Sunday, August 22, 2010

Final Blog Post for EDUC 6713

After reflecting on the GAME plan that I have developed throughout this course, I feel that I have made huge strides in accomplishing the goals that I established in week one. Using the GAME plan approach has allowed me to monitor and evaluate my progress toward achieving my goals. I have learned how to become and how to teach my students’ to be self-directed learners. This course has allowed me to develop and incorporate technology into my instructional strategies. Furthermore, I have a better understanding how think about and how to take steps to direct my leaning as I integrate technology into my classroom. I like using the GAME plan strategy because it has allowed me to customize my approach to learning, helped me integrate technology into my classroom, and given me the tools for lifelong learning.

I have learned a lot from using the GAME plan that will immediately impact my classroom and my instructional practices. Teaching students how to set goals (Technology Related and Content Related) and self-assessing those goals using the GAME plan is a strategy that I will definitely teach my students’. I think it’s important for students to learn how to be self-directed learners. Setting goals, taking action, monitoring learning, and evaluating those goals are skills that will help students throughout their life. Teaching students the steps of the GAME plan will help them respond to changes that may occur during their academic and professional careers.

Using digital tools to help customize and personalize learning activities to address different abilities is one change I will make to my instructional practice regarding technology integration as a result of my learning from this course. I know that students will arrive at my door step with different abilities and needs. I now have a better understanding how to use technology to help support the diverse learning needs of my students’. Using multimedia tools in my classroom will allow my students’ to access information, practice skills and to demonstrate their new understandings.

Although I believe that I have learned and accomplished a lot in regards to technology integration, I still feel that I must continue to look for ways to integrated and structure opportunities for students to use technology in my classroom. As Cennamo, Ross, & Ross remarked, “to teach with technology specifically, is a lifelong journey” pg.1. I know that in order to help my students reach their full potential I must continue to think about what I know about technology and what I still need to know to help make my students’ be successful. I’m really looking forward to getting back to school and implementing all the new strategies that I have learned throughout this course. As I continue to teach, I’m want to make it a priority to ask myself what do students need to learn, and how can technology promote those learning goals? I feel that it is my responsibility as teacher to create learning opportunities for all of my students’.

Reference: Cennamo, K., Ross, J., & Ertmer, P. (2010). Technology integration for meaningful classroom use: A standards-based approach. Belmont, CA: Wadsworth, Cengage Learning.

Sunday, August 15, 2010

Blog Post: Using the GAME Plan Process with Students

There are several ways I will use the GAME plan process with students to help them develop proficiency in the technology standards and indicators outlined in the NETS-S. There’s a lot similarities between the teacher and student indictors, so it would only make sense to teach students how to use the GAME plan to help them monitor their learning. Teaching and outlining the four step in used the GAME plan will be the first step I will take. I believe that this must be the foundation to help guide students into becoming self-directed learners. Teaching students the GAME plan will help them learn how to think about their learning process, especially while they are learning about the technology standards and indictors described by ISTE. The GAME plan will help teach students how to customize their own approach to learning, help them develop important technology skills, and help them become self-directed learners.

Teaching students how to set goals (Technology Related) and self-assessing those goals is another key aspect of the game plan. To help students with this process I will display the NETS for students and have the select one goal to work on throughout the term. I believe that this help student determine which skills they all ready have and decide on the ones they need to learn more about. Once my students have decided on a standard, they will need to create their own GAME plan. Each student will be responsible for coming up with a way to demonstrate that they have obtained their goal. I believe that teaching students how to use the GAME plan will help them learn how to set goals, take action, monitor those goals, and reflect on their learning.



Greg-

Sunday, August 8, 2010

Revising My GAME Plan Week 6

After reviewing my progress on meeting my goals that I have established for learning about technology and technology resources, I believe that I have made progress, but I feel that there is always room for improvement. According to Cennamo, Ross, and Ertmer (2009), “as a lifelong learner, much of your learning will be self-directed. That is, you will be responsible for locating learning opportunities and completing tasks to meet your own learning goals”. As I continue to teach, I’m want to make it a priority to ask myself what do students need to learn, and how can technology promote those learning goals? I feel that it is my responsibility as teacher to create learning opportunities for all of my students, and to be a lifelong learner as describe by Cennamo, Ross, and Ertmer.


Although I believe that I have learned a lot, I feel that integrating a classroom blog is a technology tool that I could apply in my classroom today. It’s a tool that can offer a lot to me and my students’. I want to start small and use it as a place to publish class syllabus, class rules, homework assignments, rubrics, handouts, and presentations. I believe it will save me and my students’ a lot of time as far locating and duplicating copies of things that I had already handed out. Furthermore, I think it might reduce the frequency of “I didn’t know I had homework”, or “I lost my handout” responses when my students’ did not do their work.

As far as the NETS-T standards, I would like to focus a little more on designing and developing digital-Age learning experiences and assessments for my students’. This of course, is once I accomplish the goals that I have set in week one of this course. It seems like it may be a little complicated to assess students learning while integrating technology tools. I believe that it will not be as complicated as I think once I experiment with assess technology tools.

To be honest, I’m not really sure what learning approach I will take in the future. I really want to reflect on the strategies that I’m current working, which I have not be able to do because it’s the summer. Once I have had time to take action and monitor my learning goals, I believe that I will be able to reflect on whether the strategies that I have chosen are actually are working or not.


Reference:


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

Tuesday, August 3, 2010

Week 5 Evaluating My GAME Plan Progress

Well, I’m little stressed right now due to the fact I’m a week behind on my assignment. I just went on a family vacation thinking I would have internet access and I was wrong. I assumed that the resort would have wireless internet available for its guest. I guess that’s what I get for assuming. Lesson learned!


After reflecting on my progress toward meeting the goals I established for learning technology and technology resources, I would have to say that I feel like I have made huge strides in accomplishing this task. The actions that I have taken has helped my meet my goals thus far. Using the GAME plan approach has allowed me to monitor and evaluate my professional growth. I have been able to identify whether the resources that I have been using will help me meet the goals of my plan. I have accomplished this mainly through reflecting on my actions. It’s this reflection that has really helped me think about what has worked, but also has helped me evaluate what is working at this point in time. This blog has also been a huge help in allowing me monitor my learning throughout this course. According to Cennamo, Ross, & Ross, “learning, in general, and about technology specifically, is an ongoing process” pg.7. This blog as allowed me to reflect on my ongoing experiences with technology and has allowed me to explain teaching insights have gain from what happens with the technology tools that I’ve use thus far.

Although I believe that I have learned and accomplished a lot in regards to technology, I still feel that I must continue to look for ways to integrated and structure opportunities for students to use technology in my classroom. As Cennamo, Ross, & Ross remarked, “to teach with technology specifically, is a lifelong journey” pg.1. I know that in order to help my students reach their full potential I must continue to think about what I know about technology and what I still need to know to help make my students’ be successful. Up to this point, no new questions have come up. I am eager for school to start so I can implement the technology tools that I have learned throughout this summer.

As of now, I really don’t want to make any changes to my Game plan until I’m able to see what impact technology can have one my teaching strategies. Once school starts I will able to evaluate and extend on my Game plan. I want to be able to look to see what patterns might emerge and then I will be able to decide if I need to make any modification to my plan.

Reference:

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.