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.