Lesson Plan for TPACK integration

Application

I could incorporate this activity in social studies when we are learning about the states and their capitals.

• Learners: This lesson would be aimed toward 5th grade.
• Learning outcomes: At the end of this activity students will be able to familiarize themselves with the 50 states.
• Assessment: For the assessment I would give the students a copy of the United States map without the states written on them and they students will have to label so many states correctly for a grade.

Second, break down your activity into a timeline of planned events and procedures. Here you should describe what students and the teacher will be doing chronologically during the activity. Below is one of the good examples from previous reflections:

• The lesson would begin with the teacher reminding the students that they  have been learning about the 50 states for a while now.
• The students will demonstrate a YouTube video with a song over the 50 states just to spark their brain of what they have been learning.
• The teacher will  have the students pull out their I Pads with the state match game already downloaded.
•  The teacher will allow the students to complete the map within 3-5 minutes
• The teacher will be walking around the classroom to make sure all students are on task.
• As students finish the teacher will instruct them to open the app "Stack the States" while they wait on the other students to finish.

Reflection
Considering your learning activity described above, write two paragraphs or three for each section below addressing the questions. It may be helpful to keep in mind the followings when reflecting:

1. .How well the use of this technology may support your teaching strategies in this activity.
2. How effectively the use of this technology may enhance students' understanding of and learning from your particular content in this activities

By showing the YouTube video students will recognize and recall what they have been learning. This would be shown to the entire group and not individually. If students wish to watch the video once more by themselves they will be allowed to do so. Another strategy I used was the students working individually. I love group work and think that some students do as well but there are some students that prefer to work alone so this is reaching out to all learners.

When I was in school I remember having to memorize the 50 different states and their capitals. This is a standard in Kansas and requires students to know them. This map will help the students practice more and familiarize themselves instead of just looking at a paper map. Both the app and the map will get the students moving and working hands on with the 50 states.

--Pedagogical-Content:

Your pedagogical content knowledge refers to your understanding of teaching strategies that are specific to a content area. That is the knowledge about choosing appropriate pedagogies for teaching a particular content Example: Using drill-and-practice to teach math problem solving. This strategy however may not necessarily be effective for other content areas.

Now, forget about the technology for a while…..Just tells us about your teaching strategies that you employ in your activity (e.g., analogies, demonstrations, illustrations, examples, explanations, group work, drill-practice, simulations, role-play, lecturing, self-guided learning, inquiry-based learning, problem based learning or etc). Specifically:

• What are your strategies and why do you think your strategies are appropriate to teaching this specific content?  What makes you believe it would help your students comprehend this particular content? Give specific examples from your described activity.
• What would be some conceptions and pre-conceptions that students of different age backgrounds bring with them when learning this particular content? What would you be concerned about students' prior knowledge, experiences, motivation? Again focus on the content and your teaching strategy, not the technology!

The strategies that I used are drill-practice and self guided learning. The strategy drill practice would be used when timing the students on completing the map. I would do  this maybe 2 days out of the week and each time give the students less and less time. I think students would figure out a strategy on how to complete the map faster and the more they practice the better they will get. I also used self guided learning when I used the app. The app that I used will familiarize the students with each state and their capitals.

I am from southwest Kansas and it is a lot like Guymon. In this area there are a lot of refugees and students from all over the world that come to United States. Many of these students are probably not familiar with or have even heard of the 50 states in the U.S.. These students will probably lack motivation and interest in learning the states. Knowing this I would have to spark something of interest to them and find ways to motivate and also be understanding that they might lack the knowledge of knowing the states.

--Technological-Pedagogical:

Your technological pedagogical knowledge refers to your understanding of technologies for particular learning tasks, your ability to choose technologies based on its fitness, your knowledge of pedagogical strategies, and your ability to apply those strategies for use of technologies Example: Selecting Edmodo/facebook for facilitating student generated debate. Edmodo here is the technology that supports the main pedagogy-group discussion/debate.

In the previous section, you talked about your instructional strategies. Keeping these strategies you stated in mind, now tell us how the technology is used in your activity.  Specifically:

• What main instructional strategies would this technology use serve in your activity? How would using the technology support the way you teach this activity? Please give examples and be specific to your described activity. Think about your main teaching strategies that this technology would support.
• What different classroom management strategies you might need to consider when using this technology in the activity? Give examples and be specific to your described activity.

