From TPACK to DPACK: The “Digitality-Related Pedagogical and Content Knowledge”-Model in STEM-Education

Abstract

Digitalization is a keyword in the discourse of educational science, but it is often linked to technological challenges, although digital changes occur throughout society. Therefore, STEM teachers are required to cope with technological changes in the subject, the increasing and diverse education and training technologies, and the ever-changing paths of information and communication of adolescents in their role as members of a changing society and culture. The TPACK-model focuses educators’ professional knowledge based on teachers’ expertise concerning technological knowledge per se and the pedagogy and content of their subjects. In contrast, knowledge relevant to daily life and social and cultural interaction beyond this is not clearly included in the TPACK-model at present. This article proposes supplementing the TPACK-model with the knowledge components of digital cultural transformations (digitality) and, therefore, extending the TPACK-model to a DPACK-model, where D stands for digitality. Therefore, digital transformation in STEM teaching requires additional professional knowledge considering the transformation of communication, mediatization and society. Through this expansion, the focus should also be directed on the necessity that children and young people in the digitally shaped world must also be able to critically reflect on the processes of change and shape them in an ethically responsible manner. For this reason, teachers require professional knowledge to reflect, analyze, use and shape the digital transformation, which is regularly demanded of them by national and international educational standards. As a foundation of STEM teachers’ education and training, an integrated model combining these facets of knowledge and skills is provided for discussion, and, as a result, quickly found its way into the educational policy guidelines and educational science discourses in Germany. In order to integrate the sociocultural consequences of digitalization into TPACK, this paper proposes a new hemisphere, sociocultural knowledge, which extends the existing TPACK components.

Impact of teacher training in computational thinking on educational innovation and use of Artificial Intelligence

“…The universalization of computational thinking is supported by constructivism, as well as the foundations and strategies of computing to understand human nature and behavior (Tsarava et al, 2022). Some essential aspects of the universalization of computational thinking are: problem solving (Orozco-Carrillo & Zapata-González, 2023), digital literacy (Polanco Padrón et al, 2021) and 21st century skills (González et al, 2023); the integration of the subjects into the curriculum (Thyssen et al, 2023); educational technologies at all educational levels ; teacher training (Roig-Vila & Moreno-Isac, 2020;Zapata-Ros, 2015). The concept of universalization of computational thinking is also understood as an activity, which is frequently product-oriented, associated with, but not limited to, problem solving (Selby & Woollard, 2013).…”

“…It is important to note that the TPACK model plays a valuable role in reducing digital inequality since it proposes a teacher training strategy for the change of the educational system towards virtuality (Colón, 2023;Sacre & Lallemand, 2023). The model promotes the universalization of computational thinking and STEM content, which are highly necessary and in demand in contemporary society Thyssen et al, 2023).…”

Impact of teacher training in computational thinking on educational innovation and use of Artificial Intelligence

“…The universalization of computational thinking is supported by constructivism, as well as the foundations and strategies of computing to understand human nature and behavior (Tsarava et al, 2022). Some essential aspects of the universalization of computational thinking are: problem solving (Orozco-Carrillo & Zapata-González, 2023), digital literacy (Polanco Padrón et al, 2021) and 21st century skills (González et al, 2023); the integration of the subjects into the curriculum (Thyssen et al, 2023); educational technologies at all educational levels ; teacher training (Roig-Vila & Moreno-Isac, 2020;Zapata-Ros, 2015). The concept of universalization of computational thinking is also understood as an activity, which is frequently product-oriented, associated with, but not limited to, problem solving (Selby & Woollard, 2013).…”

“…It is important to note that the TPACK model plays a valuable role in reducing digital inequality since it proposes a teacher training strategy for the change of the educational system towards virtuality (Colón, 2023;Sacre & Lallemand, 2023). The model promotes the universalization of computational thinking and STEM content, which are highly necessary and in demand in contemporary society Thyssen et al, 2023).…”

Learning Effects of Augmented Reality and Game-Based Learning for Science Teaching in Higher Education in the Context of Education for Sustainable Development

“…The DiKoLAN framework is predicated on various initiatives aimed at advancing digitization in schools, such as the "European Framework for the Digital Competence of Educators" (DigCompEdu) [93], the TPACK framework [94], and the DPACK model [95].…”