Placing the magic in the classroom TPCK in arts education

Although I have enjoyed the text on TPCK, this chapter was my favorite.  The information related to education and the arts is most relevant to the classroom I work in because many of our students are unable to learn and express themselves in typical ways. Skills that otherwise might remain hidden often emerge when an activity is focused on music, art or movement. I often refer to Gardner’s theory of multiple intelligences because of this.

While this chapter is supportive of teachers of the arts, emphasis is placed on the need for all teachers to incorporate the arts into their teaching.  Clearly there is no better way to do this than through technology.

How far we have come since I was an undergraduate. One of my professors enthusiastically developed a PLATO program for students to enhance their abilities with music theory. Now the Internet allows us to watch free performances daily from the Kennedy Center, learn about other cultures through music, art and dance, and use websites that introduce and improve our skills in any of these arts. It is truly an exciting time to be alive!

The quotes I love most from this chapter are “the arts are the magic in education” (p. 190) and “technology provides an opportunity to marry the power of ideas with the power of the imagination” (p. 189).  The websites provided are a great resource.

While it is difficult to keep up and teachers may find themselves surpassed by their students’ understanding of technology, I think this can actually be a benefit for building stronger collaborative relationships between teachers and students.

Finally, “one of the most poignant results of technology use in the music classroom is an increased, more accurate understanding of other cultures” (p. 179).  This is true for all of the arts and in my view, increasing accurate understandings between cultures is the foundation the progress of our world (and education) is being built upon.

Literacy TPCK Team

Literacy and TPCK

A repeating theme noted in responses to the Literacy chapter in the TPCK handbook, is the changing nature of literacy due to technology. It is evident that literacy educators must respond to the opportunity that new technologies put forward. Teaching literacy will continue to be redefined as new technologies are developed.

In order to adapt to these new opportunities, there is strong support for pre-service teacher training such as one-to-one mentoring, participating in modeling activities and ongoing communication with classroom teachers who are using technology in their teaching of literacy. Research has shown that technology-mentoring programs significantly increase use of technology by teachers in their classrooms.

Positive Aspects

• Students using hypertext and hypermedia are “more motivated and seem to have a greater sense of control over what they can access and read.”
• Technology encourages students to take more initiative than with traditional materials.
• Technologies can improve understanding of material and teachers are able to provide “student-centered models of instruction” with technology.
• Technology such as the worldwide web may provide the only or major form of socialization for people who are severely autistic and high functioning.
• Technology may also “help to create cooperative learning and social environments” for all people.

Concerns

• Perhaps content should come first from the teacher as noted in one response: “if we cannot teach the students to read and write and rely on technology to do that, what would we do if the technology crashes?” A good point. What about the affect of learning from a machine instead of in the arms of a loving parent or family member for those very early days of literacy
• The book notes that 95% of children in elementary school have the ability to become literate. One response suggested this figure probably does not includes ELL or the special education population. “Good teaching with technology will look very different for individual teachers who teach students with diverse instructional needs.”
• It is a challenge to provide literacy-rich environments for students with limited access to technology at home.
• Teaching literacy will continue to be redefined as new technologies are developed. Will literacy teachers be able to keep up?
• Educators need to be open to their students having many more skills than teachers do about some technology strategies.
• The literacy goals hold all teachers accountable for the literacy of all students. This is not just the responsibility of the literacy teachers.
• Technologies becoming outdated.
• Important to consider the context of adults reading at a 3rd or 4th grade level in creating a balanced TPCK approach.

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Resources


Pre-K

• PBSKids provides online reading games

Elementary

• Mixbook is a free tool, that was originally designed for creating digital scrapbooks. However it adapts very well to the literacy classroom for the purpose of digital story-telling. It may not be quite as polished as known KidPix, but it is free.

Middle School

• Kidblog "is designed for elementary and middle school teachers who want to provide each student with an individual blog." The advantage over regular blog sites is that the students stay within the community defined by the teacher,and no student contact information is made public.

