Best Educational Practices

What are some important best practices for technology in education?

 As educators we will need to educate ourselves and know how to use technology to support learning and to ensure that learning standards are being identified.  Besides supporting learning there are other benefits in having technology in the classroom.  The students will be fully engaged in the material that it is being presented.  It will help to strengthen school leadership skills while building support for the need to include content in technology-enhanced classrooms.  These leaders will be there to assist other students when you aren’t available.  As a future teacher I will need to invest in my self-growth.  I will need to focus on my knowledge of technology and be capable to use it as an educational tool. 

As a novice in technology, or as I put myself in TIE 300 class a 1 (1 being the lowest in technology knowledge), I will need to be nurture.  I will need encouragement as I am increasing my growth in integrating technology into the classroom.  Encouragement is a key approach for success to anyone that is barely new to technology.  Technology will make anyone feel intimidated and will lack the confidence in their own abilities to utilize it.  I know that is how I feel in my class, but I am very lucky to have class mates that help me through this class.  As I am building relationships with those around me, by working together we are building a community of learners.

What is TPACK

TPACK stands for Technological Pedagogical and Content Knowledge.  TPACK identifies the knowledge of the content that is required by teachers and applying technology in the teaching.  The Content Knowledge (CK) is the subjects we teach, like math, reading, science and social studies.  The teacher needs to know their knowledge of the subject matter.  Also, you need to know what standards are within and relate to what you are teaching.  Pedagogical Knowledge (PK) is how we teach it.  The art of teaching, learning theories and/or instructional strategies are some methods of teaching and learning.  The teacher needs to know how will the students come to understand the content, and how will they learn it best.  What pedagogical is the best fit for this subject matter and students.   Technology Knowledge (TK) is the knowledge of the teaching tools or technology we will we use.  Teacher will need to know what resources and tools are available and does this technology support your pedagogical strategy.  Once these three primary forms of knowledge intertwined they form the framework of TPACK and three other combined knowledge.  Which are PCK, TCK and TPK.

PCK: Pedagogical Content Knowledge is the knowledge of pedagogy that applies the teaching to the specific content.

TCK: Technological Content Knowledge is understanding the technology that will be used to explain the content.

TPK: Technological Pedagogical Knowledge is being to know the teaching method and learning can change with the type of technology is being used.

Everything that surrounds it is the context.  The setting of terms of which it can be fully understood and assessed.  This teaching format is a tool to help teachers teach with technology.  It is getting very popular among teachers.

What I hope to get out of this course

 

“What I hope to get out of this course”

The name of this course is Introduction to Technology in the Classroom.  Frist I would like to mention how technology has change since I was in elementary school and high school.  The technology that my teachers used is totally different from the technology that used in today’s classroom.

 I remember my teachers used projectors for mostly everything.  There were projectors to watch films, there were projectors for pictures slides and my favorite projector was the one where the teachers will write with a marker on a plastic film and it will project on the screen on the wall (that was our smartboard).

  Now, as we are in the 21^st Century technology in the classroom has come a long way.  From laptops, smartboards, iPads, smartphones and apps. 

What I hope to get from this course is, besides learning how to use it, (very important aspect) I would like to know how to incorporate to help my students.  My major is special education and I have two sons that are special needs.  I see how technology helps them by it being accommodated and modified into their curriculum through their IEP’s.  It amazes me how there is an app for everything to make your life a little easier.  My son that has ADHD seems to better understand his academics with the help of technology.  His math teacher encourages him to use this type of support throughout the school day.

I always been afraid of change and thought that I would never need to use a computer let alone depend on it.  I had to face that it is here to stay and I need to learn the change of times.  Not only for the sake of my two sons, but for my future profession. 

Trial post

 What I did over winter break...  Well I did absolutely nothing that I proposed to do during my time off.  No good!!  Happy New Year and hopefully I will get things done during my spring break.