The third step in the process of a GAME plan is monitoring the progress of the plan and your actions to reach your goals (Cennamo, Ross, & Ertmer, 2009). When I first established my goals I stated that I would review my progress at the end of each week to ensure that I was staying on task and implement the strategies that I need to become successful. Although I review my GAME plan each week I still feel as though I am a bit overwhelmed with all of the information and still appear to be in the initial stages of implementation. Although I know I am working towards my overall goals, I feel as if there has been little tangible progress made in my GAME plan that I can show to my colleagues. I think I may keep a copy of my plan with me when I am looking at my lessons to ensure I am staying on task and making smart changes that will benefit my students.
Overall, I have been fairly successful in find the resources I need to make my GAME plan a reality and finding time to bring my resources into the classroom. I have been scouring the Internet, utilizing professional journals and asking other professionals to find possible ideas for integrating technology into my lessons. I have gained many great ideas that I hope to modify to make them useful in my classroom including multimedia learning journals and lessons that incorporate digital cameras into the classroom. Among the websites I have found for suggestions on lessons as well as video and audio clips are:
http://www.pbs.org/teachers/
http://www.uen.org/general_learner/multimedia_resources.shtml
http://www.teachersdomain.org/collection/k12/socst/
www.americanrhetoric.com
http://www.teach-nology.com/ideas/technology/
Secondly, I have realized that my initial hope of modifying lessons to create minimal work when integrating technology is much more difficult than I initially thought. Some lessons can be changed easily but others need to be completely revised starting from scratch. This causes another issue, that of time to redo the lessons to make them worthwhile for use in the classroom. I usually look at all of my lessons for the unit and change only those where technology, particularly multimedia can be implemented easily and where it makes sense in the lessons. As described in our resources, not all lessons need to incorporate technology, particularly if it doesn’t make sense to change the lesson when the students are understanding the material (Cennamo, Ross, & Ertmer, 2009). This part of my GAME plan may need to be modified to allow for a more narrow approach focusing on fewer lessons to hopefully gain more results than I feel I am gaining currently.
However, one part of my GAME plan that I have successful in implementing is adding lessons that teach in a real world fashion to my classroom. I seek to use the Internet and the Smartboard to bring current events in the world news directly into the classroom and assign work based upon how the topics we are learning connect directly to the student’s lives. I have also begun using more lessons that allow the students a more hands on approach to their learning by allowing them to choose their own topic and conduct their own research, displaying their findings to the rest of the class. However, this was something that had begun before this class and as such I have had more time to work out the kinks in this part of my continuing GAME plan.
I have also begun interviewing students informally regarding the use of technology in the classroom to work on the assessment portion of my plan (Cennamo, Ross, & Ertmer, 2009). This is done via a survey where the students are asked what they liked about the lesson, if they thought the technology was worthwhile and what they would do differently. So far the results have been interesting with mostly positive feedback on the lessons. However, there is a small group of the student’s population that does not seem to like the use of these tools for lessons. This raises the question of why these students are not finding these tools to be helpful and what can be done differently. At this point I need to examine this group of students further to examine whether different tools can be utilized to close the gap between the instruction and the students themselves. I have also collected data from the last two lessons that I hope to compare to data before this technology was implemented. This should provide a glimpse of whether the technology is closely matched to the learning objectives and my teaching methods (Laureate Education, Inc., 2010). This data will once again allow me to make any necessary changes to bring more students into my lessons.
When reflecting on my work to date, I know I am on the right track but there is still much work to be done. At this point I feel like I need to keep on the path I am headed but plan my next steps carefully as to not deviate from my end goals.
Lastly, on a completely different note, I want to throw out a thought for a lesson that I have been playing with for some time. This lesson could either be for my current Global Studies class (which may be difficult to implement) or for a US history honors class that I have next year. I want to use a GPS system in my classroom to construct a sort of treasure hunt centered around a main theme in history. The teacher could either provide the coordinates for items to find and have the students find them, examine what they mean and create a multimedia project on their findings or the students could create the treasure hunt and pass it on to other members of the class to find. This would engage the students fully into the material and allow them to actively participate in their learning. However, there are some complications that arise in this lesson. The first is the amount of time needed for this lesson to be constructed and be implemented. The time is significant but the learning experience if done correctly could be remembered for a lifetime. Secondly, although many people have a GPS system, not everyone has access to this technology. I would need to ensure that someone in the group had the technology available for use and pair members carefully. Lastly, I will need to gain the permission of the school system and parents to send the students outside the confines of the school itself to gain information. At this point this lesson is still up in the air with much planning to do. However, I think it is possible and could be a wonderful experience if done correctly.