By timing the students and using drill practice, students will become quickly motivated. Whenever you time students they begin to see it as a competition and want to finish faster then their peers. I think that if I were to just give them the blank map and let them work at their own pace they wouldn't be as motivated to finish.  

Since students would be using the I Pads individually I would have to be walking around the class. I would do this to make sure all students were on task and doing what they were suppose to be doing. Also as students finish up with the timed map they will continue to work by pulling up the app on their I Pads. This will help keep all students engaged and working.

--Technological Pedagogical Content:

Your technological pedagogical content knowledge refers to your understanding of how teaching and learning from content may change when technology used and is our knowledge about selecting technologies that suits, support, and enhances teaching strategies and learning activities in your particular content area. It is your understanding of teaching strategies to effectively teach the particular content and help student conceptual difficulties in this content by meaningfully incorporating technologies. Example: Using a flash card app on iPad as a means to aid students memorize words and definitions in language learning. iPad app is here chosen as a tool to support the pedagogy around instant feedback, quick repetition, and individualized learning. These are some of the strategies used in language learning content area.

Now, let’s focus on the content you’re teaching in your activity. Think about your decisions to incorporate this technology and the teaching strategies in relation to your particular content area. Tell us specifically about:

• How would using this technology enhance the way the content is represented in your activity (e.g. demonstrations, explanations, examples, illustrations, analogies, and etc.)? That is why you think the selection and the pedagogical use of this technology may enhance what you teach (the content in your activity). Give specific examples from your activity to support your answer and keep in mind the learning objectives that you stated previously. 

In what different ways students practice or understand the content in your activity that would otherwise not be possible without the use of the technology? In addition to motivational benefits, what else can students do with this technology as they are learning the content?

Using this technology to help teach this content is extremely crucial. I had to learn about the 50 states and using paper pencil is a bit boring. With using this technology it keeps students actively engaged.  This activity is interactive so it keeps it fun and with timing it makes it a bit of a competition for students.
By providing the students with different apps to play with they will be able to familiarize themselves more with the states. They will have that extra practice that they may need. For extra credit I would assign the same map and have them email it to me once done or figure out a way to give them the extra points.

 

Last semester when I worked at the art room I had seen it and wondered what it did but never fully looked into it. This is the first time I have really been introduced to it. This printer is pretty interesting. The things that it can create is totally crazy and really unbelievable.

As for in the classroom, I think this invention is best suitable for higher education or even upper elementary. After reading these articles I have really seen the full potential these printers have. I think it would be great for high school students learning algebra. I also think that it would be very beneficial for teaching students measurements as seen in the article 3D printers in schools.

Overall, this invention is really neat. I would love to learn more about it and how I could use it in a lower education elementary class. I think this invention takes a teacher that is really into the artsy side and I feel I am not too artsy so I would like to learn a little more.

Technological Pedagogical Content Knowledge otherwise known as TPACK is a framework needed for teacher knowledge. TPACK is the result of teachers only looking at the technology and not necessarily understanding how it works. I believe this framework is excellent for educators to follow. Teachers need to be knowledgeable in what they are teaching and this framework follows that.

The article that I was assigned was The Net Generation. This article was basically about a survey about preservice teachers' use of Web 2.0 tools. They wanted to see how often or how well these preservce teachers used these tools. They also wanted to see how familiar they were with these tools available to them. I was not surprised the results that they received. Before this class I was not familiar with what a Wiki was and the survey showed that 11% of the preservice teachers were not familiar with it as well.

In all, reading these two articles definitely gave me a better understanding on TPACK. Educators definitely need to know what they are talking about when teaching. Students will benefit from the teachers' knowledge of technology. We need to keep these students up to date with the latest technology.

            Technology, to me, is something you either love, learn to love or just plain hate. In todays’ world, you kind of have to love it or learn to just because it is becoming so popular and mostly everything we do involves some sort of technology.

            Technology is not something I normally read about but these I found pretty interesting. I especially enjoyed reading the article “The 25 best inventions of 2015.” I had never thought that food could be part of technology then I came across “Power Pasta.” Technology is among us in many ways that I didn’t even think possible. In the article “Teacher Technology Usage” I could relate to the teachers in which they would like to see more of technology or learn more about it. I believe that soon all schools will have the technology they need to help their students.

            Everywhere you turn you see some sort of technology. I think it is best to get use to it or familiarize ourselves more with it. I know young children that show adults how to use technology. Children start experimenting with these things and their brains just catch on to it so quickly. Technology can be a good thing or it can also be dangerous.