TPACK Attack!

Before sitting in class last week, I had no idea what the acronym "TPACK" meant. After learning that it stood for " Technological, Pedagogical And Content Knowledge" I realized that most of the lessons I create for STEAM already incorporate it.  In case you are like me and needed to see a visual representation of  TPACK, a picture is provided below from the blog "Inside the Classroom, Outside the Box!"

My last post, focused on a technology tool that was new to me, EDpuzzle. As teachers in a technology-filled world, it is vital that we find appropriate tools to use in our classrooms. With that being said, what should be thought about when we are choosing our new technological tools? I have come up with a few questions that I think a teacher should ask before selecting a new tool.

1. What technology will I have available that day?

After a year of having students bring their Chromebooks down from their classroom, I was able to get a cart of Netbooks in my classroom this year. Unfortunately they are not as elementary-school-friendly as the Chromebooks are, but I am ecstatic to have technology that I can call my own. Knowing that the Chromixium operating system does not allow for a smooth transition between Google accounts, I have to make sure the homeroom classroom Chromebooks are available if I want to use Google Classroom. 

Along with technology being available I often have to take into consideration internet bandwidth overloads. For example, state testing days. When it is state testing season, using the internet in our rural district for anything else beside the tests, is extra slow if not even impossible. 

Another thought to consider when choosing your tool is whether or not it is an operating system specific program. For example, a program may only work on iPads, if that is the case, my Netbooks would be useless for this particular tool. Some schools may have the opposite problem with tools that can only work on Chrome but the technology available is Apple related. 

2. Is this tool easy for students to understand from the start or will I need to create a lesson on how to use this tool?

As an elementary teacher who sees all students kindergarten through fifth grade, for 35 minutes a week (with the exception of fourth grade who I see 70 minutes a week), it is important for me to choose more basic tools if the students are using it. If I have to use a whole class period to teach a tool, it takes away from the content I am teaching. The best tools for my classroom are ones that either have a tutorial that allows students to learn on their own or one that I can give a 5-10 minute mini lesson and then have students work on it on their own. A website I use a lot in my class is Scratch, a simple coding website. I have taught a lesson on it in the past for my coding unit but it also has tutorials of many different projects students can make. The site is also very easy to use and understand. 

3. Is this a tool that will not be blocked by the school filter?

I have been in some school districts where the online filter is pretty lenient, my school district's filter is the opposite. I have been blocked from some education websites. It is important to check that the website works at school before creating a whole lesson using it just to find out that it is in fact blocked. Not that I have ever had that happen to me or anything.... If you're like me and many of my teacher friends you find yourself planning lessons in your pajamas on a Saturday morning with your cup of coffee in tow. Although it is a much more relaxing environment for lesson writing, your home internet filter is probably not very strict. This is why it is important to check the tool on the school internet browser before you spend precious time developing your lesson.