Rob Horgan's Page

I am currently in my second year of doctoral studies in the Ph.D. (education) program at Queen's University.

At the moment, my proposed research seeks to understand the extent to which a laptop-based, teacher education program can develop technological, pedagogical, and content knowledge (TPACK). The TPACK framework (Mishra & Koehler, 2008) suggests that teachers become more effective at integrating technology in teaching and learning when the knowledges relating to technology, pedagogy, and content are delivered within relationship to each other rather than in isolation. It is expected that the research will be collected from one Faculty of Education department at a university in Canada that incorporates a fully integrated information and communication technology (ICT) program delivery model through the use of laptop computers.

The following research questions will guide the study:

1. Planned Curriculum: What steps do instructors take in preparing to teach a preservice teacher education course in a laptop-based teacher education program?

2. Enacted Curriculum: To what extent do instructors of a laptop-based, teacher education program deliver their course content within the TPACK framework?

3. Experienced Curriculum: To what extent do preservice teachers experience and develop TPACK in relationship to each other through a laptop-based teacher education curriculum?

It is expected that an analysis of the planned, enacted, and experienced curriculum will lead to a greater understanding of how laptop-based teacher education programs can develop TPACK in preservice teachers, benefiting teacher education programs and expanding the literature in the field of ICT and teaching and learning.

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