I spoke with a colleague (our elementary art teacher) today about TPCK and the reality of integrating the philosophy into our teaching. While we both understand the importance and relative ease (at this point in our careers) of planning lessons using content and pedagogical knowledge, the use of technology to effectively impact our teaching was a concern. We work with very antiquated computers. Most teachers have a classroom Dell with Windows 98. There are no speakers attached to the desktops which further limits their use. Second, we have no one on staff with the knowledge needed to expose and train teachers on relevant technology. Our conversation focused more on our frustration about lack of resources and district commitment to technology integration than on the actual TPCK design.
On a brighter note, I was able to share some of the level II technologies from TPCK with my colleague. She is truly enthusiastic about exploring web sites such as Albright-Knox and the Freer Gallery of Art to further enhance her curriculum. Whether or not she will make use of these sites (or others) to support our integrated unit, I am unsure.
Although much of the time spent talking focused on negative aspects of technology in my district, if felt great to share resources. My hope is that my colleague will come away from our time together with one idea of how to integrate a web site for teaching the arts into her repertoire.
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