Many definitions of technology integration have been made in the literature. These definitions are quite different from each other. For this reason, the process of effective technology integration needs to be understood in order to understand exactly what technology integration is and what is not. Thus, this process and stages will enable us to better understand the concept of technology integration in Teaching and Learning Process.
2.3 Overview of Technological Pedadogical Content Knowledge (TPACK)
educators’ knowledge—content knowledge (CK), pedagogical knowledge (PK), and technological knowledge (TK)—all framed within and influenced by contextual knowledge.
Equally important to this framework, the interactions among these bodies of knowledge, represented as Pedagogical Content Knowledge (PCK), Technological Content Knowledge (TCK), Technological Pedagogical Knowledge (TPK), and Technological Pedagogical Content Knowledge (TPACK).
Figure1. The TPACK framework and its knowledge components (Koehler & Mishra, 2008)
The TPACK framework was introduced to the educational technology field by Mishra and Koehler (2006) as a theoretical framework for understanding the knowledge required for educators to effectively integrate technology. Building upon Shulman’s studies (1986, 1987) that introduced the construct of Pedagogical
Content Knowledge (PCK) applicable to the teaching of specific content, Mishra and Koehler (2006) proposed to insert technology knowledge as one of the foundational knowledge components that educators of 21st century classrooms should be equipped with and coined the term, Technological Pedagogical Content Knowledge (TPCK). TPCK is a framework to help researchers and educators understand and examine the specialized and multi-faceted forms of knowledge that are required for educators to effectively integrate technology in their teaching (Mishra & Koehler, 2006). Not long after TPCK was introduced, Thompson and Mishra (2008) proposed a change in the acronym for easier pronunciation and “to form an integrated whole, a Total PACKage” among the three fundamental knowledge domains;; therefore, TPCK became TPACK (See Figure 1).
Integrating technology in classrooms is a complex issue that requires a broader and deeper understanding of complicated interactions among multiple components (Koehler et al., 2007). In order to help educators effectively integrate innovative technology into their teaching, educators need to better understand the underlying factors that can foster and hinder technology integration. The TPACK framework advocates the incorporation of the three fundamental knowledge types among educators, content knowledge (CK), pedagogy knowledge (PK), and technology knowledge (TK), and emphasizes the importance of the interactions and the complexities among all three basic knowledge domains. In other words, the TPACK framework goes beyond looking at these three knowledge domains in isolation but examines the new kinds of knowledge that gather at the intersections between and among the three domains, PCK, technological content knowledge
(TCK), technological pedagogical knowledge (TPK), and TPACK, with the understanding that effective and quality teaching lies in TPACK, as noted by Koehler and Mishra (2008). However, the practicality of the framework is somewhat limited because it was specifically tailored to fit the online teaching context, where knowledge and skills that educators need to teach effectively online are totally different from those needed to teach face to face.
Moreover, Van Olphen (2008) employed the TPACK framework to investigate educators’ knowledge. Table 1 lists the definitions of the seven domains within the TPACK framework. Van Olphen (2008) argued that “when there are no broken lines among CK, PCK, and TCK, the integration of technology naturally slides to TPCK”. Upon analyzing a student project on creating a website to teach Spanish pragmatics within the TPACK framework, van Olphen reported that the project “illustrates the amalgamation of all the components of the TPCK framework as they pertain to the world language education field”. The project showed how technologies were integrated to present the content in ways that supported and enhanced students’ learning experiences. In other words, those educator candidates have demonstrated their knowledge about technology as well as how to integrate it in a pedagogically thoughtful way in this particular content area. This indicates that when educators have a full understanding of TPACK, they are able to integrate technology into their teaching to meet second language learning goals. In other words, not only does TPACK highlight the combination and interaction of content, pedagogy, and technology knowledge, it aims at describing “how educator’s understanding of technologies and pedagogical
content knowledge interact with one another to produce effective teaching with technology” (Koehler & Mishra, 2008). As Cox and Graham (2009) stated, the basic premise of TPACK is that “an educator’s knowledge regarding technology is multifaceted and that the optimal mix for the classroom is a balanced combination of technology, pedagogy, and content”.
