When the term “TPACK” had been mentioned in last class, it reminded me of a piece of conversation between me and my wife. It runs as follows:
My wife: If we would have children some time in the future, do you think it’s necessary to send them to “after-school” classes. I am an accountant, which means I could be a mom tutoring their math homework and you, as an ESL teacher, are eligible enough to teach them. Sounds plausible, right?! At least, to start with, I was persuaded
At the very moment when I was about to sing praises of her smart opinion, TPACK came to my mind. As TPACK itself shows, every single alphabet in this acronym covers its own field. TPACK is not the simple collection of three kinds of knowledge (technology,pedagogical and content knowledge)，but an interwoven knowledge combination, which forms a new type of knowledge byond all individual components. What we couple have equipped with is possibly the CK, namly Content Knowledge, furthermore, I do not think I am a qualified ESL teacher for children, because it demands more than teaching college students.
As an educator, I understand teaching is a sophisticated practice that requires many kinds of specialized knowledge. It would be difficult to achieve an effective classroom without pedagogical knowledge with respect to curriculum and instruction, particularly, in this digital era, we need integrate technology knowledge(TK) into classroom delivery.
I prefer to regard a successful integration of technology in the classroom delivery as a process of taking pictures using a digital camera. There are many excellent lenses adaptable to your camera, but if you are planning to shoot a splendid photo which could arouse the interest and attention of others, I suppose an idea of creativity and an in-depth perception towards the shooting subject matter more than any pricy lenses. Simply relying on equipment cannot help you create a great picture, this applies equally to the teaching practice assisted by technology. Numerous teacher assistant apps have emerged as technology progresses, but a technology involved classroom is not a context in which apps are piled up. Sorting them out and finding those suitable to the teaching practice. There is no “the best app”, only when an innovative mind brings these apps to a well-organized classroom delivery and flexibly employs them to achieve an effective teaching objective, would it be probably seen as impressive instructional tools.
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