EDU 776
Blog Post #3- Frameworks for Tech in the Classroom
Sept. 08, 2021
What is this new technology business in the classroom?
As stated in my last blog post, I never saw myself on this path of working in education. I have never been super tech saavy and cannot build a bookshelf to save my life but as we went into remote learning, I could not have imagined what school would have looked like without the technological advances we have today. Now thankfully I was exposed to what a Google classroom looks like, thankfully because being a paraprofessional meant that I was really the go-to person to get a million g-chats asking about how to turn something in or open a document.
I know firsthand that there were many, many teachers in my school who were not prepared at all for a pandemic as they did not know how to offer a Google classroom or a Google meet so the content offered was limited. It was even more limited for students who had intellectual or learning disabilities. I think seeing this in schools across Chicago, I really liked the TPACK model of technology because of the intertwining what to teach, how to teach it and the pedagogy behind it.
Seeing how I am not a teacher just yet, I cannot exactly rate myself specifically but I would definitely want to try and incorporate this framework into my classroom when I achieve my degree. I did rate my school from last year (the classrooms I was in) and my school rated exceptional in how tech helps the connection with learning goals and the technology used.
TPACK a little deeper
Tpack has 3 main components:
Tech Knowledge- This knowledge helps teachers combine tech with teaching. This is how teachers can show what they know about tech and it understanding by the choice of tools on how to teach it.
Pedagogical Knowledge- This is knowledge that is the art of teaching and how it is practiced. Knowing your craft and being able to teach it in a way that is interesting and helps students learn better and its effectiveness. Teachers may know everything about their subject but may not know how to teach it.
Content Knowledge- This knowledge is about the subject matter itself and its concepts, ideas and frameworks.
Tpack seems to be the strategy can set education up for the future, as well as being able to be inclusive to all students and their learning styles. It can ultimately help the teachers teacher more effectively and because students of this day and age find pure and direct instruction not so engaging, this framework will be helpful in many ways to make instruction different and more fun.
What I can see as a downfall is that some districts do not have the same funding as others. This can cause a lack in equity and how some students get access to the curriculum. When it came to remote learning this past year, all of our students in my school received Chromebooks and from what I know, we did not receive all of them back but we just received a grant for personalized learning so there was room to replace those that were lost. Many schools are struggling to have their buildings secured with teachers, let alone computers so I can see where this can cause issue. I hope that the government who funds education can start to see the value in technology and have all schools more secured with the right equipment.
Hi Rhiannon, I love the TPACK diagram. It really helps illustrate the framework and gave added meaning to your explanation. The abrupt shift to remote learning was very difficult, and I also saw the limited academic content that was offered, especially to our students with disabilities. I'm in full support of any framework that can help us as educators evaluate our ways of delivering instruction. I appreciate you incorporating equity into your evaluation discussion. Making the content accessible to everyone, and engaging, will give us the best chances of creating equitable classrooms. Thank you for sharing!
ReplyDeleteHi Rhiannon!
DeleteI relate to where you're coming from with your staffing position. I am an assistant teacher at my early childhood center, so I was unsure of where I stood in the framework as well. It is definitely true that a lot of teachers, staff, students, and families were unprepared for the sudden shift to virtual learning. As stressful as it was on educators, I can't fathom the stress children and families were feeling. I, too, was the designated tech person at my prior occupation since my coworkers were not the most tech-savvy.
Thank you for sharing your perspective on the downfall of TPACK! Coming from two workplaces that were set in more affluent neighborhoods, I didn't heavily considered the shortage of funding as an issue with the use of technology.
Great point about how not everyone was prepared to transition to remote learning as quickly as they had to. For those of us in education who serve(d) as coaches we've been trying to prepare teachers for this for years! You mentioned your school has done a great job with technology. Can you tell us a bit more about this?
ReplyDelete