As Roblyer and Doering point out in Integrating Educational Technology into Education, teaching is a complex combination of what teachers know about the content they teach and how they decide to teach that content. While content for certain subjects may change through time, the delivery process, or instruction, is an ever-changing affair. The tools available to teachers in the 1980’s were far superior to those of the 1950’s; just as today’s educational tools dwarf those at the end to the 20th century. Technology has created a seemingly never-ending chapter in the book of meaningful education. While some teachers still hesitate to accept the changes offered by technology, many have welcomed the challenges into their 21st century classrooms.
TPACK (or Technological Pedagogical Content Knowledge) aims to help bridge the gap between advancements in technology and teacher comprehension of existing technology. Through merging content, pedagogy, and technology knowledge, the teacher can create a more meaningful and engaging classroom environment. In addition to the TPACK model, the TIP model (or Technology Integration Planning) offers educators an approach to addressing the challenges that come with incorporating technology. By utilizing both models the teacher can not only identify his or her strengths and weaknesses, but can learn how to effectively integrate technology as well.
Personally, both models can be extremely beneficial to my classroom, especially when it comes to recognizing where and how I can improve technologically. While I am by no means a technology expert, I am extremely open to any new methods of instruction. Whether they come through technology or not, I think it is imperative to be critical of one’s own teaching. Once we recognize our weakness(s), which is what TPACK helps us achieve, we can then begin building a more credible learning environment. Through recognizing areas for improvement, we can start to use technology far more effectively. As Roblyer and Doering explain, we should not only be concerned with how to use technology, but how to use it successfully within our classrooms.
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You make some very good points. I agree that the methods for teaching are ever-changing, and to remain effective teachers must embrace new advancements in technology. The only wrinkle is that some technology becomes obselete almost as soon as it's introduced. In addition to keeping abreast of new interpretations of the subjects we teach and updates in pedagogy, keeping up with technology can be a challenge. But, it is something we are well-served to do as it will not only improve our productivity as educators, but also enhance the image we present for our students.
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