WPP- PART B - Application of TPACK

What is the TP knowledge for the solution?  

After thinking about teaching strategies/standards, I really do believe that I can utilize Google Drive technology for group projects in a meaningful way. Common Core Standards especially call for increased group collaboration and usage of various technological components in the classroom. Google Drive will address both needs. I can assign group work outside of the classroom and have students collaborate using a technological piece like Google Drive (documents or presentations).

What is the TC knowledge for the solution? 

There are multiple benefits to having students use technology to create presentations compared to the standard paper and pen method or, slightly more appealing to me, the paper and colored pencil/crayon/marker method. With the aide of a technology like Google Drive, and even more particular, Google Presentation, students can insert images, audio, video, charts, graphs, etc. into their presentation. This makes the presentation more dynamic and stimulating to all members involved (i.e. student and teacher). This is not unlike a traditional PowerPoint but the added benefit of using Google Drive is the collaboration component. Since I do not have to worry so much about giving students classroom time to work on a project I can add additional pieces to rubrics that perhaps I would leave out in the past because otherwise it would just take too long for groups to complete. Further, students can make comments (peer editing) and share their work with other classmates. This expands the learning environment so much more than an individual teacher could ever do.

Knowing all of the potential benefits though does not necessarily paint an accurate picture of Google Drive. Part of the TCK component is to understand the limitations of the technology in how information can be represented. I would like to make it known that I have not completely drank all of the Google Drive      Kool-Aid. There are a few drawbacks to this technology:

1.     If you ask students to create a presentation they will almost always use the Google Presentation feature.

a.      It is possible to install other presentation tools but rarely will you find students that will do this unless specifically informed to do so.

2.     Google Presentation has very few pre-programmed themes/backgrounds so creativity can be hindered.

3.     Just because it makes group collaboration easier and potentially creates more accountability since group members and the teacher can track individual contributions, does not mean that some students will all-of-a-sudden become involved with group work when they were not involved before using traditional methods.

4.     Google Drive requires not only Internet access but also preferably fast Internet access. In addition Google Drive requires a computer. Occasionally a teacher might have a student that does not have one or both of these necessities which creates a barrier to learning if the class projects are centered around this technology.

Taking the potential negatives into consideration, I still believe that Google Drive is a valuable technology for me to begin implementing inside and outside the classroom. 

What is the PC knowledge for the solution? 

Aside from the time component of group work that I tend to have issues with (i.e. not enough time), another big issue is that students will divide work up or allow one student to complete the whole project. Therefore students are not fully engaged in the assignment. With Google Drive students can work simultaneously on a group project instead of waiting for one person the complete their portion before handing the computer off to someone else. Google Drive further supports my cause because it eliminates the, “I forgot my flashdrive,” or “my partner has the project and isn’t here,” issues that never fail to arise.

Perhaps the bigger pedagogical reasoning behind using this technology comes from research surrounding Bloom’s Taxonomy and multiple intelligences/learning styles. At the top of Bloom’s list is the “Creation” piece. It has long been understood that one of the best ways to learn something is to actually create a finished product utilizing the knowledge that you acquired. Having students create group projects pushes them towards the higher level of Bloom’s Taxonomy. The other pieces to the puzzle, or the lower levels of Bloom’s Taxonomy, can be addressed by what the teacher is asking students to do. The final pedagogical reason to use this technology that I would like to address is catering to multiple intelligences/learning preferences. As I mentioned in the previous section, with this technology students can create projects that incorporate text, images, video, color, charts, motion, and sound which all together give students the opportunity to make the assignment better suit their needs. Overall the potential of using Google Drive inside and outside the classroom appears to just keep growing.