Step 1: Reflect on the GAME plan you developed and followed throughout the course.
In creating my game plan I wanted my students to begin moving away from counting on me to hand them the information needed to pass an eventual test. When I began teaching in my current position I noticed that my students were used to working out of the books with the teacher lecturing to them. Now they are learning how to learn…How to research topics they are learning and are interested in and how to use that information to their benefit.
I feel that creating my game plan has assisted me in being more of a facilitator than a lecturer. I have integrated into my classroom podcasts, student created videos, blogging and online research.
Step 2: 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.
I have come to realize in the past months that when willing to persevere anything is possible. I have taken great strides in assisting my school and district in integrating technology in the classroom. My students have created podcasts; they have begun blogging and are now researching genetics to “advise their congressman on how to vote on upcoming bills to create laws regarding how genetic research should be used”. I am learning that even though some of the students were hesitant in trying new things they have all made huge improvements in their studies.
Step 3: 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 continually adjust my lesson plans to include technology in everything we are learning. I am enjoying seeing my students move towards taking responsibility for their learning. I would like to continue challenging my students to produce products that show the interest they are beginning to have in class. One thing I have begun with my eighth graders is to do “vocabulary in the news” They have to find news articles that have the vocabulary words we are studying somewhere in the article. The purpose in this assignment is to relate what we are learning to the real word. I want to expand this assignment so that all of my students are participating in it.
In conclusion, I have come to see the confidence building in me to include more web 2.0 tools in my classroom as my students are building confidence in their research and learning. I have found myself willing to ask for more permission to include new technologies and I have taken the responsibility of being the first to try new things. My students are more willing to discuss and share their findings because they are learning to find the information they don’t readily know. The walls of our classroom are being torn down as we become a global learning community.
As I continue to move toward a “classroom without walls” I expect my students to move closer towards the digital age as well. To assist them in this process I will introduce them to the ISTE NETS and Performance Indicators for Students (NETS•S) and assist them in developing their own GAME plans in reaching these goals. I will start this with my research class first; this class is a thirty minute study hall where the students have time to read, do homework or catch up on work every day. This class is also used to teach character education and study skills. Because this class is nothing more than a glorified study hall students would not be assessed in this activity; I would however make myself available to help them use the new found tools they learn about in creating projects for other classes. I think this would be the perfect forum in introducing technology standards to the students. I would like to see my colleague’s incorporate these standards into their research classes as well so that it becomes a school wide initiative. This will require some level of success from my students first though.
What goals are you still working toward?
At this moment I am concentrating on teaching my students how to collaborate and reflect on their learning. Within the coming weeks we will jump into blogging with both feet. We have tested it out and now it will be a part of our everyday learning for the coming unit on genetics, reproduction and natural selection. Some rules on etiquette will have to be established, especially because as a part of this unit we will be discussing evolution, which some students have already began to fight. Other than that I hope to show by using such Web 2.0 tools my students will retain more of what they are taught. We have already taken a pretest and I will give a post test at the end of the unit to measure our success.
•Based on the NETS-T, what new learning goals will you set for yourself?
In the coming months I would like to incorporate the following goals into my teaching strategies and curriculum…
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.
Teachers:
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
b. address the diverse needs of all learners by using learner-centered strategies and providing equitable access to appropriate digital tools and resources
c. promote and model digital etiquette and responsible social interactions related to the use of technology and information
d. develop and model cultural understanding and global awareness by engaging with colleagues and students of other cultures using digital-age communication and collaboration tools
5. Engage in Professional Growth and Leadership
I think that the students should be able to use the new tools they have been introduced to with the understanding that they must respect and give credit to the ones’ who created the information to begin with.
•What learning approaches will you try next time to improve your learning?
As I continue to work towards teaching in a web 2.0 enriched classroom I would like my collogues to join in the endeavor. It would be nice to integrate subjects and topics throughout the school.
How effective were your actions in helping you meet your goals?
I feel that my action plan was carried out to the best of my ability. In order to incorporate some of the standards I had to advocate using blogging tools within the district. I had to convince the powers that be that it would be a useful and safe tool to have available before they would open up the site for students to have access to blogging. I am still working closely with the tech. people at county to fix the issues I have encountered with using our new equipment and I should be getting someone to come out and sit with my class the next time we begin podcasts. So far I am very pleased with our progress.
•What have you learned so far that you can apply in your instructional practice?
