*****Warning: This edition
of the Cached In is a long, dense post that can be classified as a “mile wide,
but an inch deep” due to the amount of topics that I cover throughout the post.
As you read through this post, I encourage you to visit any of the references
that are listed throughout this post so that you can get a better idea of what
is specifically being discussed throughout. However, whenever possible, I will
summarize pertinent information needed in order to make connections to my own
thoughts regarding the text contained in this post.*****
As an educator, regardless
of grade level taught and your associated teaching institution, the role of
technology and its influence in the classroom is one that is continuously
changing; there is so much change that it can often be difficult for all of us to
keep up. However, it is still important to acknowledge the fact that whereas
technology used to supplement quality education, technology is now becoming a
prerequisite for quality education. With technology becoming less and less
optional as each new cohort of learners enter our schools, now would be a
convenient time to discuss the ideas of Mishra and Koehler (2006) in which they
integrate technological concepts into what teachers must be doing in order to
provide the best instruction that is possible. Mishra and Koehler, in all
actuality, have developed an educational conceptual framework that depends on
the notion that technology is a critical element in the education of America’s
youth.
According to the authors
under consideration, there exists seven domains associated with teaching that
are required for a teacher to deliver a superb lesson. These seven ideas are
arranged in an educational conceptual framework that can be used to help guide
the decision making process within a classroom, a school, and even within a
district. While I will briefly summarize the seven domains below, I encourage
you to read the article listed below to get a complete picture of the
intentions of Mishra and Koehler whenever they implicitly propose the need for
technology education to command a larger role in our nation’s schools. Without
spending thousands of words dissecting their article and the minutiae
associated with it, I would like to demonstrate how simple it can be to
implement the seven domains in order to craft quality lessons that agree with
the conceptual framework under consideration. As a way to demonstrate how each
of the domains can exist in a typical classroom, I would like to provide
examples of how I have used of them in order to provide my Physics students
with the tools necessary to reach a level of distinguished success.
Content Knowledge:
“Content
knowledge (CK) is knowledge about the actual subject matter that is to be
learned or taught.” (Mishra & Koehler, 2006, pg. 10)
As a Physics teacher, the most traditional
form of knowledge that I need to retain is the content pertaining to my
academic discipline. I need to be able to quickly recall the facts, concepts,
and interconnected nature of linear and circular kinematics (how masses move), linear
and circular Dynamics (why masses move), Energy and Momentum, Waves (the
transfer of Energy), Electrostatics, Electrical Circuits, Magnetism,
Thermodynamics, Fluid Physics, Optics (Application of Waves), Gravitation, Modern
Physics (ideas associated with the wave-particle duality theory), along with
the famous historical and practical experiments that can be used to convey the
content associated with each of the topics. As a Physics teacher, my principals
and superintendents would expect me be an expert on all of the topics that have
been listed above all else; I was hired as a Physics teacher, so I better KNOW
Physics.
As educators, this is the domain in which we
are usually most comfortable (except the unfortunate few who are placed
teaching courses that they do not want to teach). Therefore, when all else
fails, we sometimes feel comfortable simply giving lectures regarding the
content that fills our head. While lecture is not necessarily the most
effective form of instruction, there is little that we can do as educators if
we do not even know what we are expected to teach.
Since
this is a technological post, I do not want to spend too much time on this
particular topic.
Pedagogical
Knowledge:
“Pedagogical knowledge (PK) is deep knowledge about the processes and practices
or methods of teaching and learning and how it encompasses, among other things,
overall educational purposes, values, and aims.” (Mishra & Koehler, 2006,
pg. 10)
While
many teachers are familiar with content knowledge, many of the same teachers
develop some form of pedagogical content knowledge. Since we have all went
through some form of teacher preparation program in order to teach in this
country, it is somewhat expected that we all have some experience with the
common theories and educational psychological concepts associated with how
students learn, how to present content, and what we can do in the classroom in
order to achieve effective instruction.
