Using theoretical perspectives in developing an understanding of TPACK

In 2005, Koehler and Mishra (2005) introduced the term Technological Pedagogical Content Knowledge (TPCK, currently referred to as TPACK) as a conceptual framework to describe the knowledge base for teachers to effectively teach with technology. Since then TPACK has been embraced by many scholars and practitioners. Although TPACK appears to be an intuitive concept that easily resonates with practitioners, many scholars have suggested that it is far more complex. An extensive review of the literature on TPACK (Voogt, Fisser, Pareja Roblin, Tondeur, & van Braak, 2013a) showed that the widespread use of the TPACK framework has led to different interpretations of the framework and questioned some of the underpinnings of TPACK. These differences in interpretations concern (1) the way technology is conceptualized, resulting in different approaches for measuring a teacher’s TPACK and (2) how TPACK relates to current understandings of teacher knowledge, in particular questioning how TPACK as a form of teacher knowledge interacts with teacher beliefs. Moreover, though there seems to be agreement that TPACK can best be developed through ‘learning by design’ (Koehler & Mishra, 2008), we know little about what makes ‘learning technology by design’ successful in developing TPACK and under which conditions.