I look forward to hearing your thoughts both on my GAME plan and also on my lesson.
Randy
References
Cennamo, K., Ross, J., & Ertmer, P. (2009). Technology integration for meaningful
classroom use: A standards-based approach. Mason, OH: Cengage Learning.
Laureate Education, Inc. (Executive Producer). (2010). Program Seven: Assessing
Student Learning with Technology.
Integrating technology across the content areas. Baltimore, MD
Wednesday, November 24, 2010
Wednesday, November 17, 2010
Carrying Out My Gameplan: Week Three
Once specific goals have been established, a person has to work towards their goals each and every week. As such, this week I will expand my GAME plan, describing what resources I will need to carry out my plan, any additional information I will need and the progress I have made so far in the classroom.
The first standard from NETS-T that I will incorporate is standard number one: Facilitate and Inspire Student Learning and Creativity. In this standard, 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 (National Education Standards for Teachers, 2008). The second standard from NETS-T that I will incorporate is standard number two Design and Develop Digital-Age Learning Experiences and Assessments (National Education Standards for Teachers, 2008).
The resources that I will need for the first part of my GAME plan are broken into two categories, technological and additional resources. Technology wise I will need access to the computer lab in order to further my students learning and allow them to practice what they have learned in my classroom. This should help provide opportunities for my students to display their creativity and guide their own learning in the classroom (Cennamo, Ross, & Ertmer, 2009). Also, I will utilize the classroom computer and the Smartboard to model different methods for the students and to bring a sense of realism into the classroom setting. By utilizing my available technology I will allow my lessons and material to be more individualized to the specific student allowing more content to be learned by every student (Laureate Education, Inc., 2010a). Technology allows increased personalization of the material helping to build on the information the teacher is able to teach in the classroom.
The additional resources I will need are first and foremost, that of time. As a working professional time is always at a premium and will be needed to make changes in the classroom. Before each lesson I will sit down and examine what I have planned and see how it can be changed to benefit my students the most in my classroom (Cennamo, Ross, & Ertmer, 2009). The most beneficial changes to the classroom will be those that have minimal stress on the students and in the classroom yet implement changes by integrating technology in a useful, helpful manner. Secondly, I will need support from my colleagues and the school system in general to help make changes in my classroom. I will need to reach out to my peers to help with ideas for changes and to support my progress, maybe even extending my ideas into their own classrooms.
There is also some additional information I will need to help my GAME plan become successful. Finding ideas and strategies to use technology in my lessons may be challenging and I may need to examine what research proven strategies have been used via online material and professional journals. I want to ensure success in my GAME plan and thus will research material that has been proven to be useful in helping students to succeed. I will also need to keep my class resources close at hand to ensure I stay on task when creating a GAME plan and make sure my is developed fully in my own classroom.
At this point the GAME plan is still in the initial stages of creation and implementation. I have begun to examine my plan more fully and have looked at some of my lessons changing them slowly to bring more technology into my room. I have also began to converse with some of my peers to see if it is possible to bring the same strategies into other classrooms across multiple disciplines.
References
Cennamo, K., Ross, J., & Ertmer, P. (2009). Technology integration for meaningful
classroom use: A standards-based approach. Mason, OH: Cengage Learning.
Laureate Education, Inc. (Executive Producer). (2010a). Program Five: Meeting
student needs with technology: part one.
Integrating technology across the content areas. Baltimore, MD
National Education Standards for Teachers (NETS-T). (2008). retrieved November 9, 2010 from http://www.iste.org/Content/NavigationMenu/NETS/ForTeachers/2008Standards/NETS_T_Standards_Final.pdf
The first standard from NETS-T that I will incorporate is standard number one: Facilitate and Inspire Student Learning and Creativity. In this standard, 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 (National Education Standards for Teachers, 2008). The second standard from NETS-T that I will incorporate is standard number two Design and Develop Digital-Age Learning Experiences and Assessments (National Education Standards for Teachers, 2008).
