The matrix is all around us

Technology is everywhere. It seeps into every aspect of life, to the point it is taken for granted. But is it truly beneficial, when we don't really think about it?

"Technological Pedagogical Content Knowledge: A Framework for Teacher Knowledge," (Mishra & Koehler, 2006) describes a teaching matrix of knowledge that teachers must balance - knowledge of pedagogy (how to teach), content (the subject matter), and technology (the tools used for teaching).

Let's focus on that last one.

As an exercise of the TPACK's implications, I recorded a short cooking "show" where I teach how to make a delicious dish - but I had terrible tools.

As I demonstrated how to make a fruit salad (and my content knowledge of fruit salads is tenuous, at best), what truly stands out is how the tools I used were...less than ideal. At times, they were SURPRISINGLY EFFECTIVE. But the idea is, a teacher shouldn't be surprised by the technology he or she uses in the classroom.

Warner Home Video. (1999). Matrix [DVD]. United States.

As part of my job, I assist teachers with pre-recording lectures. Sometimes they'll try to do it without help. When they do that, many times the final product sounds HORRIBLE - their mic picks up all kinds of noise and sounds...well, bad. It's a huge distraction to students. By simply using a good microphone, quality improves exponentially...and so does learning.

One last thought about tech: does the technology we use provide true equity (Winner, 1980)? Are ALL users able use it, to harness it to its full potential? (Even a good microphone doesn't make a video accessible to a deaf person.)

The next time you connect to the web (oh hey, you’re here!), think about how you got there – and consider those who've rarely been.

References

Mims, C. (2007, August 6). Meraki's Guerilla Wi-Fi to Put a Billion More People Online. Scientific American. https://www.scientificamerican.com/article/merakis-guerilla-wi-fi-to-put-billion-people-online/

Mishra, P., & Koehler, M. J. (2006). Technological pedagogical content knowledge: A framework for teacher knowledge. Teachers College Record, 108(6), 1017-1054.

Wachowski, L. & Wachowski, L. (1999). The Matrix [Film]. Warner Bros; Village Roadshow Pictures.

Winner, L. (1980). Do artifacts have politics? Daedalus, 109(1), 121-136. Retrieved from http://www.jstor.org.proxy1.cl.msu.edu/stable/20024652