In moving towards my goals to incorporate more web 2.0 tools into my curriculum I have learned how to transfer video from the camera to the computer and use a program to edit, add to and develop a movie to present information learned. My students have used examples on YouTube as encouragement to create their own videos. I have begun using online assessment tools to quiz the students through QuizStar. I love this tool because it gives data on the test results instantaneously. This allows me to know exactly where the students are thriving and where they still need more instruction.
•What do you still have to learn? What new questions have arisen?
I just began using EduBlogs with my students. This is the area that I still need some help. I know how to monitor posts and keep unwanted people from posting to the blog. What I haven’t figured out is how to be able to monitor every post before it can be viewed. At this time, once a person has gone through the monitor once they can post anything they want without it going through me first.
•How will you adjust your plan to fit your current needs?
I have accomplished many of my goals, but I need to continue working towards collaboration. I also need to involve the county tech people to help us overcome some of the hurdles we have encountered.
•Are you finding the information and resources you need?
As I work towards integrating technology in a classroom where students are new to working on computers every day I feel like we are progressing nicely. We try to incorporate technology into every lesson. My science department has ordered many new technological tools and has integrated some new programs onto the computers. We now have use of video flip cameras, audacity and movie maker as well as edublogs.org. Edublogs was opened to my students because of my continued requests to allow it. The problems that I am still running into include all the technology not being available on all the laptops and the technology not working when used together. Our laptops are severely limited in how they can be used. The students cannot record on the flip camera and then upload their video to the computer for editing. Last week we created videos to explain how humans are affecting our planet. They did wonderfully, but ultimately I had to bring in my personal computer to upload the videos for editing and then burning the video to a dvd to watch on the television. This project shouldn’t have been so difficult. The students should have been able to do all of the same editing and DVD burning on the school computers that I was able to do on mine. A few weeks ago my students created podcasts using windows movie maker and audacity. As I walked around the classroom to monitor progress and help those who needed it I saw some great work being done. The problem we encountered though came the next day when they tried to open their projects. You could see where they had recorded everything; however they could no longer view their work. The students were upset that their work was gone.
•Do you need to modify your action plan?
My intial action plan
“By using these standards to develop my lesson plans I should be able to incorporate all levels of technology use in my classroom. To accomplish this goal I will need to continue my own research and learning into all aspects of technology use available to me and my students. Before I can expect my students to master new programs I need to master them. I will continue my educational goals to this end. My district is in its technological infancy so I will also have to advocate the use of technologies not yet available in our classrooms.”
definitely needs some revision. My goals cannot be realized by doing the work on my own. I must include those in my district who can open up more resources to the students so that our equipment works properly.
•What have you learned so far?
So far the best thing that has come from this experience is the excitement from the students. I have learned how versatile my students are and how well they overcome issues that arise due to the lack of working equipment. They never give up trying and are excited to test every new thing I throw their way. In the last month my students have created podcasts, videos that they edited, taken quizzes online and began blogging. Not all of these applications worked the first time out ans we are still trying to figure out what happened to the podcasts but the students come in every day get a computer and want to know what’s next. We even do our bring book work on the computer, I find it amazing how allowing them to answer the section questions on powerpoint or Microsoft word gets them to actually work on the assignment. Who knew?
- What resources will I need to carry out your plan (video, reading, experts or colleagues, etc)?
I need to continue to learn what resources are available to me and my students within the district and then learn to use those resources. I am new to my district and I find out almost daily what we do have available and what to not even bother to ask for because my district is new to technology and still very skeptical of many applications.
- What additional information do you need?
Being that I am new to the curriculum I am still learning the content and finding lessons to go with the standards. I need a stepping stone to begin the lessons so that I may expand them to include technology and differentiated learning.
- What steps have you been able to take so far?
I added my goals to my weekly lesson plans that I turn in to the administration, highlighting the sections that I feel my lessons incorporated. These goals are now permanently on my lesson plan template, that way when I’m working on my plans I am reminded to add features that will incorporate those standards.
It will take a while to become proficient in these standards, but I have faith that with determination and help from my colleagues I will succeed.
January 13, 2011
My Game Plan
Every teacher knows that students learn through mutliple learning modalities that include but are not limited to visual learning, auditory, kinetic and more. The computer and all it has to offer allows all types of learners to learn the way they know best. For this reason alone all teachers should do there best to incorporate technology into their curriculums.
The International Society for Technology in Education gives us the standards we should strive to acheive to reach this goal. http://www.iste.org/standards.aspx In reviewing these standards I have chosen two that I want to use in working towards increasing the amount of technology use in my classroom.
