Proper Tools of Teaching
- emilyvcourt
- Sep 12, 2025
- 2 min read
Having grown up during the “golden age” of YouTube, I am quite familiar with challenge videos. This week, our task was to complete a challenge where we were told to use three random kitchen tools to achieve a goal. I had to use a small plate, a bowl, and metal tongs to slice cheese. When first told this, I was a little worried. I knew the task was going to be difficult with what I had been given.
When people are not given the proper tools, or don’t know how to use them, it can be difficult to accomplish tasks. For example, if I do not properly explain how to use a tool in my classroom, I will be met with blank stares and struggling students.The purpose of this challenge was to connect it to the TPACK framework, which highlights the importance of technology, content, and pedagogy working together in the classroom. I need to know how to implement (pedagogy) the tools (technology) correctly in my lessons to properly teach the topic we’re learning (content).
While using technology is very useful, it is important to keep in mind the political influence it can have. It is not always the physical tool, “but the social or economic system in which it is embedded” (Winner, 1980, p. 122). For example, Winner explains how one man created overpasses that were too short to prevent people of color from accessing certain areas of New York City. He did this to harm that group of people. One man was able to “shape that city” for “generations after [he] had gone” (Winner, 1980 p. 124). As we use technology in our classrooms and daily life, it is critical to keep in mind the impacts it can have.
References
Mishra, P. (2018). Revised version of TPACK image [Image]. https://punyamishra.com/2018/09/10/the-tpack-diagram-gets-an-upgrade/
Vailliencourt, E. (2025, September 12). 810 Cheese Video. [Video]. YouTube. https://youtu.be/wYhiahSE8oo
Winner, L. (1980). Do artifacts have politics? Daedalus, 109(1), 121-136.
Comments