Reflection
Reflect on the GAME plan you developed and followed throughout the course.
I think the GAME plan I developed for this course was a solid start. However, I do not think it was ambitious. I remember looking at the NETS-t and thinking to myself—–“What?” So I went with two standards that made sense to me at the time. What I should have done to push my academic and professional goals is select the most difficult standards. Not the standards I already know and somewhat implement.
Summarize any new learning that resulted from your following your GAME plan and explain what impact your new learning will have on your instructional practice.
Two valuable revelations came from following my GAME plan during this course. The first is the idea of using a blog for communication tool for parents. My school blocks all blogging sites, but I have been advocating for the system to unblock sites. From this advocating, I have made a commitment to use my page on the schools site to keep my parents and students up to date regarding important dates and such. The second, and most important, revelation from the GAME plan is persistence. I have always started projects-worked with them for a couple of days and simply stopped doing them. This class forced me to revisit my GAME plan weekly, which is the “M” in GAME- “Monitoring…” This is the most important step in the GAME plan I believe. It makes you accountable to your own goals.
Describe any immediate adjustments you will make to your instructional practice regarding technology integration in your content area(s) as a result of your learning from this course.
I will make more use of the GAME plan format. As stated above, it makes and keeps you focused on your goals. I will also continue to reach the goal of implementing and teaching all NETS-s to my students. The 21st century workforce as to be able to communicate, collaborate and work using the tech tools available. The NETS-s ensures the students ability to do just that.
for the kids
NETS-S are very engaging and I believe the students would be thrilled to have a GAME plan to discuss the NETS-S. The reason being the use of technology in the classroom… They love using technology and if they focusing on it to a certain degree in a Math, Science or any other class than technology, they would be ecstatic.
The game plan could be used with students on select standards. I have found that small “baby” steps are best when learning new concepts. So perhaps focusing on one a month would be a good way. I would focus on standard 1 first because it involves using tech tools. Using the tech tools will create opportunities to communicate globally, critical thinking skills, citizenship and all the other standards on NETS-S.
The “action” part is also addressed through th use of web 2.0 tools. This is where the students are actively using the tools and gaining deeper understanding of the programs. Also, the “monitor” part of the game plan is done with the use of the tools. The students will be assessed by their correct use of what ever tool they used.
Lastly, the GAME plan has been keeping me on track with my stated goals and I think it would do the same for the students. “Out of sight, out of mind.” That saying rings true for students… If they are not constantly addressing a topic or standard it is not important. However, at least a weekly visit to the GAME plan would keep them motivated and aware of the goals.
Some things that I have learned so far is that technology is not as “scary” as I once thought. I have improved my knowledge and understanding on wikis and other tools to better implement them into my content. I am more confident I can use the technology to increase learning and not just use it to use it…
I only listed two goals in my first blog this, but I have many, many goals I am still working towards. The goals about communicating with my parents and students more effectively is working quite nicely. I am using the calendar on the school’s website to keep parent and students aware of test, projects, deadlines and such. My biggest goal that I am taking baby steps towards is fully implementing my class to journaling using blogging capabilities. Unfortunately, I am in a wait and see pattern because ALL blogging sites blocked in my county.
Based on the NETS-S, some new goals I have is fully integrating my students in the technology tools available to them including the use of social networking as a learning tool.
Some new learning approaches I may plan to take to improve my learning would be to use the tools available to me at school more often. When I am learning new tech tools, I try them once–maybe twice and then I go back to the 20th century method. I find that my resilience is not what it needs to be when learning and implementing new technology. Vicky Davis states, “You don’t get great at implementing technology tools overnight, it takes time (2009).” I need to remind myself and continue to adapt and change things I need to make the technology tools more effective in class.
Laureate Education, Inc. (2009) EDUC6713 Integrating Technology Across the Content Area[DVD] Spotlight on Technology: Social Networking and Online collaboration.
•How effective were your actions in helping you meet your goals?
I am continuing moving forward on communicating with everyone more effectively by using my webpage on the school site. I am updating the calendar on my page. I am also using the calendar on my outlook (school e-mail) I am keeping track of meetings (and we know how meetings teachers have) and sending invites to the people who need to attend the meetings.
I have not done anything with implementing technology into assignments yet this week. (unless you want to count unitedstreaming) I’ve mainly focused on the PBL assignment for class.
•What have you learned so far that you can apply in your instructional practice?
