Abby Neuenschwander

TPACK 7/23/10

1. What are the major themes or ideas in your content discipline? If you are elementary education, frame your answer around any (2) of the following language arts, math, or science.

        The three major themes in content discipline are technology, pedagogy, and content. Content knowledge is knowledge about the actual subject matter that is to be learned or taught, including middle school science. This includes knowledge of evidence and proof, as well as established practices and approaches toward developing such knowledge. Pedagogical knowledge is deep knowledge about the processes and practices or methods of teaching, and learning, encompassing educational purposes, values, aims, and more. Some examples are classroom management, lesson plan development, and student evaluation during a test, for instance in elementary science, being tested on the solar system. A teacher much understand how students construct knowledge and acquire skills in differentiated ways, and how they develop habits of mind and dispositions towards learning. Technology knowledge has no true definition. The closest way to define technology is to Fluency of Information Technology, also referred to as FITness. FITness goes beyond traditional notions of computer literacy to require that persons understand information technology broadly enough to apply it productively at work and their everyday lives. Content discipline describes how teachers’ understandings of technology, pedagogy, and content can interact with one another to produce effective discipline-based teaching with educational technologies.

2. Does your content discipline(s) rely on specific processes for developing the key themes or ideas?

        Yes, depending on the subject area being taught, different content disciplines can be used. For example, during a science lesson plan of the solar system I can use technology to upload videos and pictures of space that add realization to the subject.

3. How much of what you know is dependent on the way you learned your subject(s)?

        A math class can be taught a million different ways depending on the teacher you have. A teacher that can really break down the steps and give it all the time it needs really wants you to learn the subject. If my teacher does break down a math area, I will learn better. If she does not teach an area with any depth, there is a better chance that in my next math class I will not understand a concept or two depending on how well I was taught the content.

4. Do you think in terms of content by chapters in a textbook or do you think in terms of your content as an integrated whole?

                I think in terms of content as an integrated whole. If you think only on a chapter in

        a textbook you will never understand the true meaning or the content. You will never get         

        to see the whole picture.

5. Does your knowledge of this discipline represent an integration of the concepts that connect them? What are the concepts and what connects them?

                Yes it does connect them. Content, technology, and pedagogy can all be taught

together if they are used correctly. Teaching technology skills in isolation does little to         

help teachers develop knowledge about how to use technology to teach more effectively, its relationship to disciplinary content, or how to help students meet particular curriculum content standards using technologies appropriately in their learning.

6. Describe your TP. Based upon your experiences including this class, how does technology relate to your teaching? Be specific in delineating how emerging technologies including web 2.0 will impact your TP.

                Teaching content can be taught all kinds of ways. To bring realization, creativity,

        emotion, and personalization to content or a subject, it is best to be taught using

        technology. Technology can be as simple as using your white board in class, and

        projecting pictures or videos on it for students to really see and understand why things

        are the way they are. Technology is open-ended and is always changing and becoming

        updated. Web-based texts are supposed to create flexibility and connectivity. I do not

        think how a textbook online is that effective if the book can not be brought to class and

        analyzed. Yes, this does make it cheaper for students, and easier for them to have

        access to the textbook, but the overall learning of the subject knowledge won’t be as

        effective. Web 2.0 is associated with information sharing, such as a blog,         

           social-networking sites, and video sharing sites. Teaching and learning change when

particular technologies are used. Technology and knowledge often have led to

fundamental changes in the nature of disciplines.

7. Describe your CK. Based upon your experiences including this class, how does technology assist you in representing central concepts in  your content area  knowledge.

Content knowledge, is knowledge about the actual subject matter to be taught or learned. Therefore, a teacher must be well rounded and know what they are going to teach. They must be prepared for questions and be able to answer them without any hesitation. I can show a movie on Mitosis right after I have taught it to clarify what exactly I was meaning by the phases and production. Technology is supposed to help with student achievement. Because student achievement will be so high the stress on teachers will be decreased. Students are learning better when they can be on a computer, because to them it is the latest thing and they do not want to sit in a chair and listen to a teacher lecture, they want to get online and explore and create new documents. Content knowledge reconnects technology to curriculum content and specific pedagogical approaches.

8. Are there content specific professional organizations that can help you? What are they? Which organizations do you belong to?

Yes, there are professional development workshops and courses for teachers. Some of them are, ILS, integrated learning system,  Apple’s Classrooms of Tomorrow, ACOT, Marco Polo, PBS TeacherLine.