Monitoring My GAME Plan

My main focus has been on achieving my goal for ISTE Standard 1:. Facilitate and Inspire Student Learning and Creativity.  Indicator c. “promote student reflection using collaborative tools to reveal and clarify students’ conceptual understanding and thinking, planning, and creative processes” (ISTE).  However, due to technology restrictions in my school I will have to refocus my GAME plan on my goals for ISTE Standard 2: Design and Develop Digital-Age Learning Experiences and Assessments.  Indicator b. states that teachers “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” (ISTE). 

Originally I wanted to incorporate a technology enriched assessment for each unit plan I teach and to develop a list of creative, technology-based assessments for students to choose from.  After becoming inspired by the course text this week, I have decided to develop a student an on-going portfolio project that incorporates each of the above assessments.  John Ross explains that assessments provide valuable data and help teachers support student learning by understanding their individual needs (Laureate Education, Inc., 2009).  Students will document and reflect on various portfolio projects of their choice.  Student contributions to their portfolio will include a combination of assessments of personal choice along with required pieces. 

            It will take time to develop project-based assessments for each unit plan that incorporate technology.  I understand that this process could be several years in the making.  As with all lesson plans and projects, I will have to edit and revise my new projects based on successful implementation and issues that arise throughout each project’s process.  The projects will be developed based on content standards and students will be expected to show mastery of the required standard.  These projects will serve as documentation of each student’s mastery of coordinating content standards.

            I have begun the process of creating a list of creative assessments to add to the portfolio.  I would like the list to be extensive enough that students would complete two or three projects each school quarter.  By the end of the school year, students would write reflections of their experiences while creating each project.  I have reflected on my experiences in undergraduate school and I have contacted a teacher from a different school district to give me ideas of suggestions while developing my list.  If anyone has creative, project or problem-based assessments, I would love to hear them!

            Even though my original plans to incorporate a blog into my classroom fell through, I have decided to refocus my goals.  The portfolio will serve as a combination of a documentation portfolio I which students “demonstrate growth by incorporating work samples that show a range of student proficiency over time” (Cennamo, Ross & Ertmer, p. 151) and a showcase portfolio which “contains samples of exemplary work” (Cennamo, Ross & Ertmer, p. 151).  Developing student portfolios to document student work will help students take more responsibility in their work and also show mastery of content standards. 

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.

Laureate Education, Inc. (Executive Producer). (2009). Integrating Technology Across the Content Areas. Baltimore: Author.

Carrying Out My GAME Plan...

In order to achieve my GAME plan I must begin to act on the goals I set.  Fully engaging students in my classroom will require me to let go of some of the control through collaborative technology and technology-based assessments   As I am one week into the GAME plan process, I have begun the process of becoming a well-rounded teacher, but I still have a long way to go. 

Resources:

            A variety of resources are required in order for me to follow my GAME plan.  Internet access and a computer are necessary as I continue to research possible lesson plans and assessments that integrate technology.  An additional resource, and probably the most important, is my technology coordinator as she holds information that is key to advancing my (and my students’) connectivity to the web.  While my school is behind the times in technology integration, the technology coordinator is able to give me insight into what new technology resources will be available for next school year.  The final resources that I can use to help me carryout my GAME plan are the remaining courses I have in my Walden program.  The courses along with my peers have proven to be great resources in developing my skills while teaching me about new programs and software.

Information:

            The key source of information that could limit my success in carrying out my GAME plan is my school district’s/principal’s policy on incorporating social collaborative technology.  If social collaborative tools are not permitted in my school district, my choices of assessments and my creativity in my assessments will be limited.  An additional source of information that could impact the development of my future assessments is the schedule for the computer lab next year.  While it may seem silly to some people, the restricted amount of computer lab time significantly affects my lessons and assessments. 

Steps Taken So Far:

I have not contacted my technology coordinator or principal about the technology restrictions within the district because I want to fully educate myself on the functions that I will utilize in the social collaborative technology.  My first step in this process has been becoming more familiar with the possible functions on a blog along with the security functions.  As I am the first teacher in my district (that I know of) to include a blog into my classroom, I want to be prepared to explain my goals for using this technology before I take the idea to my principal and technology coordinator. 