High School

• Read 180 Reading Program is a proven software program for reading for grades 4-12. It is in this category of high school because it accommodates students with age appropriate materials for special education, or English Language Learners, or any child who is behind. It is a comprehensive system of curriculum, instruction, assessment and professional development designed for any student reading two or more years below grade-level.

Across All Grade Levels-Non Mainstream Cultures

• Learning Ally is an educational lending-library serving people who cannot effectively read standard print because of visual impairment, dyslexia or other physical disabilities. Founded in 1948 by Anne T. Macdonald to address the needs of the growing number of soldiers who were blinded in action during World War II and who were unable to take advantage of a free education through the GI Bill due to their disability. Serves individuals with print disabilities from kindergarten through college and into adult careers.
• Bookshare is another resource for accessible books and periodicals for readers with print disabilities (individuals diagnosed with a print disability cannot access print in the standard way). It is free for all U.S. students with qualifying disabilities (because of a grant). Includes a searchable online library for readers of all ages with communities for different groups. An especially attractive section is for university students for students who need textbooks. There is a university partnership where College and university partners upload books they have scanned for their students to the Bookshare site. This saves time and money for universities by reducing duplication of effort: “scan once, share many times.”
• ReadWriteThink provides K-12 Teacher resources including lesson plans and professional development tools for language arts and literacy.

Collaboration with Colleagues: Stage 2 Performance Task

 I met with the regular classroom teacher of my 4^th grade student on October 19, for 20 minutes. The previous week I sent an email to request this appointment and briefly described the nature of my project.  Since my student does not go to the regular classroom very often, I arranged for her to spend a little time reading to this teacher so the teacher would have an idea of her capacity. At this stage of my leadership development, I felt it was important to initiate this activity so this teacher could more accurately determine if the project I am designing will be appropriate for this student.

Although I felt a little uncertain as to my ability to clearly describe the different stages of my project, the teacher was very interested as I shared the information on my Integrated Unit Planner, Stage 1 and 2 and the rubrics.   After I explained my project she looked at the documents more closely.  She feels that including photographs in the timeline will make the project feel familiar, meaningful and concrete for my student. She suggested breaking the steps into small enough chunks and not making the sessions too long for the sake of my student’s attention span. She feels this project is reasonable and workable.

I also talked about the final stage of this project, which is teaching one of my student’s friends (who is also in this teacher’s class) how to make a timeline and brochure for her family.   The teacher looks forward to helping me facilitate the inclusion of this friend, before it is time to begin that stage of the project. 

I was also (finally) successful in connecting with another professional who is a very intelligent and creative special education teacher. She had a treasure of thoughts for me to consider and I left inspired and energized by her contributions.  As my project develops I plan to meet with her again for more input. At that time I hope to be so at ease with the technology I am using for this project that she will have the opportunity to be inspired by the new skills I have and perhaps want to use them. She does not yet use technology to the extent I am learning to use it.

At the end of the semester after the meetings with my colleagues have been completed I will show my gratitude and respect for their time and guidance in a small but significant way.  

An integrated framework for educating world language teachers

This chapter was full of information that I would like to study in more depth, such as the different approaches/hypotheses of learning a second language. The study of world languages is an important subject because I believe the ability to communicate is one of the cornerstones to establishing a peaceful world.

Research has shown that “a major strength of computer-assisted language learning (CALL) is its potential for opening doors to connect people and to build communities while promoting cross-cultural communicative competence” (p. 116).  Clearly, these new technologies “grant both the students and teachers opportunities to build cultural bridges” (p 116). 

Technology used for learning a language has been found to make learning more efficient when using multimedia technology; help with learning and retaining new vocabulary when using hypertext and hypermedia; and enhance reading, writing and conversation skills with the use of real-time networks.

