What is Technological Pedagogical Content Knowledge (TPACK)?

TLDR

TPACK extends Shulman's pedagogical content knowledge by incorporating technology, addressing the complex, ill‑structured nature of teaching and the added challenges of integrating analog and digital tools. This paper presents a teacher knowledge framework for technology integration called TPACK. TPACK is defined as a complex interaction among content, pedagogy, and technology knowledge. The interaction of these knowledge domains yields flexible knowledge essential for successful technology integration in teaching.

Abstract

This paper describes a teacher knowledge framework for technology integration called technological pedagogical content knowledge (originally TPCK, now known as TPACK, or technology, pedagogy, and content knowledge). This framework builds on Lee Shulman's (1986, 1987) construct of pedagogical content knowledge (PCK) to include technology knowledge. The development of TPACK by teachers is critical to effective teaching with technology. The paper begins with a brief introduction to the complex, ill-structured nature of teaching. The nature of technologies (both analog and digital) is considered, as well as how the inclusion of technology in pedagogy further complicates teaching. The TPACK framework for teacher knowledge is described in detail as a complex interaction among three bodies of knowledge: content, pedagogy, and technology. The interaction of these bodies of knowledge, both theoretically and in practice, produces the types of flexible knowledge needed to successfully integrate technology use into teaching.