As
a Physics teacher, I need to be familiar with the ideas associated with Maslow’s
Hierarchy of Needs, Bloom’s Taxonomy of questioning and learning, and
theoretical theories related to Piaget, Vygotsky, and Bronfenbrenner. By
keeping these theories in mind, I can craft lessons that target a variety of
different learners who I am aware are at different learning trajectories as a
result of the development of their own brain.
Since
this is a technological post, I do not want to spend too much time on this
particular topic.
Pedagogical
Content Knowledge:
“The idea of pedagogical content knowledge is consistent with, and similar to,
Shulman’s idea of knowledge of pedagogy that is applicable to the teaching of
specific content.” (Mishra & Koehler, 2006, pg. 11)
While
knowing the theories of how students learn is nice and fantastic, they are not
useful unless they can be directly applied to your own specific classroom and
lesson topics. Mastering the art of this specific domain is what begins to
separate the decent teachers from the fantastic teachers; being aware of the
specific activities and teaching strategies that can be best used to deliver
instruction within your discipline is a skill that can often come with
experience (as it did with me).
As
a Physics teacher, I had to develop the analogies and help connect Physics to
other areas of students’ lives so that the content became memorable, I had to
write lessons in a way that allowed for appropriate scaffolding through
difficult material, and I had to use teaching strategies, through trial and
error, that were determined to be the most effective means to help students
grapple with the difficult content associated with Physics.
Since
this is a technological post, I do not want to spend too much time on this
particular topic.
Technology Knowledge: “Technology
knowledge (TK) is knowledge about standard technologies, such as books, chalk
and blackboard, and more advanced technologies, such as the Internet and
digital video.” (Mishra & Koehler, 2006, pg. 11)
And now…we come to the meat
of this post (it took a while. I know. I know.)
In order to deliver quality
instruction, as educators, we need to be aware of the technology available to
us so that can then begin to use it within our own lessons to promote student
success. While technology is an ill-defined word in that the majority of
individuals I have come across seem to think it only pertains to digital
devices such as phones and computers, we, as teachers, still need to familiar
with how to use dry erase boards, computers, the internet, and the
programs that we use with our computers.
In
my current classroom, I have immediate access to a computer. While the
following is clearly not the case in many schools around the nation, it is
important that I know how to use a keyboard, a mouse, and know how to connect
all of the devices of a computer into the main unit in order to see the
graphical user interface. As an educator who is responsible for his own
computer, I need to be aware of how to install and uninstall programs, know the
difference between a good and bad program, and know what to do whenever I am
faced with an issue pertaining to the technology under consideration. If I
connect any device to my computer, such as a printer or a scanner, I need to be
aware of how to use those tools in order to eventually aid my instruction. Troubleshooting
and diagnosing technological issues, while are usually expected to be handled
by a school’s media specialist, need to be skills that all teachers develop so
that teachers do not have to resort to low-quality backup plans whenever their
intended use of technology was foiled.
Technological
Content Knowledge:
“Technological content knowledge (TCK) is knowledge about the manner in which
technology and content are reciprocally related.” (Mishra & Koehler, 2006,
pg. 12)
Ahhh,
yessssssssssss. As soon as I master the technology at my disposal, I need to
find ways to use that technological to specifically connect to the content in
which I am teaching.
If
I am going to teach a lesson about the Kinematics of objects, I need to be
aware of how to use data collection devices so that my students will be able to
verify and make new discoveries with the aid of tools that scientists use on a
daily basis. As a Physics teacher, it is important that I know how to use data
collection software, particular scientific probes, and how computer program
packages such as Microsoft Office can be used to create graphs, data tables,
and communicate collected data in ways that are easy for others to understand.
Since calculations are to be completed using a calculator, it is important that
I know how the Texas Instrument line of calculators (and rival companies) can
be used to aid in the task of crunching numbers.
