It is easy to forget the simplicity of a pencil (p. 1) as technology. The idea of any tool to be a piece of technology allows the term to take on new meaning. This article suggests that teachers recognize the kaleidoscope of technological uses and incorporate them into daily practice. What we know about technology is constantly changing, allowing our content knowledge and pedagogical experiences to increase.
Students come to the classroom armed with technological knowledge. Teachers must become made aware of the possibilities for expanding their students’ learning through the use of Smartboards, the internet, blogs and podcasts. Hands-on experiments are still critical to the learning process. The incorporation of technology expands the students’ experiences to include the larger community beyond the classroom. I believe the extreme to classroom technology is seen in the trial of the robot teacher in Japan. http://gadgets.softpedia.com/newsImage/Robot-Teacher-Trialled-at-Japanese-Elementary-School-2.jpg
One important issue mentioned in the article is that “knowledge of technology does not necessarily lead to effective teaching with technology.” (p. 12) Not every software program is going to be effective in every classroom. Care must be taken to ensure that content and concepts are age-appropriate and at the ability level of the students. A student may understand how to manipulate the SmartMusic software, but may not understand how to play eighth notes or know a fingering. The software will tell him he is incorrect, but won’t help him correct the mistake. Technology is a tool that should not be used without the teaching.
The whole idea behind TPACK is that content, pedagogy, and technology, along with consideration of the context of the instructional environment, are all essential components to the effective integration of technology into the classroom. The use of technology should be driven by curricular goals, but if one knows about technology and appropriate pedagogies for utilizing it, the way those curricular goals are addressed can be transformed.
ReplyDeleteThanks for including the link in your post (please make them "clickable" in future posts by using Blogger's link tool). I suppose that before too long there may be robots capable of teaching some lower level knowledge and skill, but I don't think humans have to worry too much yet :-)