Have you ever tried to make a peanut butter and jelly sandwich with chopsticks? Well, this week I completed this task for an assignment on the TPACK framework. The rules were to give no background knowledge to a friend and ask them to pick out a plate, a bowl, and any kind of utensil for you. In my video, Shelby Cooking with TPACK, you can watch me attempt to make a pb&j sandwich with chopsticks.
This task brought up the issue of disconnect that can occur between student and teacher, if TPACK is not approached correctly. The disconnect came through the TPK portion of the framework, and it shows how crucial it is to have “an understanding of how teaching and learning can change when particular technologies are used in particular ways” (Koehler & Mishra, 2009). In my video, the tool I was given made the task more difficult. I imagine that might be how my students might feel with certain tools I give them.
It also showed me how important it is to take a second look at ALL of my resources in the classroom and use those resources to surpass a traditional approach. Specifically, go beyond the one to one chromebooks my students have. I utilize Google Classroom, but I feel like I could dive deeper into the tools a chromebook offers. For example, my students often create Google Slides projects, but I want to look into other technological ways to present information. TPACK encouraged me to think about how “..repurposing is important because most technologies that teachers use typically have not been designed for educational purposes” (Mishra and Koehler, 2009, p. 16). I want to figure out how to be in the sweet spot of TPACK, by connecting technology, pedagogy, and content.
Reproduced by permission of the publisher, © 2012 by tpack.org
References:
Koehler, M. J., & Mishra, P. (2009). What is technological pedagogical content knowledge? Contemporary Issues in Technology and Teacher Education, 9(1), 60-70.
Mishra, P., & Koehler, M.J. (2009). Too cool for school? No way! Using the tpack framework: You can have your hot tools and teach with them too. Learning and Leading with Technology.
I can't imagine trying to make a pb&j with chopsticks! That really sounds tough! What is really cool though is that you were able to make it work by re-purposing the chopsticks in a way that was unexpected. Great job. Teachers really have to be flexible and able to adapt to any situation because the resources we have are rarely exactly what we need (at least in my experience). TPACK really makes a lot of sense and I look forward to learning more about it. Thanks!