TPACK

My content area is different from others in that I use technology everyday in every class I teach. My curriculum is constantly changing. Day to day, week to week and year to year. The challenge for me is to stay one step ahead of all the latest developments and in turn try to stay one step ahead of my students. I was quite proudly discussing my new blogging abilities with my Business and Computer Applications II students today and quickly realized most of them already knew all about blogging! Keeping up with all the latest trends means I have to put in a lot of extra hours but in the end, its worth it. I want my students to have up to date technology skills when they enter college. I also feel that teaching technology shouldn't be the sole responsibility of the Business Education Department and the Technology Education Department. Every teacher at every level can use technology to enhance and support their lessons. Presenting interactive lessons on a Smart Board is much more exciting than looking at a textbook. The State of West Virginia is now placing great emphasis on using technology and teaching 21st Century Skills. As an example, last spring the high school where I teacher had an on-site with OEPA. Several teachers were written up for not using technology enough or not at all. One teacher used the computer lab during the visit but as the team looked over his/her lesson plans it became obvious that he/she could not document the use of technology on any other occasion.