TPAK: Making a PB&J

Have you ever had to do something or want to do something within the classroom and you do not have the proper materials to do so? I have faced this a few times in the classroom and I was faced with this situation with making a PB&J sandwich. I had to make a PB&J sandwich with the only the following three materials; a spoon, a big blue plate, and a square Tupperware container. 

As shown in the video above, I demonstrate how I had to repurpose the spoon into a knife in order to apply the peanut butter and jelly to the bread. I wanted to further challenge myself so I also wanted to figure out a way to cut the sandwich into two halves diagonally. Yet again I had to repurpose the spoon in order to cut the sandwich in this manner. Just as I had to repurpose the spoon in making a PB&J sandwich, I have also had to repurpose the way in which I use the technology I have for my students within my classroom.

The TPACK framework is where Content Knowledge, Technological Knowledge, and Pedagogical Knowledge are all being taught within the classroom setting. I am going to use TPACK and apply it to making the PB&J sandwich. I should state I have made a PB&J before so this provides me with background content knowledge, without this it would have made making a PB&J that much more of a challenge. Then there is the Technological Knowledge of knowing how I could repurpose the spoon and use it in a similar way as a butter knife.

This activity can be directly connected to teaching because just like I had to repurpose the spoon in order to make the sandwich, many teachers have to repurpose a variety of lessons in order for all of the students to be able to understand the material. Also, teachers do not always have the materials to do a specific activity so they have to work with what they have, essentially repurposing the materials.

This activity can also be directly connected with the integration of technology in classrooms because every teacher is going to have their own ways of going about trying to integrate technology into their curriculum. Some teachers are going to want to use all of the technology they possibly can and are willing to try new things with it even if it fails. Then there are other teachers who are going to play it safer and will integrate with what the students bring with them every day, their smartphones. Lastly, there are the teachers that are never going to integrate technology because they personally do not know how to use it.

Overall I have learned from this activity how important it is to use repurposing in the classroom and how to actually apply TPACK to the classroom. Students should be learning about the actual content in their classes but they should also be learning how to use and apply different forms of technology because the combination of these two ideas is going to create not only better students but also students who are more ready for their lives outside of the academic atmosphere.

 

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