TPACK Reflection
As I wrote in my TPACK blog last semester, growing in TPACK is a constant and ongoing process. Every day in the classroom is a new opportunity to refine my content knowledge, streamline my pedagogical approach, and optimize technology use. For my project, I’ve had to work hard on all three. My primary challenge is to find uses that aren’t simply online replacements for what I already do in the classroom. I don’t want to use technology for technology’s sake. It needs to be meaningful. One recent foray into TPACK involved using Educreations, my favorite interactive whiteboard app, to assess my students in math. Each student could choose a subtraction problem and record themselves solving it on Educreations. This simple assessment hit at least two of the intersection points on the TPACK Venn diagram. While this Educreations assessment doesn’t relate directly to my capstone project, and it doesn’t necessarily advance my first graders as budding technologists, it was a nifty way for me to “observe” every students’ proficiency with regrouping in subtraction without losing any class time….and to integrate technology with pedagogy and content knowledge. My School’s Educational Technology Mission Statement My school doesn’t yet have an educational technology mission statement. Since educational technology is an important part of our students’ education, and a mission statement is a great way of providing a framework for planning, evaluating, and assessing that education, I’m hoping that my school will develop one soon. If my school were to put together a detailed educational technology mission statement, this is what I’d like it to include, at a minimum:
How Have I Evolved and What Decisions Did I Have to Make? I think that one of my greatest areas of “evolution” in this program has been in awareness. I teach in a K-8 private parochial school, and most of my daily interactions are with other early elementary teachers. When I take a professional development course, my focus is on how I can apply my learning to first grade. When I’m reading about pedagogy or content knowledge or technology, it’s all within the context of young learners. I’ve been part of two Touro cohorts, both of which included a wide variety of teachers, including high school teachers, art teachers, science and math teachers, language teachers, and more. Developing an understanding of how other teachers teach, use technology, and address the diverse needs of their diverse students has helped me evolve in perspective. When I think of my first graders as future high school students, it helps me to craft a curriculum and an environment with a larger goal in mind. While I still address their developmental needs today, I better understand how the academic and social demands on them will change over time.
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Who is the audience for my capstone? Since my capstone project is about the ins and outs of an in-class flipped classroom, my audience will likely be classroom teachers who are interested in experimenting with using screencasts or videos for in-class instruction. This may be elementary school teachers whose students are too young for ongoing flipped learning; this may be high school teachers whose students don’t have access to the technology at home that they’d need for a “traditional” flip; this could be teachers who aren't planning to flip, but who are interested in using videos as in-class reference for students.
What content do I think they’ll need? My audience will need information about why to try an in-class flip, what they’ll need to try an in-class flip, and what worked and what didn’t. One of the most important elements would be a list of tips and tricks for a successful in-class flip. Some tips are structural, some tips are tactical. Several that come to mind are:
My goal throughout the program - probably like that of everyone in the cohort - has been to become a better teacher. And for me, one of the best ways to become a better teacher is by learning from other teachers. In our masters program, the best support I can get from my cohort (and, hopefully, give in return) is to continue doing what we have been doing: learning from each other.
I learn from looking at everyone’s research ideas. I learn from reading everyone’s blogs. I’ve learned about technology and different ways to use it, about working with different ages and grades of students from diverse populations, about the challenges of teaching students at my grade (early elementary) all the way through high school. This perspective has been invaluable. I’ve learned about the importance of having a well-defined idea, and then about the importance of scrapping it if it doesn’t work out. I’ve learned that integrating technology in a meaningful way is challenging for all of us, regardless of grade or subject. About norms: So far, our group norms have included sharing ideas and challenges, reflecting thoughtfully on what works and what doesn’t, and trying to become the best teachers we can be. I’m looking forward to more of the same. |
Masters in Innovative Learning:
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