SAMR & TPACK

Hi everyone! This time the topic of this entry has to do with the use of technologies in the classroom and the place that they occupy in it. For analysing this, we have seen in our ECO II class two very interesting models that are, as you have seen in the title, SAMR and TPACK.
SAMR was created by Dr. Ruben Puentedura for describing four different levels of technology integration. The following picture describes very briefly  and clearly each one of them:

The other model, TPACK, which stands for Technological Pedagogical and Content Knowledge, focuses in the interaction among these three for creating a learning environment enhanced by technology and of course set in a context. The next picture clarifies what this model is about:

Relating all this to our future teaching, I think it is very important to take into account what they state, because sometimes technology could be very useful and enhance a great deal the topic or theme of our class. However, it could also be very time consuming, especially as regards the preparation of materials and the final aim of it may not be so important, or it does not occupy a crucial role in the development of the lesson. An example of this would be spending a whole afternoon preparing a presentation in PowerPoint  or Prezi that will last only a couple of minutes, and for which we have to install a projector, which could last more than the presentation itself. So, what's the point of it?

As a conclusion, we must be aware that all these new technological devices are not always good and enriching for our lessons, so we must be really critical and use these two models for analysing if including technology in the classroom is worth the effort.

Effective use of Powerpoint presentations

We have all been bored by a Powerpoint presentation at least once in our lives, but this does not mean that we shouldn't use it. Instead, it is much better to learn how to use it in an effective way and to take advantage of all the possibilities it offers. Searching on the web, I found a Powerpoint presentation that gives tips for using Powerpoint properly (funny ah!). Click here if you want to have a look at it! (it automatically downloads on your computer).
Office webpage also offers some very useful advice as regards this. If you want to read them, also click here.
I think that as future teachers, we have to give good presentations so as to keep our students' atention and to teach them what to do and what not to do when creating and delivering presentations. Powerpoint is a very good tool for the classroom, although it is quite underestimated. It can be a very useful material if we know how to use it.