Week 4: Monitoring My GAME Plan

To recap my GAME plan the first goal I set was to design learning experiences that incorporate various digital tools and student learning and my second goal was to allow students to be self-directed learners by controlling their learning while using various technologies. Over the past two weeks I noticed that these goals have merged. When researching the web I have found a plethora of resources from other blogs to education websites with different ideas on integrating technology into the classroom.

I currently do not plan to modify my action plan. One thing that I have learned so far is how many resources are available out there for teachers to use and the different ways that they can be used. Another thing that I have discovered while conducting this GAME plan is how much teacher's really need to know about the resources they are using in order to successfully implement them within the classroom. I have been trying out these technologies and working through them myself before exposing them to my students because I need to be able to help them when they need it. This has become a very time consuming task, therefore, I am taking it one step at a time because it can be overwhelming. I too am the self-directed learner trying to learn how to incorporate these new technologies within my classroom. Cennamo, Ross, and Ertmer (2009, p.7) have stated that "as a self-directed lifelong learner, you'll be able to respond to the rapid and continuous technological changes that inevitable will occur during your professional career, keep your skills up-to-date, and better meet the needs of your students today and in the future".

I have only worked with concept mapping once with a handful of students during the summer. I would like to use this technology within my regular classroom but cannot decide if it would be better to have students work in pairs of larger groups. Has anyone used concept maps or similar software with large groups of students before? Would you recommend a small group setting or pairs only? If anyone has some insight I would greatly appreciate feedback.

References

Cennamo, K., Ross, J. & Ertmer, P. (2009). Technology integration for meaningful classroom use: A standards-based approach. (Laureate Education, Inc., Custom ed.). Belmont, CA: Wadsworth, Cengage Learning.

 

Carrying Out My GAME Plan

As a life-long self-directed learner I "will be responsible for locating learning opportunities and completing tasks to meet my own learning goals" (Cennamo, Ross & Ertmer, 2009, p. 1-2). In order to carry out my GAME plan I will need to consult various sources to best meet my goals. The first step that I took was discussing my goals with my PLC. I wanted to get their suggestions, professional opinions, and ideas about my current goals. We were able to discuss the importance of incorporating new digital technologies within all of our classrooms and having our students become self-directed learners as well. I was also able to receive some great feedback and suggestions from my Walden PLC on my goals.

 

Last week I registered for a social studies Smart Board technology integration workshop. I attended this workshop today and found some creative ways not only to use the Smart Board but also was introduced to several interactive websites that will help students learn the content in different ways. The goals that I have set for my GAME plan will allow me to incorporate UDL. Universal design for learning (UDL) is a plan to help customize and provide flexibility among the lessons, activities, and assessments (Cennamo et al, 2009). The digital technologies that I will be working towards incorporating will not only give students various options and opportunities to succeed but also allow them to be self-directed learners. Therefore, both of my goals can be combined and worked on simultaneously.

 

The next step in my GAME plan is to continue researching ways of incorporating digital technologies which will give my diverse students the opportunity to succeed. I will also have follow up meetings with my PLC and will continue to search the web. I plan on incorporating some of these new technologies within my lessons and begin tracking student progress and motivation. Once I start tracking student progress I will then be able to modify the activities as needed and continue to integrate new digital technologies.  

References

Cennamo, K., Ross, J. & Ertmer, P. (2009). Technology integration for meaningful classroom use: A standards-based approach. (Laureate Education, Inc., Custom ed.). Belmont, CA: Wadsworth, Cengage Learning.

The GAME Plan: Technology

                                                    The GAME Plan: Technology

          The International Society for Technology in Education website has a set of standards for teachers regarding the use of technology within the classroom. After examining these standards I focused on two indicators that I would like to improve upon. The first standard I choose to focus on is standard two indicator A which states: "design or adapt relevant learning experiences that incorporate digital tools and resources to promote student learning and creativity" (ISTE, 2008)

            My GAME Plan for this standard is as follows. My goal is to design learning experiences that incorporate various digital tools and support student learning. The actions that I plan on taking are to speak with my grade level and department PLCs on the best digital tools that will help promote student learning. I will begin to research the internet to get ideas on how to best incorporate various digital tools and the different tools that I can use in different ways. Another way that I plan on gaining ideas on incorporating new digital technologies into my classroom is by reading and participating in various discussions and posts with my Walden PLC. I will monitor my progress by keeping a log of student progress after I begin incorporating different digital tools. I will also note any changes in my students motivation, content knowledge and progress of work while using these digital tools compared to what I have seem prior to the use of the digital tools. Lastly, I will evaluate myself based on student success. I will be able to determine my success based on how well my students are doing. I will be able to find out if I was able to reach my goal when examining student work and through discussions with students.

            The second standard that I plan on focusing on is standard two indicator B which states: "develop technology-enriched learning environments that enable all students to pursue their individual curiosities and become active participants in setting their own educational goals, managing their own learning, and assessing their own progress"(ISTE, 2008).

            My GAME plan for the above standard is as follows. My goal is to have students learn the content while being "self-directed learners" who have more control of their learning and progress while using various technologies (Cennamo, Ross & Ertmer, 2009, p. 1). The first action that I will take to reach my goal is polling students on what it is they would be interested in learning about, within the content. Then I will begin to research ways on how I can enable my students to become self-directed in learning the information and the technologies that they can use to learn and assess themselves. I will then monitor my progress once again through student products. I will see if they are working to their abilities, I will hold discussions and conference with students individually to determine their progress. Lastly, I will be able to evaluate my progress and whether or not my goal was reached based on the success or lack of it through student products.

References

Cennamo, K., Ross, J. & Ertmer, P. (2009). Technology integration for meaningful classroom use: A standards-based approach. (Laureate Education, Inc., Custom ed.). Belmont, CA: Wadsworth, Cengage Learning.

 

International Society for Technology in Education. (2008). National education standards for teachers(NETS-T). Retrieved from http://www.iste.org/standards/nets-for-teachers