Table 1. Definitions of the Domains of the TPACK Framework
Knowledge Domains
Definition
Mishra and Koehler (2006) van Olphen (2008) CK the knowledge about the subject
matter that is to be learned or taught
encompasses all necessary elements that help language learners to communicate both verbally and non-verbally across linguistic and cultural borders
PK the knowledge about the
processes and practices or methods of teaching
is educational approaches to language teaching that draw from socio- constructivist philosophies to develop students’ language and cultural competence
TK the knowledge about both the standard technologies and more advanced technologies
the knowledge about both the standard technologies and more advanced technologies
PCK the knowledge about what
teaching approaches fit the content and how elements of the content can be arranged for better teaching
what educators know about teaching the target language to empower students to communicate across linguistic and cultural borders
TCK the knowledge about the manner in which technology and content influence and constrain one another
the need to identify which specific technologies are best suited for addressing language learning and how language teaching dictates or changes the choice of technology
TPK the knowledge about how
teaching and learning change when particular technologies are used
entails a deeper understanding of the constraints and affordances of technologies and how they function in language teaching
TPACK the knowledge that emerges from an understanding of an interaction of content, pedagogy, and technology knowledge.
it is through an understanding of this interplay among technology, content, and pedagogy that we can understand how linguistic and cultural concepts are represented using technology, and how such representations facilitates or hinders
2.3.1 Content Knowledge (CK)
Content knowledge is knowledge about the subject matter that is to be learned or taught. The content to be covered varies greatly by age level and subjectmatter. Knowledge and the nature of inquiry differ greatly among content areas, and it is critically important that educators understand the disciplinary
“habits of mind” appropriate to the subject matter that they teach. As Shulman (1986) noted, content includes knowledge of concepts, theories, ideas, organizational frameworks, methods of evidence and proof, as well as established practices and approaches toward developing such knowledge in a particular discipline.
Educators must also understand the nature of knowledge and inquiry in different fields. For example, how is a proof in mathematics different from a historical explanation or a literary interpretation? Educators who do not have these understandings can misrepresent those subjects to their students (Ball, &
McDiarmid, 1990).
2.3.2 Pedagogical Knowledge (PK)
Pedagogical knowledge is deep knowledge about the processes and practices of teaching and learning, encompassing educational purposes, goals, values, strategies, and more (Mishra and Koehler, 2008) This is a generic form of knowledge that applies to student learning, classroom management, instructional planning and implementation, and student assessment. It includes knowledge
about techniques or methods used in the classroom, the nature of the learners’
needs and preferences, and strategies for assessing student understanding. An educator with deep pedagogical knowledge understands how students construct knowledge and acquire skills in differentiated ways, as well as how they develop habits of mind and dispositions toward learning. As such, pedagogical knowledge requires an understanding of cognitive, social, and developmental theories of learning and how they apply to students in the classroom.
2.3.3 Technological Knowledge (TK)
Technology knowledge refers to the knowledge about various technologies, ranging from low-tech technologies such as pencil and paper to digital technologies such as the Internet, digital video, interactive whiteboards, and software programs. (Schmidt, et al, 2009)
The definition of TK is similar to the notion of Fluency of Information Technology (“FITness”) as proposed by the Committee on Information Technology Literacy of the National Research Council (NRC, 1999). The committee argues that FITness goes beyond traditional notions of computer literacy to require that people understand information technology broadly enough to apply it productively at work and in their everyday lives. FITness therefore requires a deeper, more essential understanding and mastery of technology for information processing, communication, and problem solving than does the traditional definition of computer literacy. Also, this conceptualization of TK does
not posit an “end state,” but rather assumes TK to be developmental, evolving over a lifetime of generative interactions with multiple technologies.