A wiki page is a great way to communicate and collaborate using technology. I need to find content that would benefit from the use of wikis.
•What do you still have to learn?
I have much to learn. There are so many tools available to assist and compliment learning available… The term life long learner could have been “coined” about technology.
What new questions have arisen? •How will you adjust your plan to fit your current needs? I am still waiting on getting a blog site unblocked so I can use blogging in the classroom. It takes at least two weeks and it has now been three weeks. I do not think they are going to open it. The bad part is, they will not respond to you directly… You just hae to keep trying the site and see if it opens…. “How tacky and unprofessional is that?”
What I will have to do is look into the ANGEL software the county has…. I was told there is blogging capability there, but I have not seen any application for it. In fact, I have found no communicating ability with students or parents using ANGEL. The search continues…
Game plan working???
As I look back at my game plan I see that I have made strides to move forward. I wanted to work with communicating with both parents and students using technology. I mentioned that my county blocks so many valuable tools. In the last week I have received information on how to request sites be unblocked. The process takes about two weeks so I am keeping my fingers crossed. I am requesting that blogging site like word press be unblocked so my kids can set up accounts.
I have set up the “mass list” for e-mail communication and it is really working well. You would be surprised to know that all the things students forget to relay to their parents :0) Keeping the parents aware of the schedule is helping out immensely.
Though my school blocks so many sites, we do have web pages at our despense. This is how I have tried to work on the second NETS-S of using all tools available. I am postig and using the calender on the site and I have also posted work that can be downloaded and used students. I am learning the INs and OUTs of the website still, but that is the standard–right???
I am finding the information that I need to implement my gameplan. I have not been working on programs that are used for assessment or artifact building as of yet. I need to re-direct some time and effort towards voicethreads or another form of technology.
A possible modification to my action plan would be to expand the depth of my plan… Go a little deeper into NETS-S. “If you have a limited domain of knowledge, you will have fewer resources to draw from in forming new ideas. (Laurette 2009). I need to expand my knowledge base. The easiest and a measurable way to achieve this is by working on becoming proficient in NETS-S.
Some new questions that have arisen are all good ones. How do — or can I use technology to improve my classroom. Can I make the students become self-directed learners by using technology?
I have learned so far that technology is not scary. I have also learned that technology should not be used just for the sake of using it… It needs to be useful and meaningful to add to the content mastery. If technology tools are used as the “dog and pony” show, then it is meaningless.
I plan to continue my GAME plan. My next set-up for improving my tech savvy is to implement the clicker system we have at school and use for a pre-test assessment. That way I can get instant feedback and see where exactly I need to focus my time and effort.
Resources for my “Game Plan”
Looking at the NETS-T last week, I chose two specific standards to set my focus. Now I have my “G”— I need to have or use some tools to take care or start the “A”!!!
I actually tried to start improving on the standard of communicating with both my students and parents… I wanted to set-up a classroom blog instead of doing a standard weekly e-mail… That idea came from the discussions last week blogging with you guys. Unfortunately, I forgot my county blocks any site that has blogging or posting capacity. This has been a frustration for me since starting this class. My county block or limits access to so many things!!! I did find out that through a program called “ANGEL”(a new system our county has subscribed too) you can set-up a class blog or communication board. I am not sure exactly, but I plan on sitting down and playing around with it and seeing if I can set up some sort of communication between me and the parents.
Another tool I can use for my communication standard is for my students to start a daily reflection. Where they have to synthesize their day’s work. When we think (reflect) on what we have learned, “we actually achieve a deeper understanding of the knowledge we have constructed” (Cennamo, Ross, Ertmer 2009 p.33). I am hoping I can set this up through the ANGEL system I mentioned above. An electronic journal of some kind would be much more effective, because of technology accessibility for some of my students, I may have to simply start with pencil and paper. Do any of you have some suggestions or ideas on how to improve my communication with parents???
Cennamo, K., Ross, J., & Ertmer, P. (2009). Technology integration for meaningful classroom use: A standards-based approach (Laureate Education custom edition). Belmont, CA: Wadsworth, Cengage Learning.
NETS-T
The first standard I would like to strengthen is NET-S 3(c) “communicate relevant information and ideas effectively to students, parents, and peers using a variety of digital-age media and formats.” I believe this would be a good standard to improve upon first because I could use some of the tools that are already at my disposal.
