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TPACK

TPACK is a model used to illustrate the confluence of Technology, Pedagogy, and Content Knowledge.  TPACK has echoes of the Apple Classrooms of Tomorrow (ACOT2) study that framed many of the tenets of 21st Century learning.  I think of TPACK this way:

• Content Knowledge: You have to know what you're teaching.  I liken this to the specialization required of secondary teachers- one must know their content.  I wouldn't ask a Russian astronaut to teach English Language Arts.  And a Russian astronaut wouldn't appreciate me trying to explain how to fly a spacecraft.
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Pedagogy: You have to know how to teach.  A friend of mine worked at a college, and her responsibility was to teach chefs and artists how to be teachers of culinary and visual arts.  They were experts in their fields (high content knowledge), but most didn't come to the classroom with any idea of how to pass their knowledge on to others.  Without pedagogy, the content knowledge is isolated. ​

​Technology: Today's technology usually refers to computers, but technology can be as simple as a whiteboard or a pencil.  It's the external "thing" that enhances teaching and learning.  In the Language Arts classroom, I depend heavily on Google Docs for writing assignments, and internet sources for research projects.  The trick is to know what kind of technology will make learning better.  (For more on this, check out the SAMR model.)

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More Perspectives on TPACK

If you've only got three minutes, Punya Mishra does a great job of introducing the basic principles of TPACK in the concise video linked above.

Click on the link above to see TPACK activity types from the College of William and Mary.

If you want specific examples of activities that are grounded in pedagogy, content, and technology, visit the site linked above.  You'll likely find that what you're already doing is right on track, as well as pick up a few new ideas.

For a comprehensive look, check out the 2008 SITE conference keynote.  Not only does it give a solid argument for, and an explanation of, TPACK- it's also delivered with a sense of humor.

Common Core

21st Century Skills