The resources that I will need for the first part of my GAME plan are broken into two categories, technological and additional resources. Technology wise I will need access to the computer lab in order to further my students learning and allow them to practice what they have learned in my classroom. This should help provide opportunities for my students to display their creativity and guide their own learning in the classroom (Cennamo, Ross, & Ertmer, 2009). Also, I will utilize the classroom computer and the Smartboard to model different methods for the students and to bring a sense of realism into the classroom setting. By utilizing my available technology I will allow my lessons and material to be more individualized to the specific student allowing more content to be learned by every student (Laureate Education, Inc., 2010a). Technology allows increased personalization of the material helping to build on the information the teacher is able to teach in the classroom.
The additional resources I will need are first and foremost, that of time. As a working professional time is always at a premium and will be needed to make changes in the classroom. Before each lesson I will sit down and examine what I have planned and see how it can be changed to benefit my students the most in my classroom (Cennamo, Ross, & Ertmer, 2009). The most beneficial changes to the classroom will be those that have minimal stress on the students and in the classroom yet implement changes by integrating technology in a useful, helpful manner. Secondly, I will need support from my colleagues and the school system in general to help make changes in my classroom. I will need to reach out to my peers to help with ideas for changes and to support my progress, maybe even extending my ideas into their own classrooms.
There is also some additional information I will need to help my GAME plan become successful. Finding ideas and strategies to use technology in my lessons may be challenging and I may need to examine what research proven strategies have been used via online material and professional journals. I want to ensure success in my GAME plan and thus will research material that has been proven to be useful in helping students to succeed. I will also need to keep my class resources close at hand to ensure I stay on task when creating a GAME plan and make sure my is developed fully in my own classroom.
At this point the GAME plan is still in the initial stages of creation and implementation. I have begun to examine my plan more fully and have looked at some of my lessons changing them slowly to bring more technology into my room. I have also began to converse with some of my peers to see if it is possible to bring the same strategies into other classrooms across multiple disciplines.
References
Cennamo, K., Ross, J., & Ertmer, P. (2009). Technology integration for meaningful
classroom use: A standards-based approach. Mason, OH: Cengage Learning.
Laureate Education, Inc. (Executive Producer). (2010a). Program Five: Meeting
student needs with technology: part one.
Integrating technology across the content areas. Baltimore, MD
National Education Standards for Teachers (NETS-T). (2008). retrieved November 9, 2010 from http://www.iste.org/Content/NavigationMenu/NETS/ForTeachers/2008Standards/NETS_T_Standards_Final.pdf
Wednesday, November 10, 2010
My Professional GAME plan
Part of being a good teacher is reflecting on your work in the classroom and with your students while constantly revising your methods to become better. This specific post is for a graduate level class at Walden University entitled Integrating Technology into the Classroom. During the course of this class we will develop a personal GAME plan that will assist us as professionals when integrating technology fully into our classrooms in a realistic and authentic manner. I plan to establish goals to help integrate technology, take action on my goals, monitor my progress and finally evaluate whether my goals were achieved through my work.
The first step when developing a GAME plan is to set goals for what you want to obtain and where you want to be at the end of the process (Cennamo, Ross, & Ertmer, 2009). These goals can focus on any part of a classroom where the teacher feels that change may be needed. To help establish these goals we first looked at the National Education Standards for Teachers (NETS-T) and chose some of their benchmarks to focus our attention. For this particular class I will focus on standard number one Facilitate and Inspire Student Learning and Creativity and standard number two Design and Develop Digital-Age Learning Experiences and Assessments (National Education Standards for Teachers, 2008). The two standards I selected I feel are the strongest performance indicators and the most useful for developing technology use in my classroom. I want to create a classroom where technology is the norm rather than the exception and a place where students learn skills necessary for success in the future.
The second step when creating a personal GAME plan is to take action upon the goals you established (Cennamo, Ross, & Ertmer, 2009). For this particular plan I feel I can implement many changes in my classroom without completely throwing out all of my current lessons and instructional methods. The simpler the changes the less possible issues there may be when implementing any questions into the classroom. I think when implementing many of the changes I will focus on first bring technology fully into my classroom and then allowing the students to work using the technology in the classroom.
