Developing technological pedagogical content knowledge: Preservice teachers' perceptions of how they learn to use educational technology in their teaching.

摘要

This study uses activity theory and current conceptions of knowledge for teaching content with technology to analyze the working knowledge and experience of a group of seven preservice teachers in order to yield insights into how preservice teachers learn to teach with technology. Seven preservice teachers, two secondary and five elementary, who had participated in a technology integration mini grant program shared their internship technology implementations and their perspectives on how they learned to teach with technology. The preservice teachers' data on technology implementations were analyzed for evidence of Technological Pedagogical Content Knowledge (TPACK) and its components. Using activity theory, the preservice teachers' perspectives on learning to teach with technology were examined for settings and mediating tools that enabled the interns to learn to teach with technology.;Findings showed that the preservice teachers exhibited more Technology Knowledge than Technological Pedagogical Knowledge and Technological Pedagogical Content knowledge. In addition, preservice teachers exhibited more Technological Pedagogical Knowledge than Technological Pedagogical Content knowledge. Breadth of knowledge in terms of technology affordances exploitation and content area implementation was also examined. A developmental trajectory of learning to teach with technology is suggested that takes into account knowledge exhibition and breadth.;Several contributing activity settings were probed, including daily life, K-12 experiences, other workplaces, teacher education program, technology conference, mini grant program, internship placement setting, and online communities. Although the preservice teachers used digital technology in their daily lives and in some classes of their teacher education program, they did not notice or connect the Technology Knowledge and learning experiences to their own teaching. All the preservice teachers reported that they learned to teach with technology, in part, from interacting with fellow mini grant recipients and the coordinator, from designing lessons integrating technology, and from the conceptualizing technology as a tool to teach content. Through the mini grant program their identities as teachers who use technology also developed. In their internship placement settings, the preservice teachers recalled little assistance from their collaborating teachers or technology assistants in using technology to teach their students content.;The study suggests a framework of TPACKtivity that employs activity theory to track TPACK development. The findings suggest that teacher educators need to call explicit attention to educational technology modeling and aid their preservice teachers in making connections to possible K-12 implementations. Teacher educators can also aid preservice teachers in conceptualizing technology as a tool and employ lesson designing from pedagogical, content, or technology entry points. Both teacher educators and collaborating teachers need to recognize their own Pedagogical Content Knowledge and how, even if they lack technology knowledge, can assist their preservice teachers learn to teach with technology.