Module+2+Reflection



**Prompt** Describe a technology experience that I had this week.

**Description** This week, I learned about TPACK development. //Pedagogy and Content (TPACK).// //TPACK Development.// //*I read chapters 1 & 3 out of my TPACK handbook﻿//
 * I watched a video presentation by Punya Mishra & Matthew J. Koehler called: //Thinking Creatively:Teachers as Designers of Technology,//
 * I read an interesting article by Judi Harris & Mark Hofer called: //InstructionalPlanning Activity Types as Vehicles for Curriculum-Based//
 * I watched a TPACK podcast//.//

**Impact** I really learned a lot after viewing andreading what these authors had to say. The video presentation was my favoriteof the two. Punya Mishra & Koehler took information and delivered it in a way that notonly humorous, but engaging. I actually called a friend of mine (who's not evena teacher, he's a lawyer) and said, "You've got to see this video!" Iwent to a seminar once and learned that when students laugh, they learn. This video had me laughing and, hey, I learned! Most importantly, I learned what TPACK is. TPACK is basically the meeting point or intersection between three things: a teachers ** k **nowledge about curriculum, ** c **ontent (what we teach), ** p **edagogies (strategies we use/how we teach), and ** t **echnology.

When we think about what we teach (content) and how we are going to teach it (pedagogy) there's a clear link. The link that's often missing is technology. How do we fit that in? The answer is: very carefully and with a lot of thought. Through these readings and videos I discovered just how important it is to learn //how// to use technology for pedagogical purposes. As a teacher, I need to find ways to effectively combine all three (content, pedagogy, and technology) to get a good balance, and not just slap some technology in with my lessons here and there with no real goal or purpose. So how do I do that? One key idea that I took away from the Haris and Hofer (2009) article in particular answered that question: Create my lessons first and THEN incorporate technology into them. Do not pick a piece of technology and then just try to work a lesson around it. So often, teachers go to a workshop here or there and they pick up these nifty ideas and ways to use technology in the classroom. They're so excited about it that they forgot to actually think about HOW to tie them in with a lesson. They just whip them up in the classroom and then don't know where to go from there,or just half-hazardly try to make the technology fit the lesson. There's no connection- no correlation. They've got a tool but don't know how to integrate it into the content. The point is, start with a well-planned lesson and then integrate technology to fit the plan. I guarantee I'm not the only one who never really thought about technology integration this way! So simple, yet so very effective!

Another lesson that I took away from the TPACK handbook in particular was about integrating technology into literacy. Since I teach reading, this really hit home for me. Chapter 3 discussed how the reading comprehension and motivation levels of struggling readers increased with the use of electronic books. I found that to be fascinating. It makes sense, but I have always been so focused on tyring to get my students to read out of books, that I don't spend enough time using electronic books. I will definitely spend more time doing that from now on. I also read about the benefits of certain websites that I actually already use for my lessons, so I was happy about that! This chapter was full of so many good ideas, that my highlighters are probably low on ink ;) I will be getting a lot of use out of this book!

I feel very good about the knowledge that I just gained from this module, and I'm excited to put it to practice.

**Intent** What I plan to do is use some of the great ideas that I've just learned about! The Haris and Hofer (2009) article was rich with ideas that displayed activity types along with compatible technologies that could be used to support the activities. I was familiar with some of the technologies listed, but not all of them. As a matter of fact, the TPACK handbook (chapter 3) suggested a lot of the same great ideas in the specific content area that I teach-literacy. I can't wait to dive in and explore the new ones (iMovie, comic creator, movie maker, and many others)! I also plan to share this knowledge with other teachers in my building (when we return to school). I think this information would be beneficial for many of my peers.