TPACK

as a Framework for Technology-

Driven Teaching and Learning

SHADRACH MALANA
Instructor
TPACK
Model
TPACK
is a useful model for educators as they begin
to use digital tools and strategies to support
teaching and learning. This model,
developed by educational researchers
Mishra and Kohler (2006), is designed
around the idea that content (what you
teach) and pedagogy (how you teach) must
be the basis for any technology that you
plan to use in your classroom to enhance
learning.
Content Knowledge (CK)

It is the “what”- understanding of the

content such as language, arts, science,
history, math, etc. This is composed of
facts, concepts, theories or principles in a
given discipline.
Pedagogical Knowledge (PK)

It is the “how”. It is the expert’s

knowledge in the science of teaching from
educational and learning theories to
individual differences to strategies and
techniques as well as assessment of
learning.
Technological Knowledge (TK)
This describes teachers’ knowledge of, and
ability to use, various technologies,
technological tools, and associated resources. TK
concerns understanding edtech, considering its
possibilities for a specific subject area or
classroom, learning to recognize when it will
assist or impede learning, and continually
learning and adapting to new technology
offerings.
3 Kinds of Knowledge combined in
the TPACK Framework

Pedagogical Content Knowledge (PCK)

- is the knowledge that teachers have about their content

and the knowledge that they have about how teach that
specific content. First identified by Shulman in 1986, we can
see evidence of PCK as we consider the different strategies
that science teachers use as compared to the strategies
used by language arts teachers, or teaching strategies used
by art teachers as opposed to teachers of
mathematics. This specialized knowledge allows teachers to
use the most effective methods for teaching specific
content.
Technological Pedagogical Knowledge
(TPK)

- is the set of skills, identified by Mishra and Kohler in

2006, which teachers develop to identify the best
technology to support a particular pedagogical
approach. For instance, if you want your students to
work in collaborative groups (pedagogy) you might
choose to have them share their learning in a wiki (a
digital tool that is collaborative) or communicate what
they have learned in a multimodal presentation using
for example, PowerPoint, Glogster or Prezi (digital tools
that allow students to present what they know).
Technological Pedagogical Knowledge
(TPK)

This describes teachers’ understanding of how

particular technologies can change both the teaching
and learning experiences by introducing new
pedagogical affordances and constraints. Another
aspect of TPK concerns understanding how such tools
can be deployed alongside pedagogy in ways that are
appropriate to the discipline and the development of
the lesson at hand.
Technological Content Knowledge (TCK)

- is the set of skills, also identified by Mishra and Kohler in

2006, which teachers acquire to help identify the best
technologies to support their students as they learn
content. For instance if you wanted your students to
recognize and understand the sequence of steps leading up
to a hurricane (content) you would look for online hurricane
tracking sites, allow them to find photographs that
represented the formation of hurricanes and have them
document the different stages in a timeline.
Technological Content Knowledge (TCK)

This describes teachers’ understanding of how

technology and content can both influence and push
against each other. TCK involves understanding how
the subject matter can be communicated via different
edtech offerings, and considering which specific edtech
tools might be best suited for specific subject matters
or classrooms.
TPACK…
represents a full understanding of how to
teach with technology

the point of TPACK is to understand how to use

technology to teach concepts in a way that
enhances student learning experiences.
TPACK is the end result of these various
combinations and interests, drawing from them –
and from the three larger underlying areas of
content, pedagogy, and technology – in order to
create an effective basis for teaching using
educational technology. In order for teachers to
make effective use of the TPACK framework, they
should be open to certain key ideas, including:
• concepts from the content being taught can be
represented using technology,
• pedagogical techniques can communicate content in
different ways using technology,
• different content concepts require different skill
levels from students, and edtech can help address
some of these requirements,
• students come into the classroom with different
backgrounds – including prior educational experience
and exposure to technology – and lessons utilizing
edtech should account for this possibility,
• educational technology can be used in tandem with
students’ existing knowledge, helping them either
strengthen prior epistemologies or develop new
ones.
Imagine you are a 7th grade life sciences teacher. The topic is “cell anatomy.” Your
objectives are to describe the anatomy of animal cells and explain how the organelles
work as a system to carry out the necessary functions of the cell.

The traditional strategies or activities might go as follows:

1.Walk through the cell’s anatomy and the basic functions of each organelle,
referencing the diagram in the textbook

2. Break the class into small groups. Task each group with labeling their own diagram
of cell anatomy and researching a single process to present to the class later on. You
may want to choose the process for them to avoid duplicate presentations.

3. Have each group present the cell process they researched to the class.

How might the TPACK framework be used to enhance this lesson?

