TPACK & SAMR - Technology Integration Frameworks

TPACK is a framework that supports the integration of technology for effective classroom teaching. It combines technological, pedagogical and content knowledge as a way of thinking to support teachers in ensuring the use of technology is appropriate, thoughtful and effective during the planning stages. As a technology coach, my expertise lies in technological/pedagogical knowledge, where I support teachers in integrating technology for their specific  content in a specific content. It is also important that I balance when digital technologies are appropriate and maybe not so appropriate to ensure that teachers move beyond just using a tool.  

It is not enough for teachers to use technology for the sake of using technology; rather, technology should allow new learning opportunities that would not have been possible before (Mishra & Koeler, 2008).This makes me think of the SAMR model.

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Dr. Ruben Puentedura created this idea of SAMR model for technology integration to help teachers understand that technology can reach many levels of higher-order thinking and create opportunities for our students to use technology to do things that traditional methods failed to allow for. As technology use moves up the chart, it moves from enhancing the learning experience to truly transforming the experience for students. This is where we allow students to really push their thinking and abilities through the use of technology.

Some examples of each of the components of this model are listed below:

Substitution	typing a story in a word document complete an online task, print it and submit to the teacher
Augmentation	Using Padlet as a wonder wall with students including images to enhance text-to-speech function for students writing a paper
Modification	Screencasting on the iPad to explain a mathematical concept Students use Edmodo to communicate online at home and at school
Redefinition	Students bring their stories to life by animating and recording voices Students create an e-Portfolio full of videos, web 2.0 tools and documentation of experiences with reflections by self, peers, teachers and parents

For the SAMR model, it is understood that the use of technology may vary across all four but it is important for teachers to think about what the real purpose is of the technology. If teachers are only ever using technology for substitution, is this really a good use of technology? Would the students simply be able to not use technology and achieve the same desired learning outcomes? When we move towards modification and redefinition, we are allowing students to develop their critical thinking and creativity skills as they show their learning and understanding in new and complex ways.  The more we think about technology integration through TPACK and SAMR the more our students will be able to have meaningful learning experiences.

When technology, pedagogy and content knowledge all exist, it is about understanding the balance with the ever changing technology to ensure that best practice of teaching is always being exemplified in the classroom (Koehler & Mishra, 2009).

Resources

Koehler, M., & Mishra, P. (2009). What is technological pedagogical content knowledge (TPACK)?. Contemporary issues in technology and teacher education, 9(1), 60-70.

Mishra & Koehler (2008). Keynote address [YouTube]. Available from http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1iCPLTz7Z-Q

Lesson Planning with Technology

Post to your blog your thoughts about lesson planning with technology. For those of you who have been teaching (either as a teacher or as a student on Prac) post your thoughts about what is the most difficult about planning a lesson and if there are any resources you might like to share (don't forget to pop them in the wiki!). If you haven't taught before, post your thoughts about what concerns you the most at this point - as a beginner. This post will be a good one for sharing ideas, collaborating and helping each other. Lesson planning takes a little while to get used to when you are starting out on your teaching career.
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There are so many things to consider when creating a lesson plan. Everything from classroom management, learning spaces, resources, questioning, prior knowledge, various abilities in a class  and more need to be considered in order to conduct an effective lesson for students. It can be challenging as a new teacher as how you teach will not be the same as your teaching partner often. Thus, you may need to take a different spin on things.

When I'm planning a lesson or learning engagement, I use backwards by design so I know where I want my students to know by the end. From there I think of how I'm going to grab their attention at the beginning and provoke their ideas about a topic.

As I begin to plan the lesson, I only use technology if it makes sense in a lesson. Sometimes it's better to use paper and pencil, drama or hands on building and that's okay too. As I plan the lesson and think of integrating a technology tool I think about how it would change the learning experience for the students. Does it enhance the learning engagement? Does it make the teaching more effective? Doe sit make the learning more engaging and effective? Are there

The most challenging part about lesson planning is finding the best tools to use to teach the curriculum. There are so many resources available to teachers but it can be very time consuming to look at each one before choosing. There are also so many ways to teach the same lesson so it's about choosing the right tools for the job that will best support your students. It is very important to me that when I do integrate a technology tool that I have tried it out before I allow my students to use it. It is important that I have some knowledge about it so I can problem solve with my students as they use it. I also feel it is important to vet it to make sure it truly fits the need of a lesson.

One of the ways I decide on if the technology integration of a resource would be effective is by looking at the SAMR model.

