipulation and contextual relationships.
“Too Cool for School? No Way!”
By Punya Mishra and Matthew Koehler
The authors believe there is the looming possibility that technology will alter the fundamental course of education for teachers and students. I particularly enjoyed the introductory cartoon in this article because it illustrates graphically how a teacher can overly fret about the new technologies coming about in the school classroom. However, the simple realization for a teacher is that there are good ways to incorporate these technologies into the educational arena. Re-purposing of the “gadgets”, as they are called, is possible, but teachers need to dig deeper and understand more than data-entry know-how and simple program manipulation. They must also understand the nuances of these technologies or, you might say, the ins-and-outs of each gadget’s potentials and problems. A true understanding of and the ability to transcend the common educational model are required. “Technological, pedagogical, and content knowledge” (TPACK) framework is the key to the ability to achieve this in the classroom.
I adhere to authors’ tenet that technology will alter education for teachers and students, as well. The future belongs to new generations and, if they have their way, more and more uses will be realized for these exciting new gadgets.
As the author of the article “Social Networking” would attest, there are new and innovative uses of technology realized every day in the school environment. All teachers need to do is harness its power, but they must also be able to understand how technology can enhance the pedagogy and content knowledge requirements of teaching.
It is a known fact that students will be more motivated if they are being taught things in which they are interested. If the educational environment is personalized to fit their generation then they will be more motivated and engaged in the learning process. The authors said, “Teaching requires the transformation of content in ways that make it intellectually accessible to students.” They are not there just to play with the new tools.
1. What is “TPACK” and how does its framework relate to the classroom?
“TPACK” is an acronym for technology, pedagogical and content knowledge, and it is a model of an “expert” teacher. A teacher is considered an “expert” if he/she understands these three knowledge bases and merges them in creative ways so as to achieve “dynamic equilibrium.” The TPACK teacher is flexible, finds solutions to complex dynamic problems, and adapts information to their special classroom challenges. They use each of the three naturally and, if one changes, they are able to instinctively adapt. Curricular and pedagogical decisions are always at the heart of the way they teach.
How its framework relates to the to classroom: Teachers must understand how to re-purpose gadgets. They must be creative and understand with fluency how technology, pedagogical, and content knowledge work together to form appropriate uses for these gadgets in the classroom.
2. What are the new gadgets and how are they used in the classroom?
· Microblogging (twitter): It is used to supplement classroom discussions. Students are limited to 140 characters or less. I believe this will enhance critical thinking because students learn to self-edit and are practicing the skill of clear and concise communication.
· Specialized visual search engines, such as Viewzi, Cuil, and Clusty: These search engines differ from Google’s text-based returns in that they return distinct visual icons or “tag clouds.” These search engines are “meta search” tools, meaning they send the search request to several search engines and/ or databases and then it filters and groups results into several distinct interfaces like a photo album. Viewzi is my favorite and I am quite excited about using it in the classroom and my own learning experience.
· Cuil: It is an old Irish word for knowledge, and it groups information on topics in a cluster or photo album too. Clicking on images will lead to other website and information pages.
· Clusty: It is a “clustering search engine” by clustering similar themes into a folder instead of scattering them throughout the list. Students using this learn the art of language manipulation and contextual relationships.
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