Here comes the STAR!

Hi! I am Silvia, the star of the group POWER TEACHERS this week. This Monday I have had to explain in which consists the TPACK model and how we can classify the different subjects that we have during this course in each component of the model.

I must recognize that I felt very nervous when I knew that I had to be the star, because we had not done any work yet and I do not know exactly what my obligation was. In addition, when we learnt about the task that we had to do I felt even more nervous because I do not feel very confident when I must speak to a big group, above all when I must speak in English. Anyway I should say that at least I have felt good when I have done the exposition, because little by little I have felt more confident and as the groups were formed by not many people I have not felt very nervous or embarrassed.

First of all I have started our exposition explaining the necessity to introduce the new technologies in the education and how it can be a difficult challenge for some teachers, who must to take into account the importance of the context to develop new and creative strategies in each situation and subject.

In the second place we have done a little summary about what are the three main components of the TPACK: content (teacher’s knowledge about the subject), pedagogy (teacher’s knowledge about the methods and processes of teaching and learning) and technology (the knowledge that helps us to develop different ways for accomplish different tasks).

In third place we have explained hoe this three elements interact between them, and to represent it more clearly we have used the combination of the three primary colours. In first place we have talked about the technological pedagogical knowledge (TPK), which is based in how the introduction of new technology can influence in the teaching and learning processes. In second place we find the technological content knowledge (TCK), which is how technologic and content interact and constrain one another. Thirdly, it is the pedagogical content knowledge (PCK), which is based in how the content of a subject can be transform when we use different methodology or pedagogical methods.

Finally, to finish with this first part of the exposition, I have explained how the interaction of the three main components gives us the TPACK (Technological Pedagogical and Content Knowledge), whose main aim is a good teaching with technology, for which is necessary a good understanding of technology, content and pedagogy, because it helps us to incorporate easier the technology in teaching, learning and people, especially teachers and students.

Now, to explain the second part of the task, we have been going to classify the different subjects in the different components of the TPACK, although I must say that in this part I have started classifying it in one form and at the end, in the last exposition, I have had to change some of the classifications. For example at first we have classify Spanish, English and Theories and Institutions in content, Sociology in technological content knowledge, Developmental Psychology, Educational Psychology and Diversification and Tutorial Action in pedagogical content knowledge and finally Planification, Research and ITC and School Organization and Educational Resources in TPACK. But at last, as I have said, we have had to change this classification because we had not understood properly what we had to do, because we had to classify the subjects taking into account how they would help us as teachers in the future. So finally, the classification of the subjects is: English and Spanish in content, Theories and Institution, Developmental Psychology, Educational Psychology and Diversification and Educational Context in pedagogic and, finally, Planification, Sociology, Research and ICT and School Organization and Educational Resources in Technological Pedagogical Knowledge.

First exposition

Last exposition

To finish with this post must say that, despite the nervousness, I think that it has been a very good experience in which I have felt good and have learnt more about the TPACK, in what it really consists, his components and how useful it can be for our future. Besides, I have learnt (in a correct form although at first we were wrong) how the subjects of these course can help us to develop this method as teachers.

And my first role is.... THE TRANSLATOR!

Hi bloggers! I'm Alba García and this week I've been assigned the role of the translator. As this is our first task properly speaking, I am the first translator, so I hope to do it properly and clarify the five main concepts of our project on the TPACK model. 

Five of the most relevant concepts in this task are the following:

* Technological Pedagogical Content Knowledge (TPACK): it is a conceptual model which is essential for effective teaching and the effective integration of knowledge in the classroom. TPACK "attempts to identify the nature of knowledge required by teachers for technology integration in their teaching, while addressing the complex, multifaceted and situated nature of teacher knowledge" (Koehler, 2011). 

The concept of TPACK was born of the union of three primary forms of knowledge: Technnology Knowledge (TK), Pedagogy Knowledge (PK) and Content Knowledge (CK). At the intersection of these types of knowledge emerge combined forms of knowledge, which are: Technological Content Knowledge (TCK), Pedagogical Content Knowledge (PCK) and Technological Pedagogical Knowledge (TPK). Finally, at the intersection of these three combined types of knowledge is the Technological Pedagogical Content Knowledge (TPACK). 

* Information and Communications Technology (ICT): it is a term which includes any communication device such as the radio, phones, computer and network hardware and software, etc., or any communication application, such as videoconferencing, distance learning, etc. 

ICT allows access, production, processing and communication of any type of information in a range of codes in which we can find image, text, sound, and so on. 

*  Educational technology: it enables learning and improves performance by creating, using and managing proper technological processes and resources. In other words, it is dedicated to the development and application of tools destinated to promote education. 

* Learning: it is the act of acquiring new knowledge, skills, preferences, behaviours or values, or modifying existing ones.

* Teaching:it is the act of providing new knowledge, skills, preferences, behaviours or values to a set of people who don't have them. It is a complex, multifaceted activity which requires the teacher to combine the different activities and objectives flexibly and simultaneously.

 

 

 

The BOSS is here!

Hello everyone! My name is Rebeca Cascales Ribera and  this week my role has been the facilitator. 

During this week  I had to coordinate and control the group. Apart from distributing the roles,  I had to direct and control that the whole group had worked properly together. The boss of the group has the task of being the key person in the solution of personal affairs between members and guaranteeing the quality of our blog.

 The roles of this week are the following: 

To summarise the week, we started when we listened the explanation of Linda at class and the exposition of this project. It was very exciting because it was our first project and it was about something that we've never listened about before, the TPACK model.  

TPACK is a combination of three important components as Technology, Pedagogy and Content. Working with this combination would be very interesting because you're using everything and learning from lots of places. 

I decided that each group member would read at home the information and do their own schema to make it easier to gather the information in the following meeting, that it would be on Wednesday. We met and we put together all the information and made a common schema about the TPACK. It was like a brainstorm and it was worthwhile because all together gathered the most relevant information. On Thursday, we would meet in the School Organisation and Educational Resources hour of class and would make our poster that would be used to expose the project on Monday by the star.

  

Moreover, working in group is always something very important and difficult because of the different opinions, different ways of doing things, etc. but in this case, we have coordinated very well as we have done the whole project without misunderstanding, irritations... 

To conclude, we're proud of our work and we hope you enjoy with us. I would like to congratulate my group because of the work and of the good experience we have lived.