The first action I will take is to allow for more opportunities to use technology in a realistic manner in my classroom (Laureate Education, Inc., 2010a). I have access to such tools as a computer, Smartboard, projector and television in my classroom and often use these tools for very basic methods of instruction. I would like to implement more methods of instruction by creating lessons that use more forms of technology into my classroom. To reach my goals I will try using virtual fieldtrips, WebQuests allowing the students to find information and also lessons that utilize and seek out information in the form of primary sources to help students understand the material (Laureate Education, Inc., 2010b). I have the technology at my disposal I only need to take advantage of what opportunities are available to help my students to succeed. I will also attempt to gain the support of my colleagues to maximize the benefits of the technology in the school. If one teacher uses technology successfully the students gain a great deal of knowledge, if more teachers use the same strategies the possibilities are endless.
The second action I will take is to model the technologies for my students. I will first learn how to use the technology that I will use in my classroom and this will help me to become better suited to guide my own classroom and students (Laureate Education, Inc., 2010a). To teach my students successfully I need learn how my technology will best allow my students to interact with the material and how I can best display content. I will then teach my students what I have found to be the “best practices” and allow them to be modified from that point. This is not a omni-directional path however, I plan to continue to learn from my students even after I have implemented the technology into my classroom.
Once I have provided the technology and opportunities for its use to my students I will use what we have learned to teach my content in a real world context. This is key in a global studies classroom as one of the greatest complaints is the lack of connection of the material to a students personal life. I plan to use technology to make a connection to each student’s lives allowing them to make the most of their education and to retain the information at a deeper level. I will rely on the Internet to bring the material directly to the classroom and even the students to the material. I feel that that when the students are immersed into the material I will have a better chance of reaching them and allowing the material to really sink in and truly be learned.
The three actions that I have suggested will allow me to integrate technology into my classroom while adapting my current lessons. This should increase the creativity and self-direction of my students while allowing a sense of realism to my content. Also, by utilizing more technology I can reach out to students with different learning styles and abilities creating an environment increasingly fair to all of my students (Laureate Education, Inc., 2010a). However, the last two steps of the GAME plan will help to ensure the actions were successful in teaching my students.
The third step in the GAME plan is to monitor your actions as they are taking place (Cennamo, Ross, & Ertmer, 2009). In an effort to monitor my goals I will continuously examine my goals and check to make sure I am staying on task. At the end of each week I will look at my goals and compare them to my lessons to see what progress has been made. This will allow me to get back on track if I somehow strayed from my original goals.
The last step in the GAME plan is to examine the results and look to continue my development. This step allows you to examine what you did right and what changes you would make in the future (Cennamo, Ross, & Ertmer, 2009). I plan to examine my results utilizing data via a student assessment before I utilize technology in my classroom and then after I have changed my instruction. I will look for changes after each new method is used to see what has been successful and what was not in my classroom. I will also interview the students informally to inquire about what they liked about the material and the use of technology in my lessons. This should provide solid data and also personal experiences to prove the success or failure of my game plan.
References
Cennamo, K., Ross, J., & Ertmer, P. (2009). Technology integration for meaningful
classroom use: A standards-based approach. Mason, OH: Cengage Learning.
Laureate Education, Inc. (Executive Producer). (2010a). Program Three: Enriching
content area learning experiences with technology: part one.
Integrating technology across the content areas. Baltimore, MD
Laureate Education, Inc. (Executive Producer). (2010b). Program Three: Enriching
content area learning experiences with technology: part two.
Integrating technology across the content areas. Baltimore, MD
National Education Standards for Teachers (NETS-T). (2008). retrieved November 9, 2010 from http://www.iste.org/Content/NavigationMenu/NETS/ForTeachers/2008Standards/NETS_T_Standards_Final.pdf
The first step when developing a GAME plan is to set goals for what you want to obtain and where you want to be at the end of the process (Cennamo, Ross, & Ertmer, 2009). These goals can focus on any part of a classroom where the teacher feels that change may be needed. To help establish these goals we first looked at the National Education Standards for Teachers (NETS-T) and chose some of their benchmarks to focus our attention. For this particular class I will focus on standard number one Facilitate and Inspire Student Learning and Creativity and standard number two Design and Develop Digital-Age Learning Experiences and Assessments (National Education Standards for Teachers, 2008). The two standards I selected I feel are the strongest performance indicators and the most useful for developing technology use in my classroom. I want to create a classroom where technology is the norm rather than the exception and a place where students learn skills necessary for success in the future.