. 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. Teachers:
a. promote, support, and model creative and innovative thinking and inventiveness. b. engage students in exploring real-world issues and solving authentic problems using digital tools and resources. c. promote student reflection using collaborative tools to reveal and clarify students’ conceptual understanding and thinking, planning, and creative processes. d. model collaborative knowledge construction by engaging in learning with students, colleagues, and others in face-to-face and virtual environments.
2. Design and Develop Digital-Age Learning Experiences and Assessments
Teachers design, develop, and evaluate authentic learning experiences and assessment incorporating contemporary tools and resources to maximize content learning in context and to develop the knowledge, skills, and attitudes identified in the NETS•S. Teachers:
a. design or adapt relevant learning experiences that incorporate digital tools and resources to promote student learning and creativity. b. 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. c. customize and personalize learning activities to address students’ diverse learning styles, working strategies, and abilities using digital tools and resources. d. provide students with multiple and varied formative and summative assessments aligned with content and technology standards and use resulting data to inform learning and teaching.
I chose these two standards because I believe students should have an active role in their learning. My G.A.M.E plan (Cennamo, K, et al, 2009)
Goals:
Instead of chosing two strands of one standard I chose two standards. This leaves me with 8 strands to master. I decided to begin in this manner because (just like the science standards I teach) all the strands of one standard are related and work together to reach a common goal. I plan to add these standards to my weekly lessons and develope learning essential questions for myself as well as my students. I want to incorporate these standards into my plans in teaching. It is my goal to introduce at least two new strands into my teaching strategy every week until I have included all eight.
Action:
By using these standards to develop my lesson plans I should be able to incorporate all levels of technology use in my classroom. To accomplish this goal I will need to continue my own research and learning into all aspects of technology use available to me and my students. Before I can expect my students to master new programs I need to master them. I will continue my educational goals to this end. My district is in its technological infancy so I will also have to advocate the use of technologies not yet available in our classrooms.
Monitor:
To be successful I will have to track my technology use, the integration of new tools available to my students and the success of my students in using these tools. I would like to keep a journal (that the students can contribute too) that would list the pros and cons of each lesson and the success of the technology integrated within the lesson.
Evaluate:
Luckily I teach three grade levels, this will give my some diversity in my endeaver to incorporate tecnology and inspire learning. I plan to keep records of the next two units my classes will be learning and the lessons I use. I will keep records of the technology used and the success of that technology. After every assessment I will evaluate the usefulness of the programs used and the lessons that were integrated. It is my thought that if I am successful in including these standards in my teaching methods than my students overall grades should go up. By using the journal I should be able to evaluate and adjust the lessons to maximize their effectiveness.
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/Content/NavigationMenu/NETS/ForTeachers/
2008Standards/NETS_T_Standards_Final.pdf
Laureate Education, Inc. (Producer). (2009). EDUC 6713I-1 Integrating Technology Across Content Areas. [DVD]. Promoting Self Directed Lifelong Learning with Technology. Baltimore, MD. Dr. Katherine Cennamo
Laureate Education, Inc. (Producer). (2009). EDUC 6713I-1 Integrating Technology Across Content Areas. [DVD]. Enriching Content Area Learning Experiences with Technology Part II. Baltimore, MD. Dr. Peggy Ertmer
Before beginning this class it was my belief that incorporating Gardner’s mulitple intelligences into every lesson was the best way to teach! In studying for this class I have come to see that I stand in good company when it comes to these teaching practices. Dr. Wolfe as well as Dr. Orey reinforced my believes that the more a student hears, sees and does something the more connections in the brain are established. As these connections build, the memory is strengthened and learning takes place. In this class the focus was how to take this knowledge and integrete technology into the process. We learned how to use concept mapping to organize our thoughts and take notes. Including images of the material being studied in the concept map the student is strengthening the connections being made within the brain. If you then add a virtual field trip or voicethread you again build on the prior knowledge and create a better understanding. There are many ways to use technology not only to present material to the students but also to allow the students to learn for themselves by searching for and creating their own learning experiences. It is my goal to use these technologies in my classroom more as a learning tool and not so much as teaching tools (as I did in the past). Allowing the students to use technology to research information,collaborate with peers within the classroom as well as around the world, and create their own wikis, blogs and other presentations will give the students ownership of their own learning. I want my students to be excited to learn and to search for the knowledge they desire. It is my job to egnite that desire to learn and facilitate my students’ learning. My personal learning theory was and still remains that students learn through different modalities and providing opportunities for each learning style in each lesson gives the students the best chance of assimulating the knowledge.
