As I stated in my post for Part A, I have chosen for my Wicked project to address the need for increased knowledge of World Geography and Global Currrent Events in Social Studies curriculum. When reviewing my proposal and comparing it to the TPACK model, I believe that this is a well-developed and comprehensive lesson plan that extends throughout the entire semester and encompasses a variety of technologies and instructional strategies. I am sure that when this lesson is implemented I will find areas of improvement and that it will evolve over time, but I have made great efforts to assure that all areas of TPACK are properly represented. When looking at this plan the area of Technological Pedagological Knowledge is addressed in a variety of ways. Class lectures and discussions are enhanced with the use of videos, multimedia presentations, on-line tools, and interactive webinars and fieldtrips. The creation of class and student RSS Feeds and Blogs will also allow students to remain engaged with ever changing current events and have the ability to communicate and share their opinoins both in the classroom and outside of school through their personal blog and the class blog. The inclusion of social media sights such as Twitter also allows students the ability to share their opinions on various topics and comment on the ideas of their classmates. To address the need for knowledge of world geography, students will meet in the computer lab three times a month. During this lab time, students will use various online inter-active map and geography sources to learn and practice identfying countries throughout the world. These sites will also be available to the students outside of school. By implementing varied technology tools to implement this plan, students will have opportunities to learn the curriculum in a variety of methods and allow them to find ways that best suit their needs to communicate and practice modeling their newly gained knowledge.
In regards to Technicological Content Knowledge, by incorporating these various teaching methods and resources students will be given a much broader and more comprehensive exposure to World Geography and Global Current Events. By creating a class RSS Feed, I can assure that my students are getting factual and relevant information and knowledge delivered directly to their computers. However, by allowing them to create their own RSS Feed pages, they can also incorporate news and information sources that are both relevant and trustworthy but also personal to them. By utilizing technology tools that can be accessed online, students can work from virtually anywhere and have access to their projects and assignments both in the classroom and outside of school. Through blogs and social media such as Twitter, students can communicate and share ideas with ease. Finally, by utilizing online tools, I can have greater access to my students beyond our normal classtime and parents can be more involved in their students academic life.
The final TPACK Phase is Pedagogical Content Knowledge. Both World Geography and Current World Events are curriculum standards for Social Studies and are often areas that are missed or slightly touched upon. With the growing online global community and develpoment of a more global society, it is more important than ever that our students understand the world they live in and what is going on. Where only events in ones own state or region once carried a profound effect on their day to day lives, world events now effect each and every person daily. In order to prepare our students for life, this knowledge is extremely important. I believe that this plan will work towards better preparing our students for what lies ahead of them over the coming years and decades.
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