My goal would be to facilitate information to parents and students using a variety of technology. My first goal would be to create an e-mail list with all my parents e-mail addresses. I would then proceed to send out a weekly “newsletter” of everything that is going on in the classroom. (Upcoming assignments, test, homework, etc…) I would also direct the parents to my webpage, which is my second goal…
My second goal would be to start using and maintaining my webpage on the school website. On this page is a calendar I could update so parents can stay up to speed on due dates and upcoming assignments. I can also upload to the page previous assignments. So when students are absent, they can simply go to the page and print off a copy or look at the assignment.
There are some immediate actions I must take to be successful. First, I must take the time to create a distribution list of all my parents e-mail addresses. The only way I know how to do this is to manually go through and type in each one. Once I am finished with that, I need to take the time to write the news letter each week. My plan of action for that is to set aside 20 minutes every Monday morning to type up and send out the news letter. After typing my newsletter, I will spend the rest of Monday’s planning updating, uploading and working on my webpage.
The way to monitor my action is to keep a simple checklist. “Did I send out the newsletter?” “Did I update my page?” These are two simple questions I can ask myself every Monday before I leave school. If the answer is no to either one, I simply sit down and take care of it. I will evaluate my goals by assessing the amount of feedback or interaction I have with both the parent and the student. Am I making fewer copies? Are students turning in their assignments on time? Fewer questions asking for make-up work? Improved test scores because parents are seeing, from the newsletter, their student has a test Friday and has them studying a little every night. These are some of the questions I will assess and reflect upon when evaluating the strengthening of standard NETS-T 3(c).
The second standard I would like to strengthen is NETS•S 2 (a) design or adapt relevant learning experiences that incorporate digital tools and resources to promote student learning and creativity. This standard deals with the direct implementation of technology into content learning.
My goal is to effectively use technology tools to expand content learning. My first plan of action is to become confident with all the programs that are available. If I strengthen my knowledge on technology I will be better suited to integrate it appropriately and not just use it for the sake of using it. Through my Walden classes and my own exploration, I will develop a level of expertise in programs or technologies such as blogs, wikis, audacity, concept mapping tools, skype, voicethreads, etc…
After I have developed sufficient understanding of a technology tool I will implement it into my content mastery. I need to be mindful about just using it to use it. I need to make sure that the technology is expanding or strengthening the content mastery. Through the implementation of the technology I can monitor and asses the success of it. As with all lessons, I will evaluate and adjust after the lesson to ensure my goals are being met.
Reflection
My personal theory of learning has stayed pretty much the same. I still believe that the Howard Gardner’s multiple intelligences is by far the most influential in my philosophy. However, cognitivism and constructivism also play a major role. Even though it is said to be “outdated” and a thing of the past… Behaviorism is and will always be a part of my learning strategy. (Mostly for classroom management)
Two immediate adjustments I plan to make with my instruction and technology is to use technology as a learning tool and not as an instructional tool more and use computer-based programs for immediate feedback which the research of Dr. Debra Pickering says is vital for effective classroom instruction (Laureate 2009).
I thought I was using technology in my classroom effectively because I was showing students power points or using websites like www.unitedstreaming.com. This was instructional technology. I was just giving the students the information in a different way. No real substance. I need to use technology in my classroom in way that the students are learning “because” of the technology, not “by” the technology.
Some tools I plan to use immediately are voice threads and blogging. I am teaching one segment of social studies tis year and I see great use for these two tools specifically. elections are in November and I have to teach the branches of government. The television is going to be loaded with commercial with campaign ads. This will work well with the “dual coding” theory of Paivo. For example, they will have the picture of Governor on the television and we will discuss it in class. We will set-up mock campaigns in the school (class). The two technology tools will come in because I will have the students campaign for someone via the blogs. They will do research and make decisions on who they support. The voice threads will be used for students to ask the candidates questions… The candidate will respond back and other students can to te questions as well.
Another way I plan on using the voice thread tool is by posting or creating a question that the students will have to research and provide their answer via the thread. For instance, “What was the main cause of the civil war?”
My long-term goals ae very simple… I strongly believe that technology is the key to students’ success. They live and thrive on it. No one can learn better than when they are engaged in the process. My long-term goal is to become an expert and not a novice about the uses of technology. I have to keep practicing the and using the tools so I can be more confident in implementing them in the content. I will do tis by creating blogs, creating voicethreads, keeping up to date on new technology available and try to use (experiment) with it in the classroom.
http://voicethread.com/share/1260604/ My voice thread about sites being blocked at school….. How can I circumvent this problem??
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