            The challenges of incorporating technology in the world language classroom are similar to those mentioned in other chapters.  For instance “new technologies upset the status quo and demand that teachers reconfigure their current understanding of technology as well as of the three components” (p. 118). The lack of training and uncertainty also contribute to the slow rate in which technology is being incorporated into the classroom.  As emphasized in the chapter on mathematics, “there is no single technology solution that applies for every teacher, every course, or every view of teacher” (p. 117). Therefore teachers need to become open-minded and learn to imagine what is possible.

            American Sign Language (ASL) is a world language used in many special education classrooms.  My colleagues and I are very grateful for the ASL online resources that provide movements to translate words. It is much easier to learn words in sign language by seeing the actual movement than by looking at a book and trying to imagine accurate movements from illustrations.

 

The role of TPCK in physical education

The main use of technology in physical education at this point in time is to train pre-service teachers. Major focus of this technology is on learning evaluation skills specific to physical education, as the demonstration of developed motor skills is a major requirement for students. If a teacher does not develop a keen eye for observing skills that often occur in a few seconds or less, they will not be able to give their students the accurate feedback they need to develop their skills to the fullest.

Some of the technologies used to teach physical education teachers how to teach their students are:  video analysis of teaching, computer-based teacher observation systems, and computerized case studies.  Technology can also assist in developing assessment skills.

Within the classroom however, using expensive technology seems unlikely. I do not know a gym teacher who uses the technology mentioned in this chapter.  In fact, it appears that physical education is taught the same way it was when I was in school.  This makes sense when considering the physical nature of this subject.  It also makes sense because equipment of this type is extremely expensive. 

If a physical education teacher were to have the luxury of using any technology they wish in their classroom, not only would they need TPCK, but I think they would need assistants to help coordinate the use of this equipment. Otherwise precious time would be wasted. 

If I were a physical education teacher in this case, I would maintain the traditional class, and add a second class, perhaps a health class, for small groups to learn to use the more sophisticated forms of technology.

The only technology our gym teacher uses for “adapted gym” is music from Pandora.com on his laptop.  Usually these are an assortment of Disney songs, which are highly motivating to many young students.

Perhaps a matter of imagination; TPCK in mathematics education

After reading this chapter I wish I could start my mathematical education all over again in a classroom guided by a teacher with strong TPCK.

Expectations of mathematics teachers today are much different than they were 50 years, and the reason for this is technology. Technology has caused increased awareness of the depth, usefulness and beauty of mathematics.

Consider fractals found in “real-world phenomena” (p.147) that allow us to learn about the world in ways we “never could before” (ibid).  Study of fractals at this time in history is driven by technology. Another topic mentioned is tessellations, whose creator (interestingly) was unsuccessful learning most traditional mathematics. Also explained are the different goals of continuous mathematics and discreet mathematics with examples of how they have been expanded through technology.  

Some advantages of a mathematics teacher with strong TPCK are the abilities to: be spontaneous, make visible connections, establish real-life contexts, and answer the question “why do we need to know that” (p. 156) before the question ever arises. Other qualities needed are cultural sensitivity and “demonstrated caring that encourages students to take intellectual chances” (p. 162). 

It isn’t possible for teachers to learn the infinite number of combinations where TPCK could come together.  Instead, teachers must learn to “imagine ‘possibilities’ and develop an open mind for using a variety of approaches and strategies with their students” (p.151).  Mathematics teachers with TPCK have the opportunity to create “powerful analogies, illustrations, examples, explanations, and demonstrations to make the subject accessible and comprehensible” (p. 152) as Shulman describes about PCK.

The qualities described above are similar to the qualities I am learning through mentors and in-depth study to work with children with severe autism. Everyday I must imagine “possibilities” and be open minded to use (and create) a variety of approaches and strategies with my students.  Because of what I’m learning in this class I will have more to offer students in technology and mathematics.

