Wicked Problem Project Part B-Application of TPACK

Application of TPACK

I am eager to solve my wicked problem in the classroom using technology.  I want my efforts to be intentional so that the technology that is used will positively enhance student learning. By carefully reflecting on how I intend to use podcasts in the classroom and the TPACK format, I will make sure that instruction is more effective and there is a positive impact on student learning.

Technological Pedagogical Knowledge

                TPK is the combination of technology knowledge and pedagogy. It is the idea that teaching and learning can be changed when technology is added to the classroom. I believe that my teaching can be more effective when technology is integrated.  In order for this to occur, consideration of the technology  is needed to make sure that when added to the curriculum, it is used in a constructive way that is aligned with the content and pedagogy of my classroom. There are only so many hours in the day and so much to accomplish that the job of instructing students can be very overwhelming. As a teacher, I constantly feel the pressure of the clock and the demands of the curriculum. This is the core of my wicked problem in my classroom. My wicked problem is centered around the reality that students are often pulled out of the regular classroom for special programs or they are absent for the day. This creates a problem where students are missing instructional time in the classroom. Utilizing the recording benefits of podcasts, students will have access to content that was delivered during their absence. By allowing my students to create podcasts for their peers that contain information from the lesson that they missed, students will have access to the instruction that was delivered. By changing the style of my instruction to include technological components, my teaching will be more effective and my students will have access to a more complete instruction.  I have been researching podcasts and how they can be used the classroom.  Even though podcasts weren’t originally designed to be in the classroom, I have thought of a creative solution to my problem of time constraints by using this technology. A podcast is a great addition to the classroom because of abilities that it offers. Whether I create a podcast or my students create a podcast, we have a recorded resource that can be used in the future.  The pedagogical knowledge needed for my solution is teaching students how to create a presentation that they can record in a podcast and share with other students. The technological knowledge need for solving this problem is how to teach the students to create podcasts and upload them to a classroom blog or website.

Technological Content Knowledge

                TCK is the connection between technology knowledge and content knowledge. When incorporating technology in the classroom it needs to be used in constructive ways that enriches the curriculum content.  A teacher needs to be aware of how the technology is enhancing the subject matter being taught. I think that adding podcasts to the classroom as a solution to my wicked problem will enrich the content and increase student learning. In order for this to be successful, I need to master the knowledge of how to create a podcast and how to post it online in the classroom blog or website.  By posting these audio or video recordings online to websites or blogs, students can have access to the content whenever they want. This creates a solution to my problem of students being out of the classroom and missing the content that was delivered. This solution will be used across the content areas. I will start using it within the context of literacy instruction. I will work closely with students to help them develop the skills to create a presentation of what they have learned and record it in a podcast. As my students’ proficiency develops of using this technology, I will use it in other content areas.

Pedagogical Content Knowledge

                Pedagogical content knowledge refers to the idea that different subject matter needs to be taught with distinctive instructional approaches.             There is no one correct way to teach all of the content in the curriculum. Different strategies need to be developed to represent the content in the most meaningful way in order to provide the best opportunity for successful student learning. The problem that I have acknowledged in my teaching setting is that even though I am intentional about what strategies I am using to deliver the content to my students, if the students are out of the classroom then they don’t have access to what was taught. I need another strategy to help me teach the students the content that they missed when they were out of the classroom. I think that using audio or video podcast will provide an instructional resource so that students will have access to the classroom content if they were absent during the instruction and also as a review tool. I think that having students create a presentation of the content that they have learned and then creating a podcast to record this demonstrates that they have mastered the content.  Allowing students to teach the content through an audio or video podcasting is different way to represent the material. Utilizing the benefits of technology allow for the content to be placed online and accessed by the students whenever they need it. I think that having students create the podcast is an instructional approach that will increase student learning of the content as well as having them learn how to use podcasts as a learning resource.