Technology, Pedagogy, And Content Knowledge (TPACK)

TPACK is a framework that I have not encountered before but often I find these visual representations easier to understand. After viewing the video by Punya Mishra and Matt Koehler at SITE 2008 in Las Vegas I was a little confused because I thought the framework was fairly straight forward but after reading the reading I now understand that the framework helps us to identify what we as teachers need to learn in order to use technology to get the best results. It is difficult to plot where I would be on the Framework but in some cases I would be close to the middle (TPACK) because I have been on this year level for a few years and I am familiar with the content and pedagogy related to this age group. Over the last few years I have been able to introduce various technologies to help cater for the differing learners we encounter but there is always room for improvement. However this will change dramatically when I change grades or when a new syllabus in introduced.
I think the TPACK framework might be useful to help me focus on an area that I need to develop greater skills.  With the new History Syllabus this year I will definitely need help in the content and technology area as this will be all new. I will need to learn the content(CK) first then I will have to investigate technologies(TK) that I can use to help keep my learners engaged and eager to want to learn more and I am teaching effectively.
Roblyer and Doering have altered the name of the framework to expand the "T" into "Tech" - they refer to it as "Tech-PACK" but I don’t think that Technology is necessarily a “critical” part of the framework. Sure technology drives change, achieves higher academic results and personalises learning (Smith & Throne, 2007) but as mentioned in the readings (Koehler, M. J., & Mishra, P. (2009) technology also includes things like pencils and microscopes. We need to remember that content knowledge (CK), pedagogical knowledge (PK) and technological knowledge (TK) are all part of the complex combination of what teachers need to know and do. Shulman (1986) and Hughes (2000) stressed the importance of how all these components work together, rather than separately. While Koehler, M. J., & Mishra, P. (2009) thing the heart of good teaching with technology are using content, pedagogy, and technology, plus the relationships among and between them.
Effects on the technological pedagogical content knowledge of early childhood teacher candidates using digital storytelling to teach mathematics“This study aimed to present early childhood teacher candidates' experiences preparing digital stories and to reveal the resulting changes, if any, in self-reported technological pedagogical content knowledge (TPACK)”. http://www-tandfonline-com.ezproxy.csu.edu.au/doi/full/10.1080/03004279.2013.804852