As I reflect on the GAME plan I developed during this course, I have mixed feelings. On the positive side, I feel that the process of developing my personal GAME plan and the format of the plan was extremely beneficial. The structure that this plan provided helped me to stay focus and maintain that focus. Using the plan, I was able to progress towards the goals I had set for becoming proficient in specific areas of the ISTE NETS. The GAME plan not only allowed me to set these goals, but have set actions that I could take to to achieve them and also to monitor my progress. Monitoring has always been an issue for me because my time is so stretched. Finally, I liked the fact that I was able to adjust my plan according to my learning and the acquisition of new information and the realization of new needs.

On the negative side, I feel that I was not able to truly utilize the GAME and reap all of its’ benefits because I did not develop this plan until the end of the school year. The end of the school year presents so many time challenges for me and as such, I do not feel I was able to devote as much time as I could or should have to my GAME. Yet, the beauty of the plan and its’ format is that I can continue with it throughout the summer as well as into next year in order to meet the goals I had set for myself.

I do feel that there are several things that I have learned from the process as well as my actual GAME that will aid me in my daily instruction. The first is that it is extremely important to set aside time throughout the week for my own professional development. Of all of the goals and actions that I set in my GAME plan, the one thing that gave me the most insight and knowledge into new technologies and how to use them in the class was just taking time in the week and searching the Internet or articles for information on how others utilize technologies in their classroom or just reading about emerging technologies. I feel, as an educator, we become so involved in the day to day tasks in our profession that we forget that we must take time for our own professional, as well as personal, needs so we can continue to stay at the top of our profession and truly give our students the best. As a result, I have sectioned off time three days a week on my calendar for next year that just allows me time to “discover” by researching and exploring various web resources and publications that I have subscribed to.

Another change that I have made as a result of the knowledge and understanding that I have gained from my GAME plan is that I will truly examine any technologies that I use in my classroom in order to determine its’ worth for my students. I want to use technologies that will benefit my students as well as enhance their educational experience. What I want to avoid is using technology just to use it and then reducing its overall effectiveness in assisting as well as motivating students. For example, an electronic whiteboard can be an amazing tool in the classroom, but it can also become a mere hi-tech expensive replacement for a chalkboard.

Overall, I would say that my experience with the GAME plan was a good one. I plan to use the format of the GAME plan to help me with my professional development throughout the school year. I also intend to introduce it to my colleagues in order for them to use in their own professional development. I will also experiment with using it to assist student with setting goals that they want to achieve throughout the school year.

GAME Plan with my students

I have thought quite a bit as to how I could use the GAME plan process with my students in order to help them develop proficiency in the ISTE NETS as well as using the process to help my students in other aspects of their education. The first thing I would need to do is to simplify the process for my students. Since I teach 4th grade, I feel the GAME would be a bit cumbersome to the students. Instead, I would have them focus on 1 or 2 goals at a time. One of these goals would be related to developing proficiency to the ISTE NETS and the other on improving an area in Language Arts. I would also, initially, have to guide the students in making their goals. Most of my students would have goals such as I want to use the Internet more or I want to play video games more often on the Internet. Yet, I think that if I am able to guide them through the initial setting of goals for their GAME plan, they will be able to emulate that in the future.

Other modifications I would need to make would be for their actions, monitoring and evaluating of their process and progress. For their actions, I would have to give them specific things that they will need to do in order to accomplish their goals. At this grade level, my students do not have enough insight and knowledge of the resources that surround them to be able to know what actions they need to take to achieve their goals. However, if I give them 1 or 2 actions to take, they could then come up with an action or two on their own based off of the ones I have given them. I would also need to provide a way for the students to monitor their GAME as well as a way for me to monitor their plans. It is unrealistic to expect my students to do this consistently by themselves. Are they capable, yes, but will my students actually do it...no. So if it is important to me, I must give them a way to monitor their progress and some accountability. Finally the evaluation process. Everyone of my students will say that they were successful in their GAME plan regardless if they had ever contributed anything towards accomplishing it or not. Therefore I would need to guide them in a way to honesty evaluate their experience and be truthful in why or why they did not accomplish their goals. From this we could then discuss what could be done differently next time.

As i write this post, what I actually see is that having GAME plans at the elementary level is going to require allot of modifying on part to help my students be successful. I would love any additional ideas that may make this an easier task for myself.

Disappointment

I am a bit disappointed in my progress so far with my GAME Plan. The past few weeks I have made steady, if not slow progress. However, this past week I have struck a wall. There has been so much going on at my school for the end of the school year and preparing for next year, I have let some of my progress fall by the wayside.

