Digital Portfolio Submission:
October 15th 2023
Advisor: Dr. Beth Sockman
Master Educator Outcome 5
Employs effective verbal, nonverbal, and technological communication techniques to foster active inquiry, collaboration, and guided interaction in a positive learning environment.
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T-Pack stands for Technology Pedagogy And Content Knowledge
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By combining content knowledge and pedagogical knowledge, one can design lessons that are based on both. Adding technology knowledge allows the instructor to then base what technology they use on the pedagogy and content necessary. In a world of ever-growing digital complexity, it's important to use the best tool for the job. The T-Pack model helps get you there.
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The artifacts below demonstrate my competency in this model and my ability to utilize multiple digital tools to create a vibrant virtual environment.
Webquest: "Persuasion Competition"-
In this Webquest, students compete to write the best argumentative essay based on research. The challenge is that both groups have access to the same web pages! It not only helps them grow their argumentative skills but challenges them to think about digital citizenship by demonstrating that, with the right bias, two people can come to completely different conclusions based on the same information.
Comic Competency: "Know Your Limits"
Comics communicate ideas quickly and effectively, so why not use them for more than just a laugh?
I wrote this comic for my DMET 510 class: Online Tools and Strategies in a Learner-Centered Classroom.
The idea is that while students may lack some traditional skills, like writing with paper and pencil, they know their limits and are talented in other ways. By denying them access to the technological tools with which they are familiar, we are preventing them from showing us their understanding.
Marvelous Mysteries: Digital Adventures-
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I am an enormous nerd. By this, I mean that I love games, table-top role-playing, and other traditionally nerdy stuff. This interest has informed my digital education style. As a kid, I learned so much from point-and-click adventure games, so I created my own in Google Slides. These games can be modified to meet any need and gets students to use critical thinking skills as they explore the world of the game. Yes, this example may be a vocabulary game, but in order to answer the questions, students must read words in context, make connections, and use background knowledge.
Summative Reflection:
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While T-Pack might be a useful model, the specifics of how one teaches are less important than the who one teaches. The learners of yesterday are different from the learners of today, yes, but they're also the same. They're still people who won't pay attention in class if they're hungry. They're still confused if you post the wrong date on the syllabus. They'll definitely laugh every time your whiteboard marker runs out of ink just before you write the last word of the sen...
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What studying T-Pack and learning about digital education has taught me, is that learner-centered instruction should be the focus of any model. Today, being learner-centered means accessing digital tools to not only reach students where they are but prepare them for where they may be taken.
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These artifacts demonstrate both my ability and the greater need for education as a whole to adapt to change. If and when these tools become obsolete, either by technological advancement or evil robot warrior uprising, I will be prepared to adapt and serve the learners of tomorrow.
Standards:
Standards: