Use The Right Tools

As educators are we striving to make sure we give our students the right tools in order to be successful? This is an important question to ask ourselves each time we incorporate technology in the classroom. In the video above I try to use a binder clip to peel a boiled potato and even though I giggled at how ridiculous I look it made me more acutely aware of how I present information to my students and how I use technology in the classroom.

TPACK is an excellent tool for teachers when incorporating technology but the two main concepts I learned from researching TPACK are: 

1. TPACK requires a delicate balance on what you're teaching and how you're teaching it using technology

2. TPACK helps teachers recognize and implement effective ways to teach, what to teach, and how to implement instructional technology correctly for maximum student success

Just like the video above if we do not use the right technological tools in the classroom then we will have about as much success as I did trying to peel a potato with a binder clip. Students will not grasp the material and then the technology is used in vain. However, by finding and implementing the right tools regarding technology a teacher can not only aid in student understanding but can also add great depth to their lessons.

Cooking with TPACK

In the video above you can see I have 3 kitchen objects...A handheld cheese grater, colander and small plate. I attempt to use these tools to cut up watermelon and bananas in order to make a fruit salad. The important take away from my attempts is that using the items the correct way did not result in a fruit salad and even trying to repurpose them did not result in 100% success. While this task does not seem to have any relevance to teaching students at first glance, as educators we must think about the tools we expect students to use in the classroom in order to grasp concepts. Are we equipping them with the right materials, instructions and background in order for them to be successful?

Over the past few weeks we have looked at TPACK and how it is not just enough to use technology in the classroom for the sake of using technology. Teachers must choose the right technological tools for the most student success. In the above video you can see that trying to repurpose random kitchen tools can in some cases (if lucky) be successful but overall one can determine that in order to get the job done most successfully and efficiently you need to use the right tools. As educators it is our duty to make sure our students have the right tools and use them correctly for content understanding.

This is the same idea when using technology in the classroom. A teacher has to incorporate the right technology and tools when teaching certain concepts in order to make sure the students not only use the technology correctly but also grasp the concepts for maximum understanding.