Week # 4 Monitoring My GAME Plan Progress

I have made some progress towards the goals in my GAME plan thus far. I have had some success with finding the information and resources that I need. Although the internet has provided me with a great deal of information, I now need to synthesize the information and try to make sense of it. I’m still in the process of trying to locate a professional conference on using technology to support authentic instruction. In addition, I’m going to contact a few teachers in the district who are computer savvy though e-mail, phone, or face to face if possible. There are also a few books that I’m in the process of ordering that may help contribute to me achieve my game plan.


As of now, I don’t think I need to make any modifications to my GAME plan. I have had some success, and I want to give my plan a little more time before I make any changes. There are several resources that will be available once school starts that may help open a few more doors. It seems that up to this point that the strategies that I’m using are helping me make sufficient progress toward my goals.

Up to this point I have learned a lot about how to become a self-directed learner. I have a better understanding how think about and how to take steps to direct my leaning process as I integrate technology into my classroom. I really like using the game plan strategy because it has allowed me to customize my approach to learning, help me integrate technology, and give me the tools for lifelong learning.

I have also learned a lot about the impact authentic experiences can have on students. The ability to help student immediately connect with what they are learning is the one key aspect that I continue to notice about authentic learning activities. It’s this connection that seems to help deepen the learning process and help students construct a personal meaning about their world, and technology gives them the opportunity to express what they have learned in many ways.

What are the restrictions or limitations that will arise as I experiment with using technology and with authentic instruction? These are the big questions I keep asking myslef? Will my students’ have the basic necessary skills to use technology in the classroom? Although I these questions seem negative, I feel that by using the steps in the GAME plan, I will be able to find answers to these questions. I believe that my game plan for learning will allow me to identify any limitation or restriction and help me apply my new knowledge to make the necessary change to meet my learning goals.

Carrying Out The GAME Plan Week # 3

Meeting with the technology experts in my district is one of the resources I plan on contacting to help me carry out my game plan for designing authentic and creative learning opportunities for my students’. I have recently set up a meeting with a technology teacher in my building that is willing to meet with me before school start this year. I have expressed my interest in using technology to promote and develop creative thinking activities for my students’. The technology teacher said that he had a few ideas that might help identify technologies that would support the incorporation of authentic and creative learning experiences.

I would also like to see if our district is planning on offering any professional development opportunities for teachers. Is it me or does anyone else feels like most PD opportunities are typically not very useful? I think it’s because these types of decisions are usually made by administrators and not teachers. I could be wrong! Anyhow……

Once I identify several technologies that I would like to experiment with, I will need to learn how to use the knowledge that I gain to analyze, synthesize, and evaluate the most appropriate strategies to use in class. I will do this by reading, searching the internet, tutorials, and by reaching out to other experts. Once I have selected a technology tool, I will focus on that tool the remainder of the year.

Up to this point, I have been able to set up a meeting with a technology and began to research on my own. I believe that this is a good starting point, but I know that I must connect with others and tap into their understanding on how to create effective learning opportunities for students. I believe the best way to understand the impact technology is to become part of it and I feel that this can be accomplished by reaching out to others and experimenting with technology tools.

Week Two Application: Developing A Personal GAME Plan

After looking at the National Education Standards for Teachers (NETS-T) I feel that I would like to set goals for strengthening my confidence and proficiency in (Facilitate and Inspiring Student learning and Creativity) and (Engage in Professional Growth and Leadership). I believe that this is a good place to start for me and I feel that these are two areas in which I could improve in. To accomplish these goals I must come up with my GAME plan. In this plan will stet goals, take action, monitor these goals, and evaluate and extend on what I have learned.

To accomplish this first goal I will need to learn how to integrate my subject matter with different technology tools that will help facilitate student creativity and learning. To start, I will make a list of the tools that I would like to use in my classroom, and then learn to use each of these tools within context of my curriculum. To do this I will do research on the Internet and look for tutorials that will help me gain experience with the technology tools that I plan on using. I will also start to experiment with these tools in the classroom. Meeting with the technology department in our district for support and guidance is another way that will help me acquire the necessary knowledge to use technology in the classroom. To monitor my progress, I'm going to  incorporate and use the technology tools in my lessons when it is appropriate. As I collect information from these lessons, I will look to see if the technology tools are helping the students meet the learning goals. With this information I can see whether or not I need to make adjustments or modifications to the learning strategy. To evaluate and extend on my learning of these tools, I will reflect on each of the activities and will look to see if the technology tools help me meet the leaning goals. By reflecting on the different approaches that I used, I will be able to determine whether or not I should modify the lessons in the future.

To accomplish the second goal of Engage in Professional Growth and Leadership, I will need to identify a piece of software or technology tool that I would like to use in the classroom and look to determine if it aligns with my instructional goals. To take action, I will research the internet and our districts professional development calendar to see if there are any available classes, seminars, or conferences that may be offered. After I locate and select a professional development opportunity, I will make the necessary plans to attend. Once I complete the PD activity, I will monitor this goal by slow introducing the technology tool into my lessons. In addition, I will look to see if the technology tool is helping my students understand the class concepts and achieve the learning targets. With this information, I will be able to modify or make changes to the lessons. To evaluate and extend on my professional growth I will continue to reflect on my professional development experiences and evaluate which types of professional development work best for me and my schedule.

I believe that this GAME plan has given me a starting point in developing my ability to actively plan, monitor, and evaluate my learning progress throughout this course. I feel that this GAME plan will help me self-assess my current level of skills in relation to the NETS-T Standards and allow me to continually learning and integrate technology into my classroom.