2.3.4 Pedagogical Content Knowledge (PCK)
Pedagogical content knowledge is the intersection and interaction of pedagogy and content knowledge. PCK is consistent with and similar to Shulman’s (1986) conceptualization of teaching knowledge applicable to a specific content area. It covers essential knowledge of teaching and learning content-based curricula, as well as assessment and reporting of that learning. An awareness of students’ prior knowledge, alternative teaching strategies in a particular discipline, common content-related misconceptions, how to forge links and connections among different content-based ideas, and the flexibility that comes from exploring alternative ways of looking at the same idea or problem, and more, are all expressions of pedagogical content knowledge and are essential to effective teaching.
2.3.5 Technological Pedagogical Knowledge (TPK)
Technological pedagogical knowledge is an understanding of how teaching and learning change when particular technologies are used (Harris, Mishra and Koehler, 2009). This includes knowing the pedagogical affordances and constraints of a range of technological tools and resources as they relate to disciplinarily and developmentally appropriate pedagogical designs and
strategies. Developing TPK requires building an understanding of the potential benefits and limitations of particular technologies as they can be applied within particular types of learning activities, as well as the educational contexts within which these technologically supported activities function best.
An important aspect of TPK is the creative flexibility with available tools necessary in planning to use them for specific pedagogical purposes. The flexible use of tools becomes particularly important because most popular software programs are not designed for educational purposes. Educators, therefore, must have the knowledge and skills that allow them to appropriate technologies for pedagogical purposes, as ways to share constructed knowledge with others. Thus, TPK must include a forward-looking, creative, and open-minded seeking of technological application, not for its own sake, but for the sake of advancing student learning and understanding.
2.3.6 Technological Content Knowledge (TCK)
Technological content knowledge refers to the knowledge of how technology can create new representations for specific content. It suggests that educators understand that, by using a specific technology, they can change the way learners practice and understand concepts in a specific content area.
(Schmidt, et al, 2009)
Effective teaching requires developing an understanding of the manner in which subject matter—specifically, the types of content-based representations that can be constructed within and across disciplines—can be changed by the use of
different technologies. Educators must understand which technologies are best suited for addressing which types of subject-matter, and how content dictates or shapes specific educational technological uses, and vice versa.
Three ways are identified in which technology and content have related to one another (Harris, et al, 2009). First, the advent of new technology has often changed fundamentally what we consider to be disciplinary content. Second, technology is not neutral with regard to its effects upon cognition. Different technologies (or media) engender different mindsets or ways of thinking (Koehler, et al, 2005; Mishra, et al, 1996). Finally, technological changes offer us new metaphors and languages for thinking about human cognition and our places in the world. Viewing the heart as a pump or the brain as an information-processing machine is just one of the ways technologies have provided new perspectives for understanding phenomena.
2.3.7 Technological Pedagogical Content Knowledge (TPACK)
TPACK is different from knowledge of its individual component concepts and their intersections. It arises instead from multiple interactions among content, pedagogical, technological, and contextual knowledge. TPACK encompasses understanding and communicating representations of concepts using technologies; pedagogical techniques that apply technologies appropriately to teach content in differentiated ways according to students’ learning needs;
knowledge of what makes concepts difficult or easy to learn and how technology
can help redress conceptual challenges; knowledge of students’ prior content-related understanding and epistemological assumptions, along with content-related technological expertise or lack thereof; and knowledge of how technologies can be used to build on existing understanding to help students develop new epistemologies or strengthen old ones (Harris, et al, 2009). TPACK is a form of professional knowledge that technologically and pedagogically adept, curriculum-oriented educators use when they teach.
Many aspects of these ideas are not new. As Shulman (1986) and others have argued, educators’ knowledge for effective practice requires the transformation of content into pedagogical forms. What has been overlooked in most cases, we suggest, are the critical roles that technology can play. For example, Shulman writes that developing PCK requires educators to find the most useful forms of representation of the subject area’s ideas, the most powerful analogies, illustrations, examples, explanations, and demonstrations—in a word, the ways of representing and formulating the subject that make it comprehensible to others. Educators need to develop fluency and cognitive flexibility not just in each of these key domains—content, technology, and pedagogy—but also in the manners in which these domains interrelate, so that they can effect maximally successful, differentiated, contextually sensitive learning.