After I read the article
on TPACK, I found it rather interesting. When most people see an agricultural
educator, they think that we are uneducated people that are simple minded and
have no idea what and educational theory is. That, is where they are wrong. As it
states in the TPACK article, teachers are to be well versed in content
knowledge (which is a given), pedagogy, and technological skills. For me, if a
teacher isn’t willing to adapt themselves to these three skill areas, they
fail. They fail themselves as an educator, and they fail the students because
they are not giving them all they have to offer.
As far as a teacher not
being knowledgeable in the content area, I for one think that if the teacher is
not up to par in the subject area, they should not be teaching it. Agriculture
is an industry that demands a high level of knowledge in the area you are in. A
person cannot raise beef cattle efficiently if they have no knowledge of beef
cattle. It is very hard to jump into agriculture and be successful if you do
not have a strong background in it. It is very hard for me to picture people
that try to become agricultural educators that have no practical agriculture
background.
Now, as technology in the
ag class, I have a hard time wrapping my head around using a lot of digital
technology. It is hard to teach a student how to properly care for their show
livestock with a computer. But, on the contrary, technology does make it a lot
easier to keep track of records and so forth. I believe that the students must
know how to use technology, because if you are unwilling to conform the changes
and advance with the times, you fail.
The article that talked
about preservice teachers and their field experiences was the one that I chose
to read and reflect on. It talked about three types of experience. One being
close to traditional, one with simulated experiences in the classroom, and one
with no classroom inclusion and the experiences being totally on the computer.
I personally don’t see
how a person can gain the knowledge and experience that one gets from some of
the experiences the article described versus being in the classroom with the
students and teacher. It would be hard for someone to feel what it actually
feels like standing in front of the students for the first time and interacting
with them face to face. You just don’t get that kind of experience behind a
screen.
I agree with you that in order to be a great teacher you have to be able to use TPACK. By using this method, the framework or foundation will help with your classroom setting. This will educate the students a lot better with technology being used in the classroom.
ReplyDeleteI know what you mean when you talk about how the actual teaching in the agricultural education can’t find a common place for technology use and that’s the reason I introduce the concept of the flipped classroom. We can obtain the knowledge of a specific area when teachers introduce the contents via technology before the class; then, engaging in the hands on activities from students to confirm what they have learned from videos. Teachers clarifying the contents via hands on facilitate students’’ learning.
ReplyDeleteTPACK isn’t a tool kit, but more of a construct or goal to which the colleges aspire. It gives a philosophy for moving forward as we draw three concentric circles on a piece of paper, representing technology, pedagogy and content knowledge. The point at which all three circles overlap is the “sweet spot” in which – ideally – faculty should be operating most of the time.
Like many other teacher education programs around the country, I am experimenting with various models to determine how best to work technology into its core courses and thus ensure that teacher candidates know content, pedagogy and technology. I think it’s a beautiful picture of what education should look like if we get there but I also feel guilty that all of you as my “white rats” will be my ongoing experiments to fulfill that ideal and beautiful picture…
I agree with many of your points, especially regarding the outlook of others on those pursuing a career in Agriculture--although I have never viewed Ag. Ed. students as lacking knowledge in any way, I find it sad that others do feel that way. In my experience, the students I have met that are involved in Ag. have much more knowledge than I could ever comprehend regarding all the many facets of that field. I believe that, most definitely, one pursuing a career in Ag. Ed. needs to have a strong background in the area, and that knowledge will help them to develop the pedagogical knowledge needed to educate their students. But I do believe that technology can easily be integrated in any classroom, including Agriculture, to help students explore and receive more visual representations of the concepts they need to learn.
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