Abstract:

In the context of a professional development grant for college professors educating teachers in varying academic disciplines, the presenters were introduced to a new curriculum development approach intended to integrate knowledge in the discipline with teaching strategies and technology applications. The approach provides a framework for “teacher knowledge . . . as a complex interaction among three bodies of knowledge (Koehler and Mishra, 2008)” with the added element of leadership: technology, pedagogy, administration and content knowledge. (TPACK).

One of the presenters participated in an intensive collaborative study of TPACK in a grant-supported interdisciplinary leadership committee seeking to develop teachers in specific subjects with appropriate technology integration. In particular, the presentation describes development of a plan to use “flip (digital) video” as a technology to enhance the pedagogy of teaching interview skills to school leadership candidates.
Results of the collaborative TPACK curriculum development process led to successful use of the technical advantages of digital video in helping interviewers and interviewees practice, observe, and analyze the use of interviewing skills in a group setting.

Beyond using the TPACK approach to integrated curriculum and technology development, this session explores the use of social networking as a professional development forum for college faculty. The presentation describes group interactions that occurred when faculty from varying specialties met to share learning about technologies and to brainstorm creative applications of new technologies within their subject areas. The session concludes with presenter reflections about extending faculty professional development into the realm of Web 2.0 through the use of online social networking media and learning management systems to connect college faculty across distance and geographic boundaries.

References:
Koehler, M.J. and Mishra, P. (2008). Introducing TPCK. In AACTE Committee on Innovation and Technology. Handbook of technological pedagogical content knowledge (TPCK) for educators. New York: Routledge.

Keywords:

Online Social Networking, Professional Leadership Development, TPACK, Technology Integration.