Article Reviewed:

Alan Anderson, Nicholas Barham, Maria Northcote, Using the TPACK framework to unite
disciplines in online learning, Australasian Journal of Educational Technology, 2013, 29(4).
The article, Using the TPACK framework to unite disciplines in online learning, by
Alan Anderson, Nicholas Barham and Maria Northcote seeks to address the importance of
teachers as facilitators to implement or use the TPACK framework and integrate in into their
teaching which is online learning. The research problem being addressed is whether teachers
are using the TPACK in their learning practices regardless of the teaching discipline.
It is clear from the abstract that it is not a simple issue. Teaching using online sources
is a must in this century where people can get information from everywhere. Terms like
Borderless World comes out as a clear message that teacher or the educational facilitators
must adapt and change the teaching styles which is teacher-centred to more student-centred.
The TPACK theoretical framework enabled us to identify the lecturers views about the
content taught in online environment, the pedagogy which guided teaching and course design,
and the technology selected to facilitate students learning (p. 549). The are some researches
done in 2010 in this field, before TPACK framework was introduced. The findings are online
teaching were more generic and less disciplined that expected (p. 549). It is understood
because without the TPACK framework, teachers does not know all the aspects that must be
given emphasis on when teaching and they care less about how the students learnt. From my
opinion, the study aimed to be an evident to all the teachers or educators out there to seriously
view the TPACK framework as a tool in planning their teaching materials, executing their
plan, review back the plan to make some improvement and acting out according to the
students feedback, all in online environment.

This article is the, as the second phase of the study, gathered the data from interviews
and interrogation further into the 2010 study to find out how evident are the TPACK elements
exists in the teaching process. Two questions occurred when carrying out this study. Firstly, to
which extent does the elements of TPACK framework evident in the online teaching report.
Secondly, the affordance and limitations of using the TPACK framework to qualitatively
analyse interview data. The research represented by this article is a case study involving 15
lecturers from various expertise and various universities. They were interviewed on two
terms, why and how the apply elements of the TPACK framework into their teaching. The
duration for data collecting is 18 months consisting of several interview sessions.
The are many advantages using the TPACK framework in todays learning
environment. Firstly, as we can see students are exposed to technology much faster than we
are decades ago. So learning in 21st century world is better than those days, with just chalk
and talk. There are so many ways for the teachers to facilitate learning online because of the
abundant resources that are available online. Such practices are strengthened by effective
course design principles, structures and practices (p. 550). We cannot agree more than this.
With the TPACK framework, teachers will take the elements as a checklist whether he/she
has combined all of the elements in teaching. The TPACK framework will act as a guideline
for all teachers. For example, when teaching mathematics, it is really an attractive way of
teaching if the teachers can combine elements of TPACK framework into classroom I think
that mathematics really is an activityyou need to actually do it and demonstrate it when
teaching and so thats what I tried to do using the Smart Whiteboard. One of the
advantages..is that you can save everything as a PDF, and so I saved everything I could and
circulated that to the students as well after the classes..So there may actually be some
advantages to teaching this way (p. 556)

Secondly, when using the TPACK framework plus online teaching, teachers will share
their practices with all the teachers across the globe. As the writers said Each lecturers
content knowledge could be considered unique to their disciplinary context (p. 550). By all
means there are no two teachers that taught exactly the same way. So this is an opportunity
for all the teachers to view their colleagues teaching methods and try to find out the best
practices. As the same time other teachers will view our teaching methods as well. This is a
very interesting advantage for all the teachers.
Thirdly, when using the TPACK framework, teachers can always mark the moment
for lecturers to revise, refocus and develop their online teaching and course design skills.
This is done by interacting with other colleagues around the world or using technological
tools like interactives games to access students understanding regarding topics that has been
taught to them. The writers said use of technology is informed by their pedagogical
approaches and their mastery contents (p. 550). Many of the online teaching tools are
equipped with this kind of facility. All that left for the teachers is to blend them in the right
place, to practice their teachings.
Fourthly, it is an opportunity for the teachers to enhance their teaching skills,
especially online teaching skills and online course design skills. Teachers must see this as an
opportunity to develop and enhanced their teachings skills. This can be done by interacting
with teachers from different countries or attending related courses. Teachers must regard this
opportunity as a catalyst to improve their learning skills.
Lastly, when using the TPACK framework, teachers will consider thoroughly the
students learning needs, which is the outmost importance in teaching and learning process.
All the elements in the TPACK framework will act as a checklist. Teachers will identify the
necessary levels of Content Knowledge, (CK), Pedagogical Knowledge (PK), Technology