Leveraging the development of English TPCK within the deictic nature of literacy

English teachers, perhaps more than teachers of any other subject teach a wide variety of topics: from journalism and film/media studies to Shakespeare and remedial reading.  At the same time English teachers experience rapid changes in technology with many new forms of literacy being created.  English teachers need to become “teacher researchers” (p. 94) to develop E-TPCK. This idea relates perfectly to my goal as a special educator and a teacher of many subjects, to develop TPCK by being a resourceful researcher.

Some of the problems regarding teachers and technology include: teachers who struggle to learn technology integration but give up too soon; veteran teachers who lack intrinsic interest in technology; and a lack of enough opportunities at this time in history for pre-service and practicing teachers to practice using technology in their instruction with proper feedback from those knowledgeable with technology and the content area.

As noted in other chapters, technology integration in education is also affected by the complex and quickly changing nature of technology as well as variations within schools, among students and the capabilities of teachers. 

A trend is taking place to prepare teachers to use technology within the context of their content areas (such as the example of this class) rather than in separate, general technology skills courses.  Other trending developments include: cohorts or content area communities where ideas can be shared; weekly face-to-face meetings; models for guidance and support; and helping teachers develop a meta-cognitive awareness of “their nascent knowledge and its impact on lesson preparation and student learning” (p.94).  I have the opportunity to develop “critical technological literacy” (p.102) because of this class.  This will benefit the children I work with especially because I have found children with special needs to be very attracted to technology.  This opportunity is a gift. There are many teachers who are not developing content technology literacy for the reasons mentioned in this paper.

Science, technology, and teaching: The topic-specific challenges of TPCK in science

Much of science today is dependent on technology so it is easy to see how science and technology go hand in hand.  Consider mass spectrometry used by surgeons to detect tumor margins.  Teaching science is not something I know about, but because I have a deep respect for certain medical developments and highly value technology as an embedded component of different sciences, I am concerned for teachers who teach science and students who learn from them.

Science teachers are especially challenged in this day of technology because “unlike more conventional lab equipment, there is no standard, expected configuration of digital technologies for science teaching” (p. 202) and they change rapidly.  Furthermore, one size does not fit all:  students differ and technology resources differ from school to school. The science teacher must be a pioneer to determine what is available, how it can be used with particular students and if possible be in the forefront of obtaining and developing resources for their school.

I find similarities between teaching science and teaching children with autism, where there is a need to determine what the student/s “find hard to learn and where they hold misconceptions or stubborn misinformation” (p. 200).  Evaluation after the class/session is over is important with regard to technology and autism because both require attention to “context and content specific knowledge” (p. 199).

A parallel also exists between teaching science with technology and teaching children with autism and that is the risk involved and the need to anticipate problems-to have detailed backup plans for the (many) times something goes wrong. Another similarity is that techniques are often developed in practice and in response to specific students and contexts requiring the teacher to be flexible, knowledgeable and quick on her feet.

As a side note, I am motivated by this chapter to find software created for behavior analysts for collecting and analyzing data including calculating inter-observer agreement.  In the past I have done everything by hand.

Chapter 2

“The focus of this chapter is technological pedagogical content knowledge (TPCK) for addressing issues of equity of access to information and communication technology (ICT), for students from diverse backgrounds” (p. 31).

People at a disadvantage are those with low incomes, and cultural and linguistic backgrounds that differ from the mainstream in this country.  Not mentioned in the text are those with disabilities.  Attaining ITC literacy is a challenge for many in this population but is important because becoming ITC literate can make all the difference in ability to function and quality of life. 

There are 3 digital divides:

The first digital divide is related to “access to technology infrastructure (computers, multimedia equipment, software (here is a great free software program for the math nerds in the group and web2.0 tools are available for anyone to use as well), the presence or absence of Internet connectivity , and recently, the speed of Internet connections at home or in community settings.

The second digital divide relates to access to achievement-enhancing technology mediated instruction (TMI) in and out of school. Some of the causes of limited access to TMI are fewer skilled teachers; different technology assignments dependent on student’s skills; fewer skilled parents who can be relied on as resources or who value technology; poor uses of ITC such as use of the ineffective TMI strategies of drill and practice, defensive teaching, and using access as a reward. Some resources for teachers are resource-sharing blogs like freetech4teachers and 4teachers.

