TPACK: Game On
in 2006, Punya Mishra and Matthew Koehler, then graduate students at Michigan State University, advanced thinking about educational
technology with a new model of
teacher knowledge when they introduced the technological, pedagogical,
and content knowledge (TPACK)
framework. TPACK makes the link
between technology, content, and
pedagogy explicit.
Using TPACK as the foundation
for professional development involves
asking teachers to consider the ways
technologies can support numerous
pedagogies and content areas. One
way to do this is by playing the TPACK
game invented and developed at the
National Technology Leadership Summit’s annual gathering in 2007.
I have used the game with groups
of educators ranging from school
principals and technology coaches to
preservice and inservice teachers. The
goal is to further teachers’ thinking
about the intersection of technology,
pedagogy, and content. The results
are sometimes surprising new ideas
about integrating technology into the
classroom.
Prepare the Game
To play the game, you’ll need three
containers, such as paper bags, hats, or
baskets, and slips of paper or cards. In
the first container, place slips of paper
listing different content areas, such as
language arts, social studies, art, and
physical education. In the second con-
tainer, place slips of paper listing tech-
nologies, such as blogs, spreadsheets,
simulations, drawing tools, digital
projectors, and document cameras. Fi-
nally, in the third container, place slips
of paper listing instructional strategies
such as lectures, collaborative learning,
drill and practice, and project-based
learning.
Play the Game
Once you’ve prepared the slips and
placed them in the containers, the
game begins. Players draw slips of
paper from two of the three bags and
then fill in the third item in a way
that would make an effective learning
experience for students. For example,
they might select a content area and
a technology, and then consider what
pedagogies might make sense to create
a classroom activity. Or they could
select a technology and pedagogy,
and then consider which content area
might benefit from that combination.
By Karen Work Richardson