Knowledge (TK), Pedagogical Content Knowledge (PCK), Technological Content

Knowledge (TCK), Technological Pedagogical Knowledge (TPK) and Technological
Pedagogical Content Knowledge (TPCK), adequate enough for their students. The use of
multimedia, including video, to enhance the learning of subjects such as marine biology, for
example is very beneficial to students Yes, its good to show examples of diversity of marine
life and habitats. Through media such as video the natural beauty can be demonstrated. This
can have an engaging effect on students. It can have an emotional benefit as well as being
used for factual purposes. (p. 556). It will cater for each student, so there will be no students
that will be left behind.
As for the advantages of this study, I have enlisted five of it. Firstly, lecturers and
teaches nowadays have a teaching syllabus that must be finished during a specific of time
given, for example in a year. When teaching in an online environment, all the lecturers
participated in the interview said it will be a challenge if they cannot finish the syllabus
because when teaching online there will be significant breaks between teaching periods (p.
554). Their concern was merely in the Pedagogical Knowledge where they have to prepare a
lot before their lesson and with all the other administrative works also must be done in time,
they afraid that they cannot prepared for the best lesson.
Secondly, they lecturers said that when using the online teaching environment, you
have to repeat it time and time again or, otherwise, you will forget the contents and materials.
As from the study The problem with lecturing is youve got thirteen weeks and then it all
goes quiet, you dont see that material for a while again and you tend to forget how to do it
(p.555). Actually, the lecturers were concerned if their students will forget the lecture content
and the teaching materials, as we know, when learning online the will be no more note taking
and doing worksheet during class. So the lecturers involved afraid that after the school

semester, students will forget what theyve learnt during the first semester. At least, compared
to the conventional teaching, students can refer back to their notes.
Thirdly, size of the class. All the lecturers involved in this study felt that the number
of students in one class should be as small as it can. They worried if they cant monitor their
students learning online when the amount of students in a class becomes bigger and bigger.
Postgraduate courses tend to be smallerwhereas the [larger] undergraduate courses, I tend
to split them into tutorial groups etc (p. 555). Meaning of this sentence is a lecturer has to
break down their class into a smaller pieces of chunks and repeat the teaching several times.
From my opinion, this is not a good sign. They have to repeat the lesson more than one time.
So the lecture sessions will surely be different from one to another.
Fourthly, when using online environment, the use of technological tools are somehow
cant be separated. Sometimes, problems arise from the technological tools itself. Yes,
uneven access to bandwith speeds and connections, which has created problem for quizzes
(p. 555). This showed that the internet connections will effected the flow of the teaching
sessions. The computer itself, when using for a long period of time will lose its performance
and has to be serviced to repaired the problem. Let alone the computer hardware break down.
and there was no guarantee that students would have a computer let alone the internet (p.
555). They feared that they cant finished the syllabus if things like this happened.
Finally, the lecturers involved are concerned about the facilities that promotes online
education. There should be more computer labs to be set in the universities/schools in order
to cope with the large number of students. When talking facilities in online world, the cost up
setting up such places were very high and maybe some schools in the rural areas, they even
wont do it. So, the online teaching is exclusive in the big universities and schools.

As for the conclusions, I think in the future research, the number of respondents
involved must be bigger so it can tell better from the sample. From my opinion, teaching
online is a must. Using the TPACK framework, it will makes teachers preparations for
teaching much more easier.

Fakulti Pengurusan & Ekonomi

Program Pengajian Siswazah
Sarjana Pendidikan (Pengurusan Pendidikan)
Sesi 2015/2016
Semester 3
GRU6014
Kaedah Penyelidikan Pendidikan
TUGASAN 1
Article Critique

Mohd Razif bin Ibrahim

(M20142001732 )

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