The GAME plan (goals, actions,
monitor, evaluate and extend) is an
instructional model for self-directed learning that guides one through the
steps necessary for customizing one’s approach to learning tasks and developing
important relevant skills (Cennamo, Ross, & Ertmer, 2009) . The approach is structured to help one not
only develop and refine learning goals for themselves but also to attain those
through relevant actions taken by the learner.
The final steps involve monitoring ones plan and determining, as a
result of the learning, what one would do differently in the future.
As an assignment for an online
master’s class that I am taking, I am going to come up with my own GAME plan in
relation to technology use in the classroom.
Using the ITSE (International Society for Technology in Education) NETS
for teachers as a starting point, I want to focus on two areas of technology
use where I would like to increase my proficiency levels.
The first is standard
2A: Design or adapt relevant learning
experiences that incorporate digital tools and resources to promote student
learning and creativity (ITSE, 2012) . One goal that I have set for myself is taking
one lesson per unit that I teach and incorporating a technological component into
it (not just for the sake of adding technology but to enrich the lesson being
taught). The action that I intend to use
is examining technologies that I am already familiar with and matching them to
the lesson being taught. This will not
overwhelm me with learning a new technology while attempting to implement it in
the classroom. Monitoring and evaluating
will be taken together as I will reflect both during the lesson being taught
and afterwards looking specifically at what went well and what did not, how
smoothly the transition from a paper based to a technology based lesson went,
and ultimately what did I and my students learn from this experience. Having student fill out evaluations on the
lesson would be helpful to gain their perspective on those issues as well.
The second standard that I want
to focus on is 5C: Evaluate and reflect
on current research and professional practice on a regular basis to make effective
use of existing and emerging digital tools and resources in support of student
learning (ITSE, 2012) . This is traditionally an area where I am
weaker, relying on the technologies that I am more familiar with so as to be
able to more confidently support my students in the classroom. Using technology itself, I have set up a goal
of examining a couple of different avenues such as blogs like Stephen’s Lighthouse
(http://stephenslighthouse.com/) or
the Delicious book marking site (http://www.delicious.com/)
to keep up with the technology that is out there at least once a month. Devoting time to look at and work with these
technologies is the next logical step (the action plan). Spending a few hours per month exploring and
practicing with these technologies will give me a better understanding of how
they will work within a classroom setting and how they will fit into the educational
goals I have for my students. This endeavor
will allow me to both monitor and evaluate the content that I am engaging with
as well as be able to determine whether or not I am meeting my own learning
goals.
References
Abram, S. (2005, July). Retrieved September 12, 2012,
from Stephen's Lighthouse:
http://stephenslighthouse.com/
AVOS. (2011). Retrieved September 12, 2012, from Delicious:
http://www.delicious.com/
Cennamo, K., Ross, J., & Ertmer, P. (2009). Technology Integration
for Meaningful Classroom
Use. Mason, OH: Cengage Learning.
ITSE, I. S. (2012). NETS for Teachers. Retrieved September 12,
2012, from
http://www.iste.org/standards/nets-for-teachers
Sandra, I was inspired by your goal of researching new technology every month. I have worked with Delicious.com a few times but I have not heard of Stephenslighthouse. Rest assured I will take a look!
ReplyDeleteAs I proceed in this program and plan my GAME plan, I know that what you propose is essential my success. Understanding and using technology does not come easy for me as I did not grow up using it and sometimes find it intimidating. However, my students and my daughter, are more than willing to teach me a few of their favorite tools and show off their skills. Our students are an important resource. When we tap into their knowledge and ask their opinion about what they would like to explore, I believe we are going to open the door to a learning experience where teachers and students sometimes switch roles. Think about the possibilities!
As I continue to meet with my PLC (members of which teach Computer Applications and Web Design), I will be introduced to new resources and tools. My colleagues and I are excited to share activities that can be enriched by technology across our different courses.
Last thought... perhaps a chart should be created to document our progress and findings. The chart could have columns that list the specific technology tools, capabilities of the resources, and possible real-world applications could be introduced to the classroom. After using the technology in class, a summary of students evaluation and evaluation of entire project could be noted as well.
Tabatha Miller
Tabitha,
DeleteCollaboration can be brought about on so many levels. Generally we educators think that we should be doing all of the teaching and forget that our students have a thing or two that they can teach us. In this type of exchange, not only are important skills being honed, but important life lessons are being forged as well.
I like the idea of charting the progress and findings of the technological explorations. It will provide a tangible record of what was attempted and accomplished as well as provide another avenue for incorporating technology into the venue. Thanks for the suggestion.
Sandra
Sandra,
ReplyDeleteI think your "GAME" plan looks great- I love the way you have thought about trying to incorporate technologies that you are already familiar with into your current lessons as to not feel too overwhelmed. I also like the approach you are taking on learning about new technolgy tools and I admire that you are taking time to do this! As teachers I think we get so busy with lesson planning, grading, and paper work that we end up shorting ourselves in learning new things to help create better learning experiences for our students. I also like to find ways to incorporate technology into lessons to help improve student learning (and also not just for the sake of using technology). I have just recently started to use Delicious bookmarking and it has given me some great ideas to use in the classroom.
A suggestion I have would be to have your students try out a new technology tool that you may not be as familiar with and allow them to explore it and teach each other as well as you how it could be used. I did this when I had my students create a wiki on wikispaces.com. They really helped me to feel more comfortable and I learned as much as they did!
Thanks for your thoughts!
Angie Murphy
Angie,
DeleteYour suggest has a great deal of merit to it. Generally speaking, our students are fearless when it comes to new technology and delving right into it to determine its potential and limitations. Oftentimes, they come up with an application for it that we otherwise would have overlooked. I will definitely take this into consideration.
Sandra