I have decided that I need to continue with my GAME Plan, but extend it and try to apply the new knowledge I gain to my plans for next year instead of this year. Since I am currently out of the classroom in my school, I do not always see a regular class. Since it is the end of the year, I have been swamped with non-classroom tasks to complete. This means I have not been able to apply anything that I have gained so far. Thus, my revised plan is to stay the course with my plan, but since I will be a classroom teacher next year I can apply what I have learned to those plans and that class.

I have really failed at my time management for this year. I have underestimated how many tasks I would be assigned by my administrator at the end of the year. Next year, I need to be willing to say “no” more often. Not to just say “no”, but instead to say it so I can take time to concentrate on my professional development to improve my craft. It is difficult for me because I tend to take on many administrative tasks because I try to be a voice for my colleagues. Therefore, I rarely say no when my input or services are requested.

I would like to ask my Walden Community for insight. How can I balance my time to be involved in the decision-making at my school, but still make time for my own professional needs?

Evaluating My GAME Plan..so far…

As I look at my GAME plan so far, I feel that the actions I have taken so far to meet my goals have been effective, with limitations. They have been effective in that I am learning about more technology and its’ applications to education constantly through the resources I have subscribed to and obtained. The magazine(s) I have subscribed to have been the least helpful. I took the advice of many of you and canceled my subscription to one. The second magazine has given me some interesting ideas, but I maintain that what these publications publish it somewhat dated. The PD community and collaboration with my peers has been the most effective. I have had incredible conversations and idea exchanged with the educators in my building as well as on the web. Besides this collaboration, the time I have set aside just to search the web and look for new resources has been very effective. The wealth of information out there is simply amazing, when you have the time to seek it out.

Yet, not everything has gone according to plan. Time constraints have been slowly increasing and I find that I have less and less time to spend with my colleagues and to explore the web for resources. In addition, as the end of the school year comes about, stress has become another hindrance that has made following my GAME plan very difficult.

Even with the challenges so far, I have been able to take some items back to the classroom with me. I plan for next year, to utilize CPS systems more often in the classroom to access students with selected response questions. I have also requested several iPod nano’s with video cameras in order to allow my students to use film making as a means of assessment in my classroom. So many teachers have expressed how this way of accessing students has opened their minds to more creativity and higher order thinking rather than just paper and pencil exams. These are just a few of the things that I have gleaned thus far.

I still have much to learn. The two main things that have become new priorities for m are how to effectively manage my students and their use of all of this technology? The second question that has become very important to me is how do I reconcile these new and creative ways to access and teach my students with the very traditional approach of our state standardized tests? The latter is extremely haunting to me as I do not want to ill prepare my students for their tests and disadvantage them.

On a side note, I definitely feel that this was the wrong time of year to begin my GAME plan due to the entire end of school year chaos. Yet, I want to continue with it and I believe that much of my growth from my GAME plan will occur over the summer as I have time and begin to prepare for next school year.

Thanks for reading…

Monitoring My Progress...

As I take some time to reflect on the progress I have made for my GAME plan, I am actually surprised at how much I have been able to accomplish in such a short amount of time. I have subscribed to 3 technology magazines that focus on integrating and new and emerging technologies in the classroom (Technology and Children, tech Trends and Mac Life). I have actually received the first issues of 2 of the magazines. The Technology and Children magazine seems amazing and is filled with useful websites, ideas and articles from other educators. This journal is very interesting and has helped me not only plan but also to introduce me to things I did not know existed. The second magazine, Tech trends, is like reading stereo instruction in a room that is 90 degrees with 99% humidity. It is extremely lengthy and not very friendly. I am still trying to push myself through the first issue, but I have not had much luck with it yet.

Although I have joined www.betterlesson.org, I have not really seen much benefit from it yet. It is, currently, not the easiest site to join and members do not really interact a whole lot. It is a good idea, but maybe in the long run it will pan out. I do meet with several other colleagues to plan with a specific emphasis on using technology in our plans, but time has been a real challenge since the end of the year is approaching and many times we end up talking about everything except what we are there for.

I have gone on the web and just done some research and exploring for various technologies and resources. I have tried to give myself 2 hours a week to explore the web and look at new things. I have found this the most promising and worthwhile part of my GAME plan so far. I have discovered many new and interesting gadgets that could be very useful in the classroom. One that comes to mind is a media player. These little gadgets, which I was aware of before this, are amazing. They can allow students to view broadcasts and shows from across the world. In addition, teachers can use these gadgets to show downloaded movie clips, shows, YouTube videos etc. and they are not that expensive. I have also been reading how other educators are using tools like iPods and Flips in the classroom for projects and alternative assessments.

Overall, I feel I am making steady progress in my GAME plan. The biggest obstacle, besides some very dry material, has been time. Between work, home life, graduate school and just life…time is often very short.