The third digital divide relates to access to culturally sensitive TMI. To close this divide, teachers who are knowledgeable about multicultural education and can incorporate this into their practice are needed in every school.

Creating equitable classrooms is an important aspect of the third digital-divide. It includes:  providing a broad conception of what it means to be smart; allowing multiple ways to demonstrate and evaluate, having students interact with each other in meaningful group activities and being aware of mainstream versus minority cultural views of the world.  

Overall, the group agreed that it is an enormous challenge for teachers to provide students with equitable access to technology.  A few responses indicated that the concept of a cultural divide was novel due to classrooms being largely ethnically and racially homogeneous. Even though some schools served by students in cohort 4 have little ethnic diversity, there are differences in socio-economic and cognitive skills among the student populations.  For students who may be positioned on a different side of the cultural divide from their classmates, teachers must take special care and extra time before, during and after assignments. 

Several postings describe their effort to support equity was enhanced by the one-to-one laptop program spearheaded by the Maine Learning Technology Initiative. Initially this program struggled to meet the student and teacher expectations, but with time, problems continue to be worked out. Improvements such as utilizing iTunesU as a platform to communicate and teach new technology skills are allowing teacher-trainings across distances. As years go by, students and their families are responding to the accessibility and use of technology, relation to instruction and assessment demands. 

Equally important in reducing the factors that contribute to the digital divide, is the value of building and engaging community support by including parents in education and access to technology. Currently, in the state of Maine, adult education programs are stepping up to provide workshops for parents regarding internet safety and how to maneuver through Power School, as well as the typical computer courses.  Providing technology staff sufficient time and funds to maintain technology hardware is a critical aspect of equitable access to technology.

 One critical conclusion is that efforts must continue for colleges and universities, as well as in-service programs, to support teachers in order that professional skills and knowledge remain at the cutting edge. The best one-to-one program and the most elaborate resources are rendered useless if teachers are ill-prepared to use such resources effectively. Reducing cultural disadvantages, which prevent children and adults from accessing technology depends largely on teachers whose technological and pedagogical knowledge addresses students’ backgrounds.  

Toward Democracy: Social Studies and TPCK

            The author promotes the big idea that in social studies, technology is viewed “in the context of preparation for democratic life” (p. 130). The value of technology in the social studies classroom can’t be underestimated in spite of the fact that social studies “lacks clearly established academic or disciplinary structure” (p. 129).    For example social studies includes a variety of subjects: history, geography, political science, economics, behavioral sciences, and cultural studies.  In fact, the subject of social studies appears to be well suited for the use of technology, which makes this chapter especially inspiring to me.             

            The non-linear nature of technology requires special attention by the teacher to bring the goal of preparing students for democratic life to its fullest potential. Teachers must “be very detailed and deliberate as they make use of these materials” (p.131).  Because students are creating their own knowledge the teacher needs to assist students in making decisions about selecting their resources and navigating through a variety of interfaces. Teachers must be aware of the expanded opportunities for group learning that technology presents and “overcome existing pedagogical tendencies toward individualistic learning” (p.135).

            With regard to the impact of technology on the development of human communities and human interaction, “teachers need to prepare students in a technological age where democratic citizens have access to not only information but to the political process and authentic discourse and dialog about political issues” (p.138).  Emphasis on etiquette, responsibility, rights, safety and security is vitally important.  These statements are especially meaningful to me as a teacher and as a global citizen.

            Opportunities for using technology in social studies are abundant and can include:  weblogs, wikis, digital story telling, file sharing, online writing, historical source materials, and easy communication with experts. The opportunity to provide “students a public forum for their work enhances motivation and encourages authenticity” (p, 134). Because of this class and these readings, my student is going to benefit from my new awareness and motivation to provide a public forum for student work.