The second step when creating a personal GAME plan is to take action upon the goals you established (Cennamo, Ross, & Ertmer, 2009). For this particular plan I feel I can implement many changes in my classroom without completely throwing out all of my current lessons and instructional methods. The simpler the changes the less possible issues there may be when implementing any questions into the classroom. I think when implementing many of the changes I will focus on first bring technology fully into my classroom and then allowing the students to work using the technology in the classroom.
The first action I will take is to allow for more opportunities to use technology in a realistic manner in my classroom (Laureate Education, Inc., 2010a). I have access to such tools as a computer, Smartboard, projector and television in my classroom and often use these tools for very basic methods of instruction. I would like to implement more methods of instruction by creating lessons that use more forms of technology into my classroom. To reach my goals I will try using virtual fieldtrips, WebQuests allowing the students to find information and also lessons that utilize and seek out information in the form of primary sources to help students understand the material (Laureate Education, Inc., 2010b). I have the technology at my disposal I only need to take advantage of what opportunities are available to help my students to succeed. I will also attempt to gain the support of my colleagues to maximize the benefits of the technology in the school. If one teacher uses technology successfully the students gain a great deal of knowledge, if more teachers use the same strategies the possibilities are endless.
The second action I will take is to model the technologies for my students. I will first learn how to use the technology that I will use in my classroom and this will help me to become better suited to guide my own classroom and students (Laureate Education, Inc., 2010a). To teach my students successfully I need learn how my technology will best allow my students to interact with the material and how I can best display content. I will then teach my students what I have found to be the “best practices” and allow them to be modified from that point. This is not a omni-directional path however, I plan to continue to learn from my students even after I have implemented the technology into my classroom.
Once I have provided the technology and opportunities for its use to my students I will use what we have learned to teach my content in a real world context. This is key in a global studies classroom as one of the greatest complaints is the lack of connection of the material to a students personal life. I plan to use technology to make a connection to each student’s lives allowing them to make the most of their education and to retain the information at a deeper level. I will rely on the Internet to bring the material directly to the classroom and even the students to the material. I feel that that when the students are immersed into the material I will have a better chance of reaching them and allowing the material to really sink in and truly be learned.
The three actions that I have suggested will allow me to integrate technology into my classroom while adapting my current lessons. This should increase the creativity and self-direction of my students while allowing a sense of realism to my content. Also, by utilizing more technology I can reach out to students with different learning styles and abilities creating an environment increasingly fair to all of my students (Laureate Education, Inc., 2010a). However, the last two steps of the GAME plan will help to ensure the actions were successful in teaching my students.
The third step in the GAME plan is to monitor your actions as they are taking place (Cennamo, Ross, & Ertmer, 2009). In an effort to monitor my goals I will continuously examine my goals and check to make sure I am staying on task. At the end of each week I will look at my goals and compare them to my lessons to see what progress has been made. This will allow me to get back on track if I somehow strayed from my original goals.
The last step in the GAME plan is to examine the results and look to continue my development. This step allows you to examine what you did right and what changes you would make in the future (Cennamo, Ross, & Ertmer, 2009). I plan to examine my results utilizing data via a student assessment before I utilize technology in my classroom and then after I have changed my instruction. I will look for changes after each new method is used to see what has been successful and what was not in my classroom. I will also interview the students informally to inquire about what they liked about the material and the use of technology in my lessons. This should provide solid data and also personal experiences to prove the success or failure of my game plan.
References
Cennamo, K., Ross, J., & Ertmer, P. (2009). Technology integration for meaningful
classroom use: A standards-based approach. Mason, OH: Cengage Learning.
Laureate Education, Inc. (Executive Producer). (2010a). Program Three: Enriching
content area learning experiences with technology: part one.
Integrating technology across the content areas. Baltimore, MD
Laureate Education, Inc. (Executive Producer). (2010b). Program Three: Enriching
content area learning experiences with technology: part two.
Integrating technology across the content areas. Baltimore, MD
National Education Standards for Teachers (NETS-T). (2008). retrieved November 9, 2010 from http://www.iste.org/Content/NavigationMenu/NETS/ForTeachers/2008Standards/NETS_T_Standards_Final.pdf
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