Developing a GAME Plan

The indicators I chose from the ISTE website clearly show my struggle to give up control in the classroom.  Many people believe new teachers are creative risk-takers that push others to move forward in the education field.  While I possess many of the common attributes of a new teacher, I struggle to break down walls that restrict me from fully engaging my students.  Creating GAME plans will allow me to develop into the well-rounded teacher I set out to become.

The first indicator that I struggle with falls under Standard 1:. Facilitate and Inspire Student Learning and Creativity.  Indicator c. states that teachers “promote student reflection using collaborative tools to reveal and clarify students’ conceptual understanding and thinking, planning, and creative processes” (ISTE).  While students have multiple opportunities to communicate and collaborate in my classroom, none of these experiences utilize technology.  Peggy Ertmer (2010A) explains that a teacher’s first priority is to teach content, and technology allows teachers to do that in a more effective way.  Due to my inexperience with collaborative tools in the classroom, I struggle in developing collaborative projects because I am intimidated by the risk that is involved in giving students the freedom to collaborate online. 

In developing my GAME plan for strengthening my confidence in this indicator I will start by setting goals.  My first goal is to become comfortable with at least one collaborative tool so that I can incorporate it into consistent classroom practice.  My second goal is to develop a weekly assessment in which students would consistently use the collaborative tool.  With my goals set, I will develop actions to achieve my goals.  First, I will familiarize myself with the technology restrictions within my school district in order to choose the collaborative tool I will focus on.  With the tool in mind, I will then develop one weekly assessment that my students will collaborate in.  I would like this assessment to be engaging for students so I would like to provide a great deal of student choice in the assignment.  I will monitor my progress by completing monthly reviews on the collaborative experience.  I also think it would be beneficial to discuss the assessment with students in order to gain an understanding of ways that it could be improved.  Finally I will evaluate and extend my learning by incorporating an additional collaborative learning tool into my routine.

The second indicator that I struggle with falls under Standard 2: Design and Develop Digital-Age Learning Experiences and Assessments.  Indicator b. states that teachers “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” (ISTE).  While teachers can develop authentic, learner-centered instruction without the use of technology, it is a power tool to help increase students engagement and motivation in the learning environment (Cennamo, Ross & Ertmer, 2009).   I struggle with this indicator because I am inexperienced in allowing students to take control of their learning.

In developing my GAME plan for strengthening my confidence in this indicator I will start by setting goals.  My first goal is to incorporate a technology enriched assessment for each unit plan I teach.  With limited technology in my classroom, achieving one assessment per unit is realistic.  My second goal is to develop a list of creative, technology-based assessments for students to choose from.  The list of assessments will range from creating newspaper headlines for a novel to creating a soundtrack play list that represents a novel.  Students will have the opportunity to choose which assignments they would like to complete as well as have the ability to be creative.  My first action to achieve my goal is to work on creating or adapting existing lesson to incorporate technology.  I understand that it is important to enrich my lessons with technology, not develop my lessons to meet technology (Laureate Education, Inc., 2010b).  I will also begin creating a list of assessments that can be used for a variety of novels and themes.  I will monitor my progress on these goals as students complete the assignments.  I will gain a better understanding of student engagement during and after the learning process.  Finally, I will evaluate and extend my learning by at the semester break to determine the extent to which these assessments are successful.  I could extend my learning by allowing students to develop their own assessments.

Resources:

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.

ISTE.  (11 May, 2011).  NETS for teachers 2008.  retrieved from http://www.iste.org/standards/nets-for-teachers/nets-for-teachers-2008.aspx

Laureate Education, Inc. (Executive Producer). (2010A). Enriching Content Area Learning Experiences With Technology Part I [Webcast]. Integrating Technology Across the Content Areas. Baltimore, MD: Author

Laureate Education, Inc. (Executive Producer). (2010B). Enriching Centent Area Learning Experiences With Technology Part 2 [Webcast].  Integrating Technology Across the Content Areas.  Baltimore, MD: Author