Technological
Pedagogical Knowledge: “Technological pedagogical knowledge (TPK) is knowledge
of the existence, components, and capabilities of various technologies as they
are used in teaching and learning settings, and conversely, knowing how
teaching might change as the result of using particular technologies.” (Mishra
& Koehler, 2006, pg. 12)
I
want to leave this domain in the context of the quote above since it summarizes
what is needed in order to successfully master this domain. I do this because I
want to move on to the final, and most critical of the domains.
Technological
Pedagogical Content Knowledge: “This knowledge is different from knowledge
of a 1028 Teachers College Record disciplinary or technology expert and also
from the general pedagogical knowledge shared by teachers across disciplines.”
(Mishra &
Koehler, 2006, pg. 12-13)
Finally,
we have reached the domain in which I have been trying to build up to.
With
the knowledge associated with how to use technology and the knowledge and
skills associated with how the technology can be used to teach in a specific discipline,
we can now reference to knowing which forms of technology can be most
effectively used to teach specific concepts and/or content.
While
it is critical that I understand the technological content associated with
Physics, I also need to be aware of which forms of technology are most
conducive for student learning. For example, in my experience, I have found
that students have an easier time creating digital graphs using Vernier Logger
Pro Software rather than using Excel Spreadsheets. However, students have an
easier time learning how to create data tables within Excel rather than
Microsoft Word of Vernier Logger Pro. Knowing about the intricacies of
technology is important, but it is even more important to know which forms of
technology are most accessible and easiest to use for students.
When
teaching Physics, I always make sure to use a classroom webpage in which
students can download related PowerPoint Presentations, Articles, Assignments,
and programs so that they can continue to learn content from the devices that
they most often use in their own lives; I always make sure to post programs
files that can be opened by Android, Apple, and Windows devices since most
students use one of those operating systems in order to access anything related
to technology.
For
those of you keeping up with my frequent blog posts, I would like to turn your
attention back to the PHET simulations that have already been discussed on this
blog; a teacher with a proficient degree of technological pedagogical content
knowledge would be able to determine which simulations work best for her/his
class, how to present the simulations to the students, how know how the
students should use the simulations in order to learn the content and skills
that are expected to be mastered.
When
considering this final domain, one must know how to use technology, how it is
used within her/his discipline, what forms of technology are most accessible to
the student population, and then how to use the technology in order to promote
the learning that is desired.
And
so, I need to wrap this up as the cache is becoming quite full…
Undoubtedly, being mindful
of each of the above domains can be challenging for a new teacher or an
experienced teacher who has never looked at her/his own methodology of teaching
through the conceptual framework that has been outlined throughout this blog
post. However, many of you who read my blog are already using each of the
domains that have been described even if you have not been using the
terminology or have explicitly considered the educational framework. It is my
hope, however, that you remain mindful of the work of Mishra and Koehler, and
that you consider new and innovative ways to expose your students to each of
the seven domains throughout as many lessons as possible. As technology becomes
less and less optional, we need to be forever more cognizant of what we can do
to make technology an enhancement of learning rather than an inhibitor of
knowledge.
For those of you who are
interested in the information contained in this post, I would like to extend an
invitation to visit the following webpage.
The above link is managed by
Matthew Koehler (one of the authors of the article referenced throughout this
post) that provides a more user-friendly introduction to his conceptual
framework as when compared to his discussion found in the article referenced
throughout this post. He gives a fantastic run-down of his conceptual framework,
and is now using his webpage to promote the implementation of the framework in
your own classroom. I encourage you to visit his website, create an account,
and begin to interact with Matthew and other users who want to find out more
regarding the seven domains associated with the educational framework.
Alright! I am now going to…cache
out!
Works Cited
Mishra, P., & Koehler,
M. J. (2006). Technological pedagogical content knowledge: A framework for
teacher knowledge. Teachers college record,108(6), 1017.
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