Week 7: 3/5 Multimodal Digital Writing & TPACK

When I began this course 7 weeks ago I didn't have much of an interest in integrating literacy and technology. It seemed more of a hassle having to become some sort of techie for a multimodal trend that just complicated my instruction and quite frankly made it harder to teach. Why not just stick to the basics, it worked for my generation? Why push more technology onto our kids who are getting too much outside of school already? From video games to cell phones loaded with apps to Twitter, technology has certainly changed the way our kids communicate, socialize and entertain themselves.

That was my position before I learned how important it is for educators to help our young learners navigate this new landscape in a manner that could actually benefit their learning. Aside from all the social media platforms and games, there are some great tools out there being used to engage and scaffold learning in a positive and meaningful way. I am glad to have had the opportunity to learn how technology can and is being used positively. Web 2.0 isn't going anywhere and as an educator, I know it is important to teach our young learners how to interact and use the medium thoughtfully and responsibly.

Through my reading and participation in class, I have become familiar with the Technological Pedagogical Content Knowledge (TPACK) model. A conceptual framework developed by Mishra and Koehler in 2006. TPACK defines the domains of knowledge teachers need in order to develop and deliver pedagogically sound, technology intergrated-instruction (Mishra & Koehler, 2006).

As a new teacher, I am aware of my deficits and gaps. I am working hard to learn and master aspects of classroom management, learning content, while developing my own style in working with young learners of all levels. I certainly don't want to be that teacher who avoids technology simply because it intimidates me. In the last several weeks I have made a conscious effort to not be overwhelmed by the technology I am unfamiliar with. Instead, I take this opportunity to explore, test and imagine ways I could integrate technology to help me become a more relevant literacy tutor. So far, I have surprised myself. I'm using tools I thought I would never figure out, let alone incorporate and scaffold in my remediation instruction with students ranging in grades 2-6. This course has proven to be beneficial and I feel more confident using digital tools. I have come to enjoy implementing such tools and feel I'm a better educator for it. There is no turning back! The challenge now in multimodal literacy is to identify and use modes appropriately. For example, how many modes should I use to introduce a particular poem? Do I need to consider the content and meaning within the poem? Would an image be appropriate? What about color? Would the poem bare more meaning to my audience of learners if it were narrated? These are the questions that need to be asked in the planning stages having the objective in mind. It is also important to reflect on the lesson after it has been taught just like any other lesson. I need to ask myself how it went and if I could improve upon it by making modifications to the modes being used.

Karchmer-Klein, R, Shinas, V., & Park, S. (2014). Preparing teachers to immerse students in

              multimodal digital writing opportunities. Handbook of research on digital tools for

writing instruction in k-12 settings.