Carrying Out My GAME Plan

Last week, I posted my first blog in which I described my GAME plan for increasing my proficiency in regards to 2 indicators described in the ISTE NETS. This week I am “blogging” about the resources that I will need to carry out my GAME plan as well as what I have already done. The first resource that I would need is the Internet. The Internet is vital for me as it allows me to access the thoughts and ideas of hundreds of teachers and colleagues throughout the world. This is extremely important since I am trying to increase my capacity in using technology tools to promote student reflection and collaboration as well as using and demonstrating current, new and emerging technologies in the classroom. The Internet offers a vast array of reviews, ideas, instructions and lessons that are easily accessed via search engines and teacher websites. Sites that have already helped me are MacWord.com, News.com, Amazon.com, CNET and Bestbuy.com.

I have also joined the teacher networking/professional community Beterlesson.org. This site is very similar to Facebook, except it is for educators and promotes the sharing of lessons and ideas among educators. I feel that this resource will be very valuable to me as I will be able to tap into the ideas of hundreds of educators who are already familiar with technology. In addition, I want to use the ideas and suggestions of my colleagues in my current school building. They are an extremely valuable resource because they are familiar and have experience working with my specific population and all have a unique understanding of the student’s cultural needs and many effective ways to promote learning.

I have currently subscribed to two magazines that aim at integrating technology into the classroom. I have received only one copy of each, but so far I have not found them very useful. Many of the articles are about things that have been around for quite a while and some of the newer suggestions seem to be unrealistic or cost prohibitive.

I feel that using as many human resources, even via the Internet, is one of my best options simply because there is such a vast amount of technology available that is constantly changing that it would be impossible for me to try to do it all on my own. As always I would appreciate any suggestions that would aid me.

Personal GAME Plan for Technology Integration

This is my first ever BLOG post...

After reviewing the ISTE NETS for teachers located at http://www.iste.org/Content/NavigationMenu/NETS/ForTeachers/2008Standards/NETS_for_Teachers_2008.htm I have chosen the following two indicators to focus on and strengthen my proficiency in.

The first indicator is 1.c, which reads:

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. Teachers: c. promote student reflection using collaborative tools to reveal and clarify students' conceptual understanding and thinking, planning, and creative processes(ISTE, 2008).

I have many ideas and have even planned many lessons that would have my students use technology to reflect on their learning and experiences. However, to date, I have not implemented a single one.

The GAME plan I have developed to help me achieve my goal of becoming more comfortable with this indicator is as follows:

G:(Set Goals) 1. Identify 2 technology resources that are easy and available for students to use that can serve as a reflective tool for students.

2. Develop an activity that takes no longer than 10 minutes, for students to use one of these technology resources to reflect upon their learning.

3. Make this activity a priority in the classroom so students will utilize it with seriousness and enthusiasm, therefore making it an effective monitoring and reflective tool for students.

4. Research the web for creative technology related websites, tools or hardware that maybe used for reflection by students.

A:(take Action) In the next 7 days, I will take the time to connect with colleagues at my school as well as colleagues on the NET to identify some possible resources for this reflective activity.

M: (Monitor progress) This BLOG is one tool that will allow me to monitor my progress as well as ensure that I follow through with the goals and actions I have set.

E: (Evaluate) Again this blog will allow me to reflect on whether I have fully or partially achieved my goal(s).

The second indicator I chose to focus on is:

3. Model Digital-Age Work and Learning

Teachers exhibit knowledge, skills, and work processes representative of an innovative professional in a global and digital society. Teachers: d. model and facilitate effective use of current and emerging digital tools to locate, analyze, evaluate, and use information resources to support research and learning (ISTE, 2008).

This indicator is something that every teacher should constantly focus on since technologies are constantly changing and new ones are introduced all of the time. Yet, I have not done what I need to in order to keep abreast of the latest tools, resources and technologies that are introduced and as a result I am often caught off guard when someone else introduces something that is unfamiliar to me.

G:(Set Goals) 1. Stay informed of new and emerging technologies that would benefit my students and I in the classroom.

2. Learn more about how I can use iPods and in the classroom to assist in learning and research.

A:(take Action) 1. Subscribe to news feeds and websites that can electronically notify me of articles and ideas of new technologies in the classroom.

2. Subscribe to an educational/technology resources that I can utilize for ideas and to be informed.

3. Utilize my professional development communities to keep up-to-date.

M: (Monitor progress) This BLOG is one tool that will allow me to monitor my progress as well as ensure that I follow through with the goals and actions I have set.

E: (Evaluate)Again this blog will allow me to reflect on whether I have fully or partially achieved my goal(s).

I look forward to suggestions from you all on the goals I have listed as well as the actions to achieve them and the steps to monitor and evaluate them.

Resources:

ISTE, Initials. (2008). Nets for teachers 2008. Retrieved from http://www.iste.org/Content/NavigationMenu/NETS/ForTeachers/2008Standards/NETS_for_Teachers_2008.htm