Podcast Topic

= How to bake brownies, the simple way.

CHANGE OF PLANS.
The other topic just did not work out for me :'(
However! I will still be sticking to brownies...
except this time, I'm aiming for a BROWNIE TRIVIA
type of podcast. I think it'll be interesting.
Wish this idea had hit me sooner. Oh well.

Cognitive Load Theory, Chapter 7.

The basic idea here is that we, as learners, do not hold the ability to soak up all the information that is out there in the world. Along with limited memory space, we learn well/best by differentiating, processing, and breaking down new ideas and such (aka active learners). In order to aid in this process, the article stresses three guidelines: "Reduce extraneous cognitive processing, Manage essential cognitive processing, and Foster generative cognitive processing." (134)It is crucial that educators follow this outline with, but not limited to, multimedia lessons. The reasoning behind this is that students tend to easily fall behind or be confused with the class materials, especially when new information is fed to them continually. The article also mentions how the segmented group outperformed the continuous group largely because of time management with new materials. What is necessitated from instructors is that they take time with the students to learn the material and in doing so, make it so that all/most parts are relevant and useful for the learners. As mentioned before, we're not robots or a sponge; we simply do not and cannot learn by shoving all sorts of things into our brains. With multimedia learning, it is what instructors make out of it. With relevant media tools, learning can become more wonderful however, it is easy to misuse it. In order to prevent cognitive overload, preparations are necessary for the students' cognitive well-being. As a student myself, until today, my teachers haven't taken full advantage of media/techno. at all. Everything was majorly text-based. Nonetheless, I believe it can be much more than a useful, handy-dandy companion-like tool for instructors as long as they understand how they can be used and how our learning processes work.

TPCK POST

The following is what I understand about TPCK.

TPCK aka "Technological Pedagogical Content Knowledge" In simpler terms, this could be interpreted to mean the overall, put-together knowledge of, for example, an instructor, a teacher, etc. Within TPCK is a specific arrangement & interaction of three super important forms of knowledge; that is, Content, Pedagogy, and Technology. These three forms come together to form what we know as TPCK. Here's a picture of the TPCK diagram. To all TPCK newbies, we can understand how the idea of TPCK is formed- what makes up TPCK & what they mean. SIMPLY SAID:

*Content Knowledge(CK): Teacher's knowledge of the subject matter.
*Pedagogical Knowledge(PK): The things we learn in education programs like QUEST.
*Pedagogical Content Knowledge(PCK): Knowledge of how to teach, learn, assess, etc.
*Technology Knowledge(TK): Knowledge of technology use; not limited to computers...
*Technology Content Knowledge(TCK): Knowledge of how technology and content influence and affect one another; We understand how technology can support content and how technology availability is changed regarding what the content is.
*Technological Pedagogical Knowledge(TPK): Knowledge in methods of teaching, learning, assessing, etc.-altered with the use of specific technologies
*Technological Pedagogical Content Knowledge(TPCK):The overall "package" shaped by the interaction of Technology Knowledge, Pedagogical Knowledge, & Content Knowledge.

Authors, Koehler and Mishra, write that TPCK is the "basis of effective teaching with technology and requires an understanding of the representation of concepts using technology; pedagogical techniques that use technologies in effective ways to teach content; knowledge of what makes concepts difficult or easy to learn and how technology can help redress some of the problems that students face;..." (17-18)

This article/doc. discusses the overall importance of technology in classrooms, as a tool for the teacher, as well as for students. We are constantly reminded that because technology has evolved so much from the past and will continue to, instructors (esp.) need to be alert on what they are programmed to do and how they can be used efficiently towards school activities. It was devastating to read about the "wicked problems"...about how complex, novel, and unique each of them are. In other words, the authors write that teaching with the help of technology is a constant, major pain because it never stays put in terms of complexity, variety, upgrades, and so forth...and that there are major problems that come along with those changes. But in the end, I was left with the mindset that there are ways to go about them with the overall knowledge of TPCK, which is such good news for current teachers and those aspiring to become one like us. Go Us!

This is what I make of the TPCK document.

Sharing some kimchi pancake love.

Maangchi's one of my favorite channels- here's exactly why.

Blogging for CSCI115

This is a polar bear family, as you can tell. It is to celebrate the current season of NYC, Winter 2011...in my 2nd CSCI class, on a Friday. Enjoy!