TPACK is many things, according to Mishra & Koehler (2006). TPACK is a way to combine technology knowledge (the skills to operate anything from a blackboard to a SMART board), pedagogical knowledge (using teaching approaches in the best way that fits the subject area), and content knowledge (what information is being taught). While this is a tough skill for educators to master, it is an important one to tackle.
The TPACK Model Visual from tpack.org
The challenge for Cookin' with TPACK was to use 3 tools: a bowl, a plate, and a random kitchen utensil (e.g. a grater) to prepare one of four food items (e.g. a fruit salad). All 3 tools and the food items were selected by another participant. To learn about how I adapted the technology given to me to fit the task at hand, check out the video below!
Over the course of creating this fruit salad, I thought about the provided technology I used. While these tools were not optimal, they were what I had, and I was able to accomplish the task, which isn't always the case. Winner (1980) comments on this by saying, "What matters is not technology itself, but the social or economic system in which it is embedded" (p.122). This fun experiment was also a bleak reminder the unequal division of assets between schools can control how successful students can be using the technology they are given. It's the difference between using a watermelon slicer, a knife, and a bowl to cut up a watermelon. One tool will accomplish the task with ease, the others, not so much. To even the playing field, teachers can be properly trained on how to use basic hardware/software packages to successfully unlock the power of TPACK in their own classrooms (Mishra & Koehler, 2006).
References:
Mishra, P. & Koehler, M. (2006). Technological pedagogical content knowledge: A framework for teacher knowledge. Teachers College Record. 108(6), 1017-1054.
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