Olivia Pokas | EDCT 5011

Serious Games - Week 2

Due: 5.22.16
Week 2 Reading
Mishra, P.& Koehler, M. (2006). Technological Pedagogical Content Knowledge: A Framework
for Teacher Knowledge. Retrieved from:
https://dl.dropboxusercontent.com/u/33515471/Mishra%20%26%20Koehler
%202006%20TPACK.pdf
Reflection
This article argues that the three main components of learning environments are:
content, pedagogy, and technology. It expresses that there are complex roles within these
and that the relationships between them are continuously changing and evolving with new
ideas. The article argues that we should not look at these components of Technological
Pedagogical Content Knowledge (TPCK) individually, but rather look at their relationships
and how they influence one another.
The article discussed these three components of the learning environment (TPCK)
and how we use technology and what it was designed for. Before reading the article, I had
never really thought too much about the relationships between these components and
how it could affect the usage of technology in the classroom. To best use technology within
our classrooms, we must first get the most complete understanding of the technology. The
authors discussed the importance of professional developments/teacher preparation
courses for the use of technology in the classroom. This is just one way to deepen our
knowledge of the uses of technology.
This past spring semester I attended the Ohio Educational Technology Conference
in Columbus, OH. Even though I am not a practicing teacher yet (I am in my second year of

my initial licensure/masters program), I found this conference to be very beneficial to me. I

specifically went to seminars discussing formative assessments, and the uses of Google in
the classroom. I feel that a lot of the schools, at least here locally, are moving to a Google
interface in their classrooms, so I was hoping to prepare myself for a future job. This
conference was helpful in that you could choose presentation you went to based on what
you thought you may want to use in your classroom (or even what may be beneficial to you
outside the classroom). The speakers all discussed what purpose the technology was made
for and then how to apply it to the classroom. A lot of speakers gave examples of how they
had incorporated such technologies into their practice. I believe this was very help and
followed what the article was discussing in terms of having a deeper understanding of
technology so that you can better model, or teach it to your students. In doing this, they will
benefit from greater understanding to improve their skills.