3rd World Farmer Simulation

Tell me about the reasoning for your choices in the 3^rd World Farmer simulation and the implications of that reasoning. 

Initially I went into the simulation with the sole objective to make money! I figured if I could take care of my family and ensure our stability with the money I would make from crops! I soon realized that this would not be the case. I was faced with famish and health issues. Later in the simulation, I lost family members to illness. I never considered the fact that my farm could be subject to burglars and other misfortunes. Not to mention the need to purchase necessities in order to keep my farm going. Then when family members became sick, the medicine to aid in their health was very expensive. 

Even though the assignment for the course was to participate in the simulation for 18 cycles, I decided to do it again and change my strategy. I decided it was better to focus on the well-being of my family and consider all factors in keeping us alive, sheltered, safe, and fed. 
 

Blooms' Taxonomy

Considering Blooms’ Taxonomy, tell me what level the team activity was and explain your answer.  

Bloom's Taxonomy initially deals with three learning objectives: cognitive, affective, and psychomotor. Different skills are portrayed within each level of the taxonomy hierarchy. The hierachy is composed of more specific compentencies of the three learning objectives. 

Of all the levels included in Bloom's Taxonomy, out team activity closely resembled that of 1)knowledge, 2) comprehension, and 3) evaluation. As a team we each had to read and familiarize ourselves with the subject at hand. After doing so it was imperative that we comprehend not only the instructions of the assignment and what was asked of us but the material in which we had to create our diagrams. Once we established that we understood the material and the tasks then we began to evaluate the material so that we could incorporate key features in each diagram and graph.  Without fully understanding and being knowledgeable of the objectives and read material it would have been difficult to analyze what we read effectively. In turn not being able to do that would have resulted in graphs with misleading or inaccurate information and poor explanations of the purpose of each graph we created.

TPACK

In your own words, explain what TPACK is and the effect you believe this framework could have on instruction.

First, what is TPACK?

TPACK is a catchy acronym for Technological Pedagogical Content Knowledge. TPACK is a three tenet ideal of intergrating technology into the classroom thorugh addressing issues, challenging the knowledge of teachers, and effeciently intergrating the three tier components of TPACK's focused areas. 

By understanding and implementing the TPACK framework in education, a teacher is fortunate to be able to promote and convey the expertise of an experienced professional, provide discipline in the method of studies, and use complex tools, equipment, and devices with technology. The concept of TPACK is the like the super highway to teaching and learning in the 21st Century and beyond. The framework of these tenets will allow educators to be innovative and incorporate real-world experiences as well as disciplined studies to reach students of all learning types.