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About the Author
My name is Krista Loper and I am a middle school science teacher in Napa, CA. I have been a teacher for 4 years and I have taught all levels of middle school science. I believe that building relationships with students is the key to creating good classroom culture. I have lived in Napa my entire life and love the community here. I never thought I would end up being a teacher when I was graduating Vintage High school back in 2008, but I am so glad I decided to become one. I know the impact I can make on a student's life and ultimately I know I have decided upon the right career.
Reflections on your Journey
Throughout the Innovative learning program at Touro University I have learned alot from my research and from the other classes I have taken. I have learned about all the different types of tech tools out there that I can use in the classroom. Some of the main tech tools I now use because of this program are edpuzzle, adobe spark, screencast, quizzizz, kami, google classroom, google slides and docs, pear deck, and the list goes on. I know that because of this program I will continue to explore technology tools to use in the classroom with my students. I have also learned about 21st century skills and what a 21st century classroom should look like. I am excited about everything I have learned and how it has helped me to become a better teacher.
TPACK Reflection
The idea of TPACK is about technology being integrated into pedagogy within different subject areas. The TPACK framework involves the combination of 3 components of knowledge: Content (CK), Pedagogy (PK) and Technology (TK). The first component is content knowledge and this is the knowledge that a teacher has about the subject matter that will eventually be taught to the students. The next component is pedagogical knowledge and this is the processes and practices of teaching and learning methods. The final component is technology knowledge and this is about the knowledge of working with technology resources and tools. TPACK also focuses on the intersections of each of the 3 components and how these intersections form: Pedagogical Content Knowledge, Technological Content Knowledge and Technological Pedagogical Knowledge. Pedagogical Content Knowledge is the idea that pedagogy can apply to teaching specific content and that the teacher can find multiple ways to represent the content they teach and they can adapt it to meet the needs of their students. Technological Content Knowledge is about the interaction between technology and content and how technology can help deliver content or change the ways it is applied. Technological Pedagogical Knowledge is about how teaching and learning can be enhanced by different types of technology. The concept of TPACK was part of the inspiration behind the topic of my research. I decided to focus on making technology the center of my learning environment in the classroom. This is the main focus of TPACK. I also wanted to make sure that I was integrating technology within content as well as using good teaching strategies along the way. There were many times in my journey where I felt like I was doing well and helping my students really get the content. However there were also times where I felt like giving up because technology became a distraction for my middle school students. I believe that the right balance of technology, pedagogy and content can create a great learning environment for students.
TPACK Reflection
The idea of TPACK is about technology being integrated into pedagogy within different subject areas. The TPACK framework involves the combination of 3 components of knowledge: Content (CK), Pedagogy (PK) and Technology (TK). The first component is content knowledge and this is the knowledge that a teacher has about the subject matter that will eventually be taught to the students. The next component is pedagogical knowledge and this is the processes and practices of teaching and learning methods. The final component is technology knowledge and this is about the knowledge of working with technology resources and tools. TPACK also focuses on the intersections of each of the 3 components and how these intersections form: Pedagogical Content Knowledge, Technological Content Knowledge and Technological Pedagogical Knowledge. Pedagogical Content Knowledge is the idea that pedagogy can apply to teaching specific content and that the teacher can find multiple ways to represent the content they teach and they can adapt it to meet the needs of their students. Technological Content Knowledge is about the interaction between technology and content and how technology can help deliver content or change the ways it is applied. Technological Pedagogical Knowledge is about how teaching and learning can be enhanced by different types of technology. The concept of TPACK was part of the inspiration behind the topic of my research. I decided to focus on making technology the center of my learning environment in the classroom. This is the main focus of TPACK. I also wanted to make sure that I was integrating technology within content as well as using good teaching strategies along the way. There were many times in my journey where I felt like I was doing well and helping my students really get the content. However there were also times where I felt like giving up because technology became a distraction for my middle school students. I believe that the right balance of technology, pedagogy and content can create a great learning environment for students.
Lasting Learning from the Innovative Learning program
I know I have learned so much throughout this Master's program. I know that I have learned a lot about incorporating technology into my classroom, which helped tremendously during distance learning. I have learned about TPACK and how valuable it is. I have learned about different instructional design methods which have changed the way I have thought about designing my instruction. I have learned a lot through making my website, especially about the power of visuals over words. I have learned about how to create videos on screencast, adobe spark and now wevideo. I feel like each of those websites are different but all very great tools. Finally I know that I will take everything I have learned with my wherever my teaching career takes me.