Reflecting on Using the GAME Plan Process with Students

As I reflect on my experience with the GAME plan process these last seven weeks I look at what I got accomplished and what my students received from my lessons.  There are some really good perks when it comes to making a GAME plan for yourself as well as your students.  Some of those perks include expanding on a lesson and taking a more in-depth approach, it helps students stay focused while working on projects that require research and teachers are working as the facilitator while students have a course of action to follow.  Game planning is a great way to stay focused on what it is you really want to accomplish and what you want your students to achieve.

I had a great experience setting a GAME plan.  I was able to set my goal and successful accomplish what I had planned, the two goals I set were practice what I learn about technology in order to demonstrate fluency in technology and to advocate, model, and teach my students about the internet and what can be found out there.  During the GAME plan process I was able to learn and teach myself more about the technology that I wanted to teach my students in order to answer questions that they might have.  I also found that instead of throwing all the dos and don’ts at my students to go over the list and have students create a modified list that can go up in the classroom to follow.  Having the steps to monitor myself really got me motivated to do more within my lesson and improve my instructional practice.  Although I have made progress following through with my GAME plan I think this is definitely something I will work on next year with the new group of students.   

Since there is a big overlap between NETS for Teachers (NETS-T) and NETS for Students (NETS-S), I will be able to consider ways in which I can meet the required teacher standards and ways in which I can help my students meet the required student standards (Cennamo, Ross & Ertmer, 2009, p. 7).  I would like to use the National Education Standards for Students (NETS-S) to help them develop proficiency and demonstrate an understanding for the following areas Creativity and Innovation, Communication and Collaboration, Research and Information Fluency, Critical Thinking, Problem Solving, and Decision Making, Digital Citizenship, Technology Operations and Concepts (ISTE, 2007).  For research projects that students are required to do I would have students use a GAME plan to complete their assignment.  I would also challenge students to think of something they would like to accomplish within three to four weeks and set their own goals to accomplishing that task.  As students set goals, take action, monitor their learning, and evaluate their progress, students will be able to take control of their own learning process (Cennamo, Ross & Ertmer, 2009, p. 7).

As this course comes to a close I have started to reflect on the technology that I have already put into practice.  Learning new technology has really opened my eyes to what is out there that I still have yet to learn and what would be the most effective in my classroom.  This last semester I got real excited about the technology that I have learned and am able to pass onto my students.  The information and technology that was new to me this semester was problem based learning, social networking/ online collaboration, and digital storytelling.  I will pass on the new technology and information I learn to my students because I realize most of them have not had the experience and probably will not get the experience of problem based learning, social networking/ online collaboration, and digital storytelling.  Next year I will create lessons around problem-based learning that will incorporate some of the new technology I learned during this course.  I will create a classroom BLOG that students can use for social networking and online collaboration during the school year. Digital storytelling is another technology piece I want my students to accomplish next year.  Working with second graders I will have them create a digital storyboard to present during Open House at our school.  Students would create a whole class digital storyboard that we could share during open house.  Each student would have a part in creating a piece of the digital storyboard which would include: things we don’t know about you, things that are interesting, or things that are important about you. 

Reference

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. (2007). National education standards for students (NETS-S). Retrieved June 13, 2011 from

http://www.iste.org/standards/nets-for-students/nets-student-standards-2007.aspx

Monitoring My GAME Plan Progress

As I continue to monitor my GAME plan progress I look over my goal time and time again which is 3a demonstrate fluency in technology systems and the transfer of current knowledge to new technologies and situations and 4a advocate, model, and teach safe, legal, and ethical use of digital information and technology, including respect for copyright, intellectual property, and the appropriate documentation of sources.  I have been using the technology teacher at my school for most of the resources since she has been the most helpful.  At this time I do not need to modify my GAME plan as I have been working to demonstrate fluency with the technology that I teach my students. 

During my last few weeks in this course at Walden and developing a GAME Plan I have learned that demonstrating fluency in technology is something I will have to practice not just this year but, every year.  Teaching technology has been so much fun with second graders but, there are a lot of questions they have that I don’t seem to always have the answer for.  I have also learned that instead of trying to teach students all the rules and appropriate ways of using the internet that I need to try and focus on a few at a time.  The question I have, is there safe skills for internet use that I can teach my students without overwhelming them?

Carrying Out My GAME Plan

I have started my journey to implement, monitor and evaluate my GAME plan in order to carry out my action plan.  “The GAME plan enables you to customize your approach to learning tasks, to develop relevant skills that are important to you, and prepares you for lifelong learning” (Cennamo, Ross & Ertmer, 2009, p. 3-4).  I first needed to list the resources I will need in order to carry out my plan which are:  through my master’s course, collaborate with colleagues and other professionals, and research my unanswered questions on line.  My first goal is demonstrate fluency in technology systems and the transfer of current knowledge to new technologies and situations and my second goal is advocate, model, and teach safe, legal, and ethical use of digital information and technology, including respect for copyright, intellectual property, and the appropriate documentation of sources (International Society for Technology in Education, 2008). 

The additional information I have added was student collaboration.  It was really nice hearing student voices when it comes to what they know from school and home and what I need to know more about in order to educate them.  I have found that some of the information I want to show students after doing research at home is not available at school because of restrictions.  So in order to practice showing more technology I have used my jump drive to display needed material.  

