Chapter 1

After reading chapter one in TPCK my head is spinning. I always knew and felt the complexities of teaching, but I guess I never really contemplated all of the moving parts. I agree that teaching is a “wicked problem”. The role of a teacher in education is constantly changing and thousands of decisions have to be made daily. The tough thing is that, as the book described, the solution to one problem often leads to the creation of others. There also are few clearly defined answers that can be established.

The role of technology has definitely added more layers to decision making. Though technology can be a benefit it can also be an issue. It is really difficult as a practicing teacher to stay up to date on the new digital forms of technology. Things are constantly changing and being updated; it becomes a full time job. This instability makes it challenging as a teacher to utilize technology to its full potential. This is true even for a teacher who is interested and not resistant to it like me!

The fact that technology use is so closely tied to content and pedagogy makes it even more challenging. The book stated that these three areas are interconnected and the relationships among them are the key to beneficial technology use. While I understand the importance, the practice is difficult. The use of technology is so varied depending on the content area being taught. It serves as a powerful tool, but as an elementary teacher I am responsible for all subject areas. That means that I need to understand the relationship between technology use, pedagogy, and five separate content areas. That is a truly difficult and time consuming feat. One in which little to no training is provided to practicing teachers.

The training for teachers that has been provided is often very skill specific rather than on the integration of technology in a classroom. As the book suggests, “teaching technology skills alone does little to help teachers develop knowledge about how to use digital tools to teach more effectively, navigate the relationships..., or use technology to help students learn a particular topic.”(21) This implication is important in the classroom and to practicing and preservice teachers. More real life, content based opportunities must be provided for content integration if technology’s true value is to be realized by students.

I do notice the benefits of technology use in the classroom, and I enjoy using it. Technology does promote engagement and allow for study that might not be possible otherwise. In my class we have access to computers and SMART boards. My class has attempted to create a wiki space as a presentation site and communication tool for our writing. We access many websites that provide video and images of places where we’ll never be able to go such as inside the human body and the rain forest.

The opportunities that technology can provide must be capitalized on in the classroom so students can become successful in today’s world. In Maine the “divides” exist. Even though my students have been raised with technology all around them, I would not call all of them “digital natives”. Many of them are more like “digital immigrants” due to the digital divide that exists in Maine. The classroom serves as the opportunity for many of my students to experience and utilize the technology that is available and level the playing field.

I hope that through this book, guidance will be given as to the most effective ways to establish and enhance relationships among content, pedagogy, and technology.