Applying Technological, Pedagogical
Content Knowledge to Your Lesson
As mentioned before, the TPACK framework is
based on three primary forms of knowledge. So
your first step should be to understand your
primary forms of knowledge in the context of
this lesson.

• Content Knowledge (CK)—what are you

teaching and what is your own knowledge of
the subject? For this lesson, you’ll need a
solid understanding of cell anatomy and
processes.
• Pedagogical Knowledge (PK)—how do your
students learn best and what instructional
strategies do you need to meet their needs and
the requirements of the lesson plan? In this case,
you'll need to understand best practices for
teaching middle school science and small group
collaboration.

• Technological Knowledge (TK)—what digital tools

are available to you, which do you know well
enough to use, and which would be most
appropriate for the lesson at hand? For this lesson,
students will need to label a diagram and present,
so the ability to fill in blanks with an answer key,
find images from the internet, create slides, etc.
are important.
Now that you’ve taken stock of your primary
forms of knowledge, focus on where they
intersect. While the ultimate goal is to be
viewing your lesson and strategy through the
lens of TPACK, or the center of the model
where all primary forms of knowledge blend
together, taking a moment to consider the
individual relationships can be helpful.

• Pedagogical Content Knowledge (PCK)—

understanding the best practices for
teaching specific content to your specific
students.
• Technological Content Knowledge
(TCK)—knowing how the digital tools
available to you can enhance or
transform the content, how it’s
delivered to students, and how your
students can interact with it.

• Technological Pedagogical Knowledge

(TPK)—understanding how to use your
digital tools as a vehicle to the learning
outcomes and experiences you want.
SAMR
as a Framework for Technology-
Driven Teaching and Learning

SHADRACH MALANA
Instructor
The SAMR Model is a framework created
by Dr. Ruben Puentedura that categorizes
four different degrees of classroom
technology integration. The letters "SAMR"
stands for Substitution, Augmentation,
Modification, and Redefinition.
This is designed to help educators infuse
technology into teaching and learning.
The model supports and enables
teachers to design, develop, and infuse
digital learning experiences that utilize
technology.
Substitution and Augmentation
are considered "Enhancement"
steps, while Modification and
Redefinition are termed
"Transformation" steps.
Substitution
• At this stage, technology is directly substituted for a
more traditional one. It is a simple, bare-bones, direct
replacement. For example, if you are teaching a
government lesson on the Constitution, you might use
an electronic or web-based version of the document
instead of a hard copy. Students might also answer
questions about the Constitution using a Microsoft
Word instead of filling out a worksheet.

• Substitution might also include a student using

Keynote, PowerPoint, Prezi, Slides, or a similar program
to present information about an article or amendment
to the class.
Augmentation
• The technology is again directly substituted for a
traditional one, but with significant enhancements to
the student experience. In other words, you ask
yourself if the technology increases or augments a
student's productivity and potential in some way.

• Returning to the Constitution example, a student

might augment a presentation on, say, the 14th
Amendment with a video clip of how equal protection
under the law was enforced during school
desegregation. It could also include interactive links to
relevant supreme court decisions
Modification
• In this stage, you are beginning to move from enhancement to
transformation on the model. Instead of replacement or
enhancement, this is an actual change to the design of the
lesson and its learning outcome. The key question here—does
the technology significantly alter the task?

• A student presenting research on the 14th Amendment, to

continue our example, might create his or her own unique
graphic organizer for the class that not only includes the usual
multimedia resources but represents a new product or synthesis
of existing material. As another example, a group of students
might collaborate in a cloud-based workspace to propose a
modern definition of equal protection under the law and solicit
feedback on their proposals from classmates.
Redefinition
• The last stage of the SAMR model is Redefinition and represents
the pinnacle of how technology can transform a student’s
experience. In this case, you ask yourself if the technology tools
allow educators to redefine a traditional task in a way that would
not be possible without the tech, creating a novel experience.

• For example, after completing their group work and soliciting

feedback from classmates (both tasks that could be completed
"offline" although arguably not with the same experience as in
the modified format), students could utilize technology to
network with students several states away to see how regional
differences impact how others think about the Constitution.
The TPACK model focuses more on the
knowledge required to meaningfully integrate
technology, and the SAMR model focuses more
on what meaningful technology integration
looks like. The TPACK model simply outlines
what teachers need to know in order to
understand how to integrate technology. The
SAMR model also encourages teachers to teach
above the line. It can be used to assess the
value of any technology in the classroom. If a
teacher wants to use a tech tool, they can use
the SAMR model to assess whether or not the
tool is modifying or redefining the task and
making the learning experience more
meaningful.
Thank You!