I have had the pleasure of digging deeper and trying to make better sense of the design idea and the relationship between technological knowledge, pedagogical knowledge, and content knowledge. TPACK encompasses these three components. But what is it?
Adding technology components and UNDERSTANDING WHY WE ARE ADDING WHAT WE ARE ADDING, is essential and equates to students becoming engaged in their own learning. Technology in the classroom needs to be understood by the teacher - why is this being used, how are we using it, where can it make a difference, and what age group is the technology intended for? In my fairly new understanding of TPACK, I would love to share my knowledge with fellow teachers at my schools - at least begin a discussion about this important model - and share ideas, successes and flops. I also want to pull in our students! They know so much and have intimate details about what tech tools they use, what keeps them engaged, and where they feel successful. We always need this opportunity to learn from each other.
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Gaming is something until about 4 days ago, I was not really qualified to even blog about! Please bear with me, Cohort, as I stumble through this idea. I do not "game", at least not in my home or my school, so I suppose that would be no where. I have a PAST of gaming - a rich one really. I was big on Asteroids, Space Invaders, and Centipede. Oh, and of course Pac-Man. Guess if you dare, what year I was in high school. Yes, Atari days. Fast forward many years to when my son was in elementary (he is 19 now), we purchased a Wii...and we all discovered gaming again. Fun!
Gamification is the "application of game-design elements and game principles in non-game contexts. It can also be defined as a set of activities and processes to solve problems by using or applying the characteristics of game elements." (Wikipedia). In my OWN words, I see gamification as an experience that might have gaming elements but whose purpose is to incorporate ways to engage and motivate the learner. I am unlike most of my colleagues because the students at my school do not game in the classroom or at home - OK - not in the classroom anyway. Which is fine and they are living and breathing and learning - their parents chose my school because it was NOT traditional education. In my mind though, it does not mean that there should not be SOME interaction with gaming as a learning tool - it is just not within the founder's principals. NO worries. MY OWN kids however, (16 and 19) are very well versed at gaming both at home and in school. Both my kids loved Kahoot and Quizlet. It brought subjects like Spanish, French, math, and English to life! Fun quizzes and interactive vocabulary practice. They truly enjoyed these games in their classes. It brings out the competitive spirit and I think yes, learning happened! Before that, there was ST Math, that my kids adored. They could not wait to some home and continue with this so they could conquer another level. With the parent's permission, currently, I incorporate Starfall and Monkey Math into some of my weekly sessions in my resource room with my little ones. It helps to solidify some of the IEP goals and the kids love it. I use IXL with some of my older ones to work on math skills. I very much want to branch out and use many of the things I am learning about in 702. I know I will - especially with distance learning part 2 that is rapidly approaching. I realize that in the near future, I may not be at a waldorf school and I want to be ready with digital tools and learning games. I LOVE this guy. He is literally running to, "KEEP UP WITH THE PACE OF CHANGE". I watched the Ted Talk three times in a row. Eddie Obeng talks fast but he is very good. He has great ideas and clearly is an INNOVATIVE thinker, and used to be a teacher no less. Ebeng shares the idea that our complicated world, one that we work tirelessly to understand, to recognize, and to problem solve within, is about 300 steps behind where we need to be - at all times. He says the "Real 21st century around us is not obvious to us." We are seeing a world that no longer exists.
Take away's and connections:
Today I spend HOURS discovering different creative tools. Oh, and reading/studying/note taking on different articles, websites and blogs. I have learned a lot from all this "toolin" around. Although, I have never ONCE used any of these tools, I am beginning to peel back some of the layers and can see how I might use these in my instruction. The two tools that I spend the most time with were Kaizena and Screencastify.
Kaizena is an add-on that allows the user to add voice comments to a Google Doc or a Google Slide. I have heard about this particular tool because it was recommended by our ATL district rep as an assistive technology option for a student of mine. This student has a hard time with written expression, reading fluency, and comprehension. Unfortunately, this tool has received many negative reviews about its usability - or lack thereof. I did not have any problem with it, but again, I only peeled off a few top layers of what I think it can do. What it CAN do is help a student with a writing assignment by giving the student instant feedback via my voice recording. The teacher can add a link to a video or a graphic - attached to the exact place on the doc that might help the student. When Caitlin Tucker reviews the Flipped Model, she makes some great points. She says a flipped classroom should create time and space for students to work collaboratively in class while freeing the teacher to provide more personalized support. An application like Kaizena can help faciliate this idea. Giving the student quick feedback, things to think about, websites to ponder, etc, frees up valuable for time for the teacher/student connection. In addition, this is a lovely and quick (yay!) assessment tool. The teacher can gauge the level of comprehension and comment in real time. And of course it is a shared doc - so easy. Screencastify, at least for me, was new. I need to dig deeper but I played on it for a few hours and I like it. I can make a voice recording with or without video. I can create this audio and video right on a browser tab. I can see using this with a student who struggles with decoding. I can record myself actually reading the text while the student follows along. I can also annotate as I am speaking - highlighting, circling, etc. These visuals, along with the audio can really help make meaning more concrete. I can ask questions as the student is reading. In the Edutopia.org site, they discuss the power and importance of keeping the student engaged. It should be an active process. They should have the opportunity to hear questions, respond to the teachers' inquiries, and receive feedback - this ensures that the student will better retain the material - as an active participant. Eric Sheninger, in A Principal's Reflections, share that in a hybrid learning model, the key is to utilize the time with our students BETTER. These digital tools are just a few ways that we can do that. Copied here is my Driving Question Evolution doc:
I set out to answer a few questions. Maybe my initial DQ was too broad - but these are things that are nagging me on a constant basis. #1 What is the most relevant digital content that is district approved that relates to my student’s goals that can also keep them engaged? - If I “answer” this, I may as well research an entirely new curriculum for all academics for elementary level and share it with the district. This is too big. Brenna correctly mentioned that this might also entail a big “list” and should have more of a HOW at the beginning. #2 How do creative tools enhance learning for students with mild/moderate disabilities? - This is much more streamlined than the previous and it hits closer to home. #3 How do creative tools enhance learning for students with phonological processing disorder? - I like this latest DQ because when I am looking at my end users and how to go about my action research, I can easily (and excitedly) dive into specific kiddos that I work with, ones that have been a quandary for me in terms of best practices. Currently, I will go back and forth between 2 and 3. I think 2 is my big question but in my action research, I can incorporate 3. One thing I really enjoyed doing and has helped me with my ARP ideas, is the infographic I created. Something about the easy layout and visuals made it is tad easier to understand what my path will be as I embark on my action research. The layout of the ARP template is surprisingly clear to me. I had been at a place where the more I read and the more I tried to "unpack", the more confused I became! Seriously! NO fun and kind of scary. I will be honest though, this has been a sizable tug on my brain. I only have a draft of the ARP but just the layout and formatting is appreciated and helps with my own sense-making. |