CEP 812: Part B- Application of TPACK

For my Wicked Project, I have chosen to focus on creating a tool which allows parents, students, and the teacher to remain in constant communication. Although this is not used in the classroom alone, it will have major effects on the student’s learning if implemented correctly. For this reason, even though this project was not centered on teaching practices, it can still be viewed and studied in relation to TPACK.

Although a specific teaching strategy is not being used with this tool, parent-student-teacher communication almost acts as a separate strategy. It is crucial that students feel their work and learning is important, and through strong communication between his teacher and parents, it is my goal that the student will excel in his learning due to the support of others. I have chosen to use Weebly to create a classroom website in which parents and teachers can openly communicate. After reading through comments from my colleagues, I have considered linking a WIKI into my website which allows each parent to view only their own student’s work, using a private password. This would eliminate the privacy issues; however, I would still require parents to sign a permission slip stating that it was okay to post their child’s work to the WIKI. Using a classroom website as a communication tool will allow all parents the opportunity to get in contact with me at any time of day. All families many not have access to a computer, but all do have the option of using a public computer at a local library. It may be a bit more difficult for these families to access the website but it is entirely possible.

This technology allows for the content of my problem to be more intellectually accessible. From a representation standpoint, this classroom website will promote parent-teacher-communication in all areas of education. It allows for easy access in a clean and well organized format. While parents are still encouraged to come to school, send an email, or call, I would argue that keeping all information in one central location will be the most logical step. The content for my Wicked Project is not directly tied to state standards, but rather, promotes student success in the classroom. After completing my research for Part A of the project, I now more than ever believe that student achievement has a strong tie to parental involvement and communication. Students must understand that their work is valued and that they have support available at school and in the classroom. Furthermore, if a student understands that his teacher and parents are working together to promote his success, that student is bound to feel more motivated and supported as a learner. Using this technology gives parents a new way to communicate with the teacher and student. In previous years, the parents of my students have had the option to either email or call me. Once I have given a tutorial on how to navigate through the website, the parents should be comfortable using this as a form of communication. I am confident that any parent willing to use this technology will not only become more involved in their child’s learning, but also provide a sense of support for the student.

The pedagogical choices that I have made will make the content more intellectually accessible as well. Since the content is parent-student-teacher communication, the students will also be taking part in the technology. If the parents give permission for their child to post their work on the website, the students will begin to choose which pieces they would like to publish. This way, the students are more invested in their work because they will be able to share their work with family as well as their teacher. I will also be creating a blog section of the website where students can write to other classmates with questions and comments. Of course, these comments will need to be closely moderated and strictly related to education.  The students will be able to communicate with classmates from home or with their teacher if they have a question about an assignment. The students will be addressing standards across the board depending on each assignment, as well as advancing their technology skills through communication on the website. Projects posted will be whole-group and small-group, as well as some independent pieces. In addition, all learning will become more interactive and meaningful when posted to the classroom website. I am curious as to whether or not the students with parental support of the technology will advance in their learning skills, and I also am eager to view participation among the parents, teachers, and students.

In relation to TPACK, I have determined each aspect is in some way tied to my Wicked Project, even though it was not created based on state standards. The technology that I will be using is a website which will be used to promote parent-teacher-student communication The content is technically the communication aspect and how well students, parents, and the teacher are able to improve communication to promote students learning. Finally, the pedagogy will be the way in which I am able to promote using the website. For example, the students will be completing whole-group, small-group, and independent assignments to the website (with parent permission). In addition, a wide-variety of learning styles will be addressed with each assignment. Once completed, the students will be given the opportunity to take ownership of their work and post to their own personal WIKI. This will encourage students to consider an audience and gain confidence as a learner. Technology skills will also advance as a result of using the website. I am very excited to implement this project in my classroom and am hopeful that it will benefit parents, me as a teacher, and most importantly, the student. 

Revisions: Tutorials will be created for parents to gain a better understanding of how to navigate through this tool. A tutorial will be provided at "Meet the Teacher" night, and another, more in-depth tutorial during fall conferences. Although all comments were agreeable, I have restated my TPACK relation in my final project. The technology used is Wikispaces to help promote the pedagogical strategy of parent-teacher-student communication. This will ultimately motivate students and promote progress in understanding concepts and content across the curriculum. This revised information can be located in my final Wicked project post.