Reflection on the GAME Plan and Technology

Reflection on the GAME Plan and Technology

Incorporating the GAME plan helped me to focus on exactly what the focus of my lesson is. It can a be a planning tool I use for personal goals and for teaching specific lessons to my students. Setting goals, taking action, monitoring, and evaluating are specific things I can do to stay on track. I will be using the GAME plan as I develop my daily lesson plans this school year. Planning lesson plans that start with the goal will be the first thing I do. What is it that I want my students to know once the lesson is complete? Although I always made solid lesson plans, I took the approach getting through content standards and not thinking specifically why I was teaching the standard. Now I will go through each step of the GAME plan.

After completing this course on integrating technology in my content area, I am more convinced that using classroom blogs is the way to go. Classroom discussions leave out many students. Those who do not like to speak in front of the entire room can respond to a blog more confidently without worrying about the others’ reaction. I used blogging a few times last school year but I plan to make it a regular part of my ELA class.

I will also continue to use digital storytelling. In the video from week seven, I was pleased to keep the list Dr. Arnie Abrams gave us to guide students in making their digital stories. Although I learned most of what he gave us during my first experience last year, I think giving my students a list of the steps would be beneficial to both them and me. I worked through the steps but the only thing my students knew was what the final product should look like, but if students see the path they must take, I think it will take much of the anxiety away.

Using the GAME plan and digital storytelling in my classroom will strengthen my instructional practices in ELA.

Reference

Laureate Education, Inc. (Executive Producer). (2009). Integrating technology across the content areas. Baltimore, MD: Author.

Mid-GAME Plan

This is the fourth week of GAME planning to prepare for the upcoming school year. As I transition into a new school there are many kinks to work out but at the same time, I feel I am better prepared as I bring resources from my old school and from my Walden classes. Adding the many technology tools to my Delicious account has provided a place to save all the new and old tools. I retrieved sources from my former school computer and placed them in the Delicious account and have also added to my Drop Box account. I like both of these because my former colleagues and I can continue to share resources.

My GAME plan focuses on teaching students the responsibility that comes with using sources they find online. Last year I shared Bibme.org with my students with success but this this year I will begin using it earlier in the year, making it a part of all our projects.  I will also create a “stack” in my Delicious account, making it public so that my students will have access to it.

During this week’s readings, I was reminded that one area of weakness for me is assessment. As I plan to Skype with my students, they will journal but in addition to journaling students will also have a checklist.  Our Skype time must be planned to limit wasting class time and the idea of creating checklist will be two-fold. One list could help students focus on the important questions they want to ask and want information they want to share. The second benefit will be for me in the area of assessment. I will use think-aloud the process to help students organize their thoughts. A checklist could be placed in the journal and used as a self-assessment. I will create a second checklist similar to the one in our text, Technology Integration for Meaningful Classroom Use, on page 155 Figure 7.9 (Cennamo, K., Ross, J. & Ertmer, P. 2009). I like this one because I can customize it to fit each project.

So far I have learned that I already use many  of the sources presented to me but every week I see something I can tweak or add to what I am doing.  The only question I have so far concerns what technology I will have available at my new school. This may be a problem that I will tackle as I get to know my principal and my curriculum director. I do not expect problems but in this first year I will have many things to learn about my new state’s focus. My state of WV had a major focus on project-based learning so I feel I am prepared as I begin my new adventure.

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.

GAME Review Plan

As I review my GAME plan I made a list of resources and people I will need to line up to make it possible to Skype with students in another state. My biggest problem will be in my new school because I am unsure of available resources. I decided to make two “to-do lists.”

Former school  

Resources: Media specialist, geography and language arts teacher, computer access and potential technical problems.  

Additional information I need: Who is willing to complete this project? Specifically, which teachers are willing to invest the time and effort to complete this project with me?

Steps taken so far: The media specialist and geography teacher have agreed to work on the project. The language arts teacher is not so sure. I can go ahead without her but would like to have her onboard.

New School

Resources: Media specialist-meet with her and see what assistance she can give me. Curriculum specialist at the school will need to be in the loop-meet with her. Social studies teacher-ask for input.

Additional information I need: Computer availability, Student technology skill level.

Steps taken so far: I had a short meeting with the media specialist but will need to meet with her once school begins.

GAME Plan

My GAME  Plan

After reviewing the NETS for Teachers on the International Society for Technology in Education standards I have created a plan for the follow:

Goal:

1. Facilitate and Inspire Student Learning and Creativity: Teachers use their knowledge of subject matter, teaching and learning, and technology to facilitate experiences that advance student learning, creativity, and innovation in both face-to-face and virtual environments.

            d. Model collaborative knowledge construction by engaging in learning with students, colleagues, and others in face-to-face and virtual environments.

4.  Promote and Model Digital Citizenship

and Responsibility : Teachers understand local and global societal issues and responsibilities in an evolving digital culture and exhibit legal and ethical behavior in their professional practices.

a.    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

Action

#1  My lessons will include face-to-face and virtual environments such a Skype with students and teachers from a different state and set up a classroom blog. I hope to blog with the students from a different state also. 

#2 My lessons will include a focus on ethical use of digital information. Students will be required to provide documentation of all sources including images and music.

Monitor

Students will journal daily during units that include Skype, blogging, or any other digital activity or Internet work we do. The journal entries will include what he or she accomplished each day and what work still needs to be completed.

Evaluate

I will use a rubric created for blogging, planning questions students will use during Skype discussions, and require students to use a source such as bibme.org.

References

http://www.bibme.org/

 International Society for Technology in Education. (2008). National education standards for teachers (NETS-T). Retrieved fromhttp://www.iste.org/Libraries/PDFs/NETS_for_Teachers_2008_EN.sflb.ashx

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