The GAME plan as described by Cennamo, Ertmer and Ross (2009) involves the steps of setting goals and taking the appropriate action to implement and achieve those goals, including monitoring and adjusting or evaluating their success as needed. While all of these elements happen on a continual basis, resources are needed to start the process of any plan’s implementation. For my personal GAME plan, I have selected two areas of the National Educational Technology Standards for Teachers (NETS-T) on which to focus, the first of which is to facilitate and inspire student learning and creativity (NETS-T, 2009) particularly through the use of collaborative tools for reflection. By using the VoiceThread and screencasting applications available to me to accomplish this goal, I am in need of technology resources such as computers with internet access, microphones and brief training on the software used. Most of this training can be found using online tutorials, so I will show those to my classes and help where needed. Ross (2009a) tells us that we should not be afraid to allow learners to have options and choice in the classroom, as the choices are built to reinforce primary instruction, not replace it. By using these technologies in addition to classroom discussion, I hope to bring those choices to my students. Choice is a direct way to affect accountability and increase empowerment and ownership in the classroom, as well as outside it (Glasser, 1998).
The other area I wish to improve my skills in is to "engage in professional growth and leadership" (NETS-T, 2009). By using a blog type of interaction with my colleagues, I can increase my own awareness and understanding of technology available to me and to my students and offer more variety in the project-based learning assignments and assessments to them (Ross, 2009b). Information and materials needed are also computers, internet access and permission to use the software in my school with my students. Most of these are already available to me, so it would not be too difficult to start implementing these strategies soon. The steps I have already taken to allowing my goals to be met in these areas are to create and use a blog regularly, show students screencasting software and have them start interacting with it, and I plan to start using VoiceThread on a regular basis next semester, although we have had some limited interaction with it already. By implementing the GAME plan designed, I hope to make more learning opportunities available to my students and to myself.
-Stephen St. Georges
References:
Cennamo, K., Ross, J., & Ertmer, P. (2009). Technology integration for meaningful classroom use: A standards-based approach. Belmont, CA: Wadsworth, Cengage Learning.
Glasser, W. (1998). Choice theory: A new psychology of personal freedom. New York: Harper and Row.
Laureate Education, Inc. (Producer). (2009a). Program five. Meeting students' needs with technology, part 1 [Motion picture]. Integrating technology across the content areas. Baltimore: Ross, J.
Laureate Education, Inc. (Producer). (2009b). Program six. Meeting students' needs with technology, part 2 [Motion picture]. Integrating technology across the content areas. Baltimore: Ross, J.
National Education Standards for Teachers (NETS-T) retrieved from http://www.iste.org/Content/NavigationMenu/NETS/ForTeachers/2008Standards/NETS_T_Standards_Final.pdf on November 18, 2009.
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I really like that you are interested in giving your students choices. I also believe there are multiple ways students can demonstrate proficiency in the standards and skills they are learning. I was wondering though about evaluating their learning. Will you use rubrics to evaluate their use of Voice Thread and blogs? How will you measure proficiency? I currently use a rubric with my student blog and we spend quite a bit of time reading sample blog entries and evaluating them so they understand the process. But I always like to see how others assess this type of learning as well.
ReplyDeleteGinger
One thing that has been a fear in the past of mine is using technology will replace the student's need for my teaching. I like the way you say that you are giving your student's choices. This truly leads to simply differentiation that the students are able to choose. Each student learns in a different way and the technology reaches their educational needs and styles. I would also lkike to know hw you are going to access their learning. I use rubrics at the present time to assess when they use technolgoy to demonstrate what they have learned but am looking for ways to assess what they learn through technology.
ReplyDeleteHi Stephen,
ReplyDeleteFrom the looks of it, you are doing and/or going to do a fine job of introducing and engaging the students with technology. What kind of access are you going to have to computers at your school? Are you going to access a general computer lab? Or, do you have a computer lab that is almost entirely at your disposal? I ask these questions because I know it is very difficult to have access to a computer lab on campus that I do not control. And, using equipment such as microphones and the addes software, do you already have these things?
I wish you luck with your future projects. I am interested to hear how things work out. What you are doing sounds like some of the things I would like to engage my students with.