Emma Jones

ETEC 562
Article Review 3/ Blog Post
The article chosen for review discusses the use of Web 2.0 tools by teachers in the
classroom considering Technological Pedagogical Content
Knowledge (TPACK). A study was conducted to examine and determine the use of Web
2.0 tools for instructional purposes by pre-service teachers.
Expert teachers appeared to have well developed TPACK that allows them integrate
technology appropriately while fully understanding how content, technology, and
pedagogy interact. I agree that there is a critical importance of being familiar with
TPACK and having the skill and capabilities to know how and when there needs to be
changes made to personal teaching and content. Educators must be skilled to
repurpose the affordances of each technology tool being integrated. Finding a variety of
purposes using the technology tools affordances, is necessary in order to develop more
effective and enhanced learning experiences, while supporting personal instructional
strategies.
Pre-service teachers tend to shy away and typically do not incorporate effective
teaching decisions due to inexperience and lack of knowledge regarding specific
content and context. Some pre-service teachers were never introduced to technology in
the classrooms during their observations and student teaching periods. Some colleges
that provide teaching programs do not consider the placement of their student teachers,
which can be detrimental to their experiences if they are place with a teacher that has
not yet integrated technology, or new teaching strategies. I was fortunate enough to
attend Texas A&M University-Commerces Interdisciplinary Studies program, and it was
very important to our professors and placement director that we were placed with
teachers of a younger generation so that we could experience the newest strategies
and tools, and not be hindered or corrupted during the experience. TAMU Commerce
also partners with ISDs that do provide the newest technologies in the classrooms and
come highly recommended to pre-service teachers for experience.
It is the responsibility of education scholars and providers to facilitate learning
experiences for future teachers that will help them to develop more enhanced and
appropriate teaching strategies and skills in the use of technology and development of
TPACK. Reflection activities, technology explorations, pedagogical modelling and
demonstrations, tool-instructions, and lesson design opportunities are great for
beginners, and also for senior teachers who need to brush up periodically. Technology is
always changing and the longer one refuses to learn and integrate, the harder it will be
to catch up in my opinion. Pre-service and current teachers seem to be capable of
considering the variety of Web 2.0 tools that are available as a resource, but too easily
stray away from the consideration due to their comfort in using programs that they are
already familiar with and their school is already using. New tools and resources are

emerging every day, and especially mentor teachers should take on the responsibility of
being familiar with these emerging tools in order to train and demonstrate for preservice teachers. We simply cannot sit around and settle for tools that we are
comfortable with because we have used them for that last year or so. If we do settle and
deny the emerging tools and their possibilities for enhancing learning values in the
classroom, then we are not doing our job for the future!
While reading this article, I found it disturbing that the participants of the study
lacked the knowledge to relate the affordances of Web 2.0 tools to teaching particular
content areas, underlying the importance of focusing content-specific teaching
strategies in teacher education.(Kale, 2014)
In conclusion, I feel that this article is trying to promote technology awareness in our
schools across the nation. Educators should understand how critical their knowledge,
skill, and ability to integrate is what our students depend on each year as technology is
emerging. Teachers must train and seek professional development in learning how to
build strong pedagogies, while creating and altering current teaching strategies into
effective ones.

Reference
Kale, U. (2014). Can they plan to teach with Web 2.0? Future teachers potential use of
the emerging web. Technology, Pedagogy & Education, 23(4), 471-489.
doi:10.1090/1475939X.2013.813408