A Dissertation on Technological Pedagogical Content Knowledge

I think that I've decided I'm going to write my dissertation on Technological Pedagogical Content Knowledge (TPCK). (Actually I'm hoping to write my dissertation since I began the doctoral program in 1998 and have long passed the eight year deadline to finish the dissertation. I've already reapplied for admittance. If this is granted, I need to apply for an extension of doctoral studies.) Last Friday I had a meeting with Professor Punya Mishra at Michigan State University, where I began my doctoral work in 1998. He suggested that I develop a set of professional development workshops to help teachers think about using the TPCK paradigm for thinking about technology integration. I thought that that the idea was good.

Last weekend I began to develop a conception of a professional development workshop. I originally thought that I'd work with teachers who knew little about technology. I'd first encourage them to become aware of the various resources available on Web 2.0 and learn to use them for their own purposes. (For example, after a summer vacation, teachers can upload digital photographs to flickr and share them with others. Teachers could begin to use blogs for writing about their professional practice and encourage others to respond to their thoughts.) Wang (2000) writes that a learning process incorporates three distinct periods: A. familiarization; B. Utilization; and, C. Integration. McNamara and Pedigo (1995) describe a similar three step learning process: A. awareness level; B. development of skills level; and C. application level. Obviously teachers cannot integrate technology into their curriculum if they don't know what technology exists.

As I further thought about this learning process, I figured maybe I can start the professional development process, for the purpose of my dissertation with individuals who are already familiar with technology but do not yet have an understanding of TPCK. The real reason that I want to do this is because it would help to constrain my research. In other words, it will allow me to finish my dissertation in less time. If I'm going to do this, the real question is what process should I utilize to help teachers develop an understanding of TPCK? I'm going to explore this question further in a future blog entry.

Parenthetically, some educational thinkers argue that students, digital natives, can teach their teachers how to use educational technology. To me, this concept rings true to a limited extent. If students know how to use technology they can certainly help their teachers learn how to use it. But, as the TPCK framework indicates, it's not enough for teachers to know how technology works. Teachers must know A. how specific content areas take advantage of technology in order to extend the knowledge bases of the content area; and, B. how to best help students learn how to use technology so that they can develop a deeper understanding of the content field. (Many students know how to play virtual games. They can learn a great deal through many high quality games. But unless games are designed to teach the substantive and syntactic structures of a discipline, students are not going to learn these distinct knowledge basis from playing the game.)

Adams, Karen I. and Pamela Petty. Preparing Teachers for the Challenge of Teaching and Learning with Technology: Standards, Strategies and Statistics. 30 May 2007 <http://www.nesinc.com/PDFs/2003_06Adams.pdf>.

McNamara, S., & Pedigo, M. L. (1995). Development of an individualized computer
training model for classroom teachers. (ERIC Document Reproduction
Service No. ED384596).

Wang, Y. (2000). Training teachers using computers: A process of familiarization,
utilization, and integration. The Journal: Technological Horizons in Education,
27(10), 66–72.