The steps I have taken so far are collaborating with a few colleagues at work on what they use as far as technology in their classrooms with students and how they teach it to new students.  The sad thing is the four teachers that I talked to; do not find that much use for computers in their classroom.  The good news is my motivation to implement technology in my classroom is getting them more excited to do the same thing.  I have meet with our computer lab teacher and gone over how she advocates, models, and teaches students about the internet and found a few new ideas from her.  I will continue to collaborate with my colleagues in finding advice, insight, and new ideas on up coming lessons with my students.  I have also turned to my students and asked for their assistance on what they know and do not know about computers to give me and idea of what needs to be taught.

Reference

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 May 10, 2011 from http://www.iste.org/Libraries/PDFs/NETS_for_Teachers_2008_EN.sflb.ashx

Developing My Personal GAME Plan with the ISTE NETS

As I look at the National Educational Technology Standards for Students (NETS.S) and go over the information that teachers and students should know, I realize there are a few I am not confident in and need to develop a Game plan for.  “The GAME plan requires you to think about and take steps to direct your learning process, specifically while learning about technology and how to integrate it into the curriculum” (Cennamo, Ross & Ertmer, 2009, p. 3).  In order to develop a GAME plan which will help me strengthen my confidence, I first need to list the standards I would like to strengthen which are: 3a demonstrate fluency in technology systems and the transfer of current knowledge to new technologies and situations and 4a advocate, model, and teach safe, legal, and ethical use of digital information and technology, including respect for copyright, intellectual property, and the appropriate documentation of sources.

Set Goals

“In order to stay up-to-date with current and emerging technologies for teaching and learning, you will need to constantly assess your technology integration skills in order to identify the new knowledge and skills you need” (Cennamo, Ross & Ertmer, 2009, p. 4). 

One of my goals is to practice and practice what I have learned in order to demonstrate fluency in technology.  This will help me so that I can transfer information to my students.  Another goal is to advocate, model, and teach my students about the internet and what can be found our there.

Take Action

“After you’ve identified your learning goals, you need to take action to meet those goals” (Cennamo, Ross & Ertmer, 2009, p. 3).  The action that I will take in order to meet my goals are to continue to learn more about technology through my masters course, collaborate with colleagues and other professionals, and research my unanswered questions on line. 

Monitor

“As you take action to achieve your learning goals, you’ll need to monitor whether you are making sufficient progress toward your goals and reflect on whether the strategies you have chosen are working” (Cennamo, Ross & Ertmer, 2009, p. 3).  I will be able to monitor my progress by looking at the information I gathered through my masters program, review what I found with my colleagues and other professionals, and by going back over my notes from online resources.

Evaluate and Extend

“During the evaluate stage in self-directed learning, you’ll determine whether you met your goal and reflect on whether your approach worked or whether you should modify your strategies for the future” (Cennamo, Ross & Ertmer, 2009, p. 4).  By evaluating my goal I will be able to successfully look at the new knowledge of information I teach my students and how well I teach them this new knowledge.  I will also be able to look at the new information they take with them and are able to use on their own.

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 May 10, 2011 from http://www.iste.org/Libraries/PDFs/NETS_for_Teachers_2008_EN.sflb.ashx

Think Out Loud Evaluations

Evaluating a Web Page

C:\Documents and Settings\Lisa\Desktop\Freeze_Computer_Tan.swf

YOU TUBE VIDEO

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=A6BsTgNTOCk

Interview with students about the technology that they have and use in and outside of school.

Final Reflection

Looking back on my personal theory of learning from week one in this course has really opened my eyes to what this course has taught me.  This course has deepened my knowledge and understanding of learning theory and the use of educational technologies in many ways.  My students will have more hands on experiences and be active in the learning process as well as utilizing technology as a learning tool more rather than an instructional tool all the time.  By taking this course I have a better understanding of what the different learning theories are and how to utilize the information to make my instruction stronger for my students.

Before taking this course I thought the best way in teaching kindergarteners the different technology tools was by using technology as an instructional tool most of the time verses a learning tool.  One of the technology tools I used was power points and even then I was not using it correctly or effectively.  After teaching students how to use a voice thread, I realized that my students were very much engaged and became very exciting about creating something new.  The process of teaching a voice thread and having them create their own turned out to be a rewarding and successful experience.  So as for now, the adjustments I will be making in my class would be to utilize both technology as an instructional tool and a learning tool in order to shape my students learning and engage them with real world knowledge.  Two technology tools that I will be using with my students are voice threads and webspiration.  Voice threads will allow students time to collaborate and share thoughts, comments, and feedback with one another.  Webspiration will be a great way to increase knowledge by brainstorm ideas and creating maps for vocabulary, flow charts, and so much more.  These two tools will support and enhance my students learning while engaging them in with new knoweldge.  As a result of this course I have expanded my repertoire with instructional skills that I am able to put to use and can refer to for future reference.

Two long term goals changes I will be making to my instructional practice regarding integrating technology is to use at least two (if not more) technology tools in my classroom and keep up to date on new information about technology.  In an effort to build students knowledge and understanding on how the technology tools available, students need to utilize them.  As an educator I feel it is very important to get the latest information about technology that is available, in order to educate my students successfully on the changes that are constantly being made.  A strategy for achieving these goals is to work on them one day at a time.  In order to be successful I feel I need to use the goals that I have set for my self and make changes as needed.