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While some technology tools enhance the experience, the goal of technology integration in a lesson is to transform the learning. For me, when I'm using technology in the classroom, I am for modification or redefinition of the learning experience.

Resources for lessoning planning in general:
- For IB teachers, the Online Curriculum Community (OCC) provides lots of work samples, unit plans and lessons.
- The Teacher's Corner
- ReadWriteThink
- TES lesson plans
- Lucy Caukin's Readers and Writers Workshop books
- Edutopia

ICT in the Curriculum

Post to your blog your ideas about your software choices in relation to your discipline area and which part of the curriculum you will focus on. This might be a little tricky for those of you who have not spent a lot of time in the classroom yet, but if you spend some time looking at the curriculum document, you should be able to find an area of the curriculum that will be appropriate for you to use in this assignment.

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As the Education Technology Coach at my school, technology is my discipline. It is my role to support teachers and students in using technology in authentic and meaningful ways. Thus, for this course, I will focus on the transdisiplinary learning in a primary classroom using the International Baccelaureate programme. 

With the IB, there is no set curriculum, rather it is a framework of learning. Within our school we have a scope and sequence for the various subjects that is integrated into the units of inquiry. Our school has no specific ICT curriculum. Rather, the units integrate technology where appropriate. 

From this perspective, the curriculum is often taught using technology for teaching and learning. My focus though, is teaching transferable skills using technology. For example, communication skills like viewing and presenting are taught through the use of technology. Students construct visuals using technology tools such as Google Drawing, Pixlr or Paper 53 that convey meaning to an audience. Students need to use design elements and principles as they create their visuals. Another example is having students choose the most appropriate technology tool to show their understanding and demonstrate their knowledge. Sometimes that might be a Google Document, other times it might be using iMovie to create a video or Piktochart to demonstrate their statistics in a visual. 

With the IB, there are 6 overarching elements of ICT in the Primary Years Programme: Creating, Collaborating, Organizing, Becoming Digital Citizens, Investigating and Communicating. Through these, students develop their skills to become digital learners using technology tools as one of many resources in their learning journey. 

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TPACK Framework

TPACK framework is a well-known framework in the education technology realm that connects technological, pedagogical and content knowledge.

Image from: http://www.tpack.org/

In my role of an educational technology coach, I believe that I sit mostly on technological/ pedagogical knowledge. I believe this is where I fall because I understand how to teach and good teaching practice and have to regularly stay up to date in education technology. However, I do not always know all of the curriculum in depth across the primary school. My role is to help teachers connect the content knowledge or their pedagogical content knowledge to the technological knowledge.

I believe that expanding to tech with tech-PACK helps to emphasize the technology knowledge needed to integrate technology as mentioned by Roblyer & Doering (2014, p. 53). However, it is important to remember that as a teaching leaving out the technology is okay when it doesn't make sense to use it. Thus, an important role of a teacher is to make conscious decision of when to include technology and when to just stick to content and pedagogy knowledge.

To do this, I plan with teachers on a given unit they are working on and provide suggestions for technology integration. From there, I may upskill the teachers in small groups or co-teach the lesson with my focus as technology and pedagogical knowledge and taking the lead from the homeroom teacher. This is what Koehler & Mishra (2009) would describe as “An understanding of how teaching and learning can change when particular technologies are used in particular ways. This includes knowing the pedagogical affordances and constraints of a range of technological tools as they relate to disciplinarily and developmentally appropriate pedagogical designs and strategies."

Whereas most homeroom teachers would be developing the technology from me, I develop my understanding of the content from them. From there, our knowledge is completed as TPACK. My role is really to help teachers to become confident integrating technology and providing them the knowledge and support to add this third component of knowledge to their teaching. I believe that supporting teachers in having all three types of knowledge is important before implementing technology into the classroom as they plan a unit/lesson. Adding the technological knowledge where appropriate in their units/ lessons allows them to provide a 21st century learning community for their students.

References 

Koehler, M. J., & Mishra, P. (2009). What is technological pedagogical content knowledge? Contemporary Issues in Technology and Teacher Education, 9(1), 60-70.

Mishra, P., & Koehler, M.J. (2008, March). Thinking creatively: Teachers as designers of technology, pedagogy and content (tpack). Keynote address at the 2008 Annual Meeting of the Society for Information Technology and Teacher Education (SITE), Las Vegas, NV, March 3-7.

Roblyer, M., & Doering, A. (2014). Integrating Educational Technology into Teaching: International Edition, 6th Edition, Pearson.