Friday, February 11, 2011

PART B: Application of TPACK


1) What is the TP knowledge for the solution?  (i.e., how does the technology you have chosen support the teaching strategies and methods you have chosen?)

Using a webquest, specifically, a webquest created in Microsoft Powerpoint, meets my teaching goals because it gives all of my students access to the information and resources they will need in a way that allows them independence and the ability to work at their own pace.  Using a slideshow presentation of each step of their research process will give my students the opportunity to have the entire assignment accessible in one place while allowing them to focus on each step as long as they need to.  It allows my students the opportunity to review previous or future parts of the assignment as needed.  

Another important aspect of using a webquest designed in Powerpoint is that it will provide my students with regular structure to their research assignments.  This way, over time, my students will be able to practice following the same basic steps from beginning to end and will eventually internalize the research process. 
Also, since the final product that my students will create for many research projects will be a Powerpoint presentation, providing them instruction through Powerpoint gives them good examples of what presentations can look like.  

2) What is the TC knowledge for the solution? (i.e., how specifically does this technology make the content in your problem more intellectually accessible?  Be sure to think about representation.)

The technology I chose to use for this project is Microsoft Powerpoint.  Even though many webquests are created as web sites or web pages, Powerpoint will be more accessible to me and my students. 
In the past, I have created assignments using photocopies of different parts of the assignment that I pass out to each group. This was becoming challenging because each group had only 1-2 copies of each part of the assignment, pages were easily lost or placed out of order, and students had difficulty keeping track of everything they were supposed to be doing.  Saved Powerpoint presentations will eliminate the need for photocopying, organization and collection of papers and sharing few pages among several students. 

Now, I will be able to create and edit Powerpoint presentations from home or school on any computer with Microsoft Office.  If I had chosen to have the webquest uploaded to the web, I would be limited to working only where I have access to the correct web design software.  Uploading to the web would also be problematic for my students because so many websites are blocked in schools that I could not guarantee that my students would be able to access the webquest.  With Powerpoint, I simply have to save the presentation in the correct folder on the school network that allows all of my students to access it at any time.  Using a Powerpoint presentation with embedded links allows me to present the information in a way that all of my students can access and interact with it. 

3) What is the PC knowledge for the solution? (i.e., how specifically do your pedagogical choices make the content in your problem more intellectually accessible? Be sure to think about how the student will experience the content given these instructional strategies.

In addition to allowing my students more flexibility and review, using a Powerpoint template for many of my research assignments will allow me to create higher quality assignments.  This is because use of the template will save me time.  Rather than choosing a format each time and beginning from scratch, having a template will allow me to focus on the quality of the assignment itself rather than the way I present the information.  The content of the lessons will be richer because I will be able to focus more on providing a great introduction and question/problem for my students to solve as well as providing great internet resources for my students to use for their research.  In the past, I have simply given my students lists of questions to find answers to, but now I will be able to develop the project from a problem-solving approach that will encourage more critical thinking from my students.  Time was also a limiting factor in providing resources for my students, but now I will be able to create assignments with quality resources built-in as well as opportunities for students to practice searching for and evaluating their own resources.  

 

2 comments:

  1. I like your idea of using Microsoft Powerpoint. So many sites are block or restricted in schools and using Powerpoint will allow more students access. I think the critical thinking portion of your project is key. Many students don't know how to decide what research content is important, how to find information, what sites are valid, etc. Teaching them these skills is essential for future successful research.

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  2. Lisa,

    Your project integrates the principles of TPACK so well. Your pedagogical choices allow students to develop habits in working independently, because they don’t have to rely on you for all the instruction; and also responsibility. They are also learning in a way that is more authentic to life outside of school, by using an available resource (your WebQuest) as needed to support their goals and needs. The technological choice is great, because your template does not restrict the content; it can be used with any content you wish. It’s also great that you can shift your focus to a problem solving approach, which, in turn, will help your students to spend more time on critical thinking, and other “21st century” skills.

    Liat

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