A Piece to the Puzzle In one of my first courses as a graduate student, I was introduced to the Technological Pedagogical Content Knowledge {TPACK} model presented by Matt Koehler and Punya Mishra. Throughout their presentation, Koehler and Mishra explained that educators must find a balance between their pedagogy, content knowledge, and technological knowledge. While watching their presentation, I recognized the dynamic relationship between all three elements. However, I quickly realized that I was missing an essential piece to the puzzle: technological knowledge. Thus, I began my quest as a graduate student to increase my technological knowledge while continuing to develop my pedagogical and content knowledge.
Technological Knowledge A selection of the presented examples of my coursework are indicative of my desire to increase my technological knowledge and my ability to effectively integrate technology into my classroom instruction. Reflecting on my experiences integrating PREZI and Kid Blog into my instruction, it is clear that I am now able to use technology for teaching and learning, something that I was unable to do prior to my experience as a graduate student. As I look forward to the future as a classroom teacher, I will continue my quest of incorporating technology into my instruction not just as an innovative tool, but as a method to enhance my students learning and allow them to better understand the subject matter.
"We should acknowledge that technology is not only a tool for the teacher to use to raise test scores, but also an important tool for students to develop digital competencies, to be creative in art and music, to develop social skills in virtual worlds, and to stay engaged with school." - Yong Zhao