Wednesday, July 6, 2011

GAME Plan

It is important to have confidence as a teacher when implementing technology into your instruction. One way to strengthen this is to outline goals, determine what actions will be taken to achieve those goals, monitor progress and evaluate the achievement of the goals.  I will be creating a GAME plan for two indicators in the NETS-T.

GAME plan for facilitating and inspiring student learning and creativity.
Goals
Develop lesson plans that engage students to explore and solve real-world issues using digital tools. Promote student reflection using collaborative tools. Document lesson plans in digital format so they can be easily reviewed and revised.
Actions
One action that must be taken is research to find real-world issues in the area of science. It is important to narrow topics down so that they are manageable for my high school students. They must also be problems that students can make personal connections to. I will be exploring different ways for students to collaborate, such as creating a blog, wiki, or other communication tools. I will create a template for my lessons to be used in planning.
Monitor
I will monitor my progress by establishing timelines. The goal will be to evaluate lessons a month prior to it being taught. This will allow me time to develop a project, if it corresponds to the particular objectives of the lesson. After completion of the lesson, I will reflect on the pros and cons and make changed where needed.
Evaluate
The way to evaluate how well I have achieved my goals is to take a look at student achievement obtained from these new lessons. Technology must be implemented as a way to enrich the content. If it engages students to solve the real-world problems that I have incorporated into each lesson, as well as promoting their collaborative skills, them my goal will be achieved.

GAME plan for engaging in professional growth and leadership.
Goals
Participate in local communities to explore creative applications of technology to improve student learning.
Actions
Develop a technology committee in my school that not only includes teachers that share ideas, but students who share what and how they would like to learn using technology. I would like to be able to develop resources that can be shared by all teachers as a way to implement new technology tools.
Monitor
One way to monitor the actions is to have teachers share their new instructional ideas with the technology committee. This can easily be done through e-mail, pointing out the pros and cons of the tool. This can be evaluated by the committee and published for all teachers.
Evaluate
One way to evaluate this committee is to look at how students are performing in the classroom due to the new instructional strategies. To get an accurate outlook on achievement, all teachers must be willing to implement the resources put together by students and the technology committee

By implementing a GAME plan in areas that I feel I have weakness, I can build confidence implementing technology in the classroom. As I work to achieve these goals, it is important to consult with others for input. This can be students or other teachers. The ultimate achievement is improving my effectiveness so that I can provide students with skills that will benefit them in the future.

References
International Society for Technology in Education. (2008). National education standards for teachers (NETS-T). Retrieved from http://www.iste.org/Libraries/PDFs/NETS_for_Teachers_2008_EN.sflb.ashx.

Laureate Education, Inc. (Executive Producer). (2010). Program one: Promoting self directed learning with technology [Webcast]. Integrating technology across the content areas. Baltimore, MD: Author.

Laureate Education, Inc. (Executive Producer). (2010). Program three: Enriching Content Area Learning Experiences With Technology, Part 1 [Webcast]. Integrating technology across the content areas. Baltimore, MD: Author.

4 comments:

  1. Jennifer, I see that you are interested in finding current events having to do with science for your high schoolers. I found this video when searching for ways to study Earth Day with my students. I wanted them to understand how important it is for us to make a difference for our Earth, and how dramatic an effect humans have on the planet. This is a short video clip from YouTube about the Great Pacific Garbage Patch. It is absolutley eye-opening and when I saw it I couldn't believe it. My students were devastated and it really got them thinking about their actions and how something so dramatic could have happened. I hope that you can use this resource to help your students ask some great questions to help guide their learning. Good Luck!! -Nellie Murison
    http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=y5y1W5xduiE

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  2. Jennifer,
    You really have a great grasp on the GAME plan and your thorough details allowed me to see step by step your goals. I noticed how you mentioned an interest in having your students engage in projects related to science. I have found a great list of science activities for students to do with a focused skill. http://www.reachoutmichigan.org/funexperiments/quick/highsch.html Once students complete such an activity, you can allow them to creatively use technology to further their understanding through wikis, blogs or even multimedia presentations. It also might be nice to videotape the students as they go and play it back to monitor the efforts throughout the activity. If students are working in small groups, you will be able to zoom in on each group and create a supportive culture (Laureate Education, Inc., 2009) amongst each group member to achieve their goal. I also believe when working in small groups, students are more likely to feel confident (Laureate Education, Inc., 2009) to go forth with their best efforts.
    Your second goal also correlates to my own goal. I also would like to make others aware. You made a great point about getting students and teachers involved in your technology committee. I am planning to create a technology club once a week during recess to increase student appropriate usage and awareness of various technology tools like blogging, wikis, etc. I also plan on creating a professional blog where I update new ideas and learning tools for parents to view and try at home. Creating awareness and continuing the commitment to grow professionally is where we need our district’s to go! Sounds like you and I have alot in common and I wish you the best of luck in your GAME plan.
    Kourtney

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  3. Missy to Jennifer: Wow! This is a great plan. I really liked the first "Monitor" you posted. The time line approach is very innovative. I really liked how you are planning ahead and keeping to your timeline.
    I also liked the "Monitor" on your second goal. I was just wondering if you think all your teachers will participate and read the posts of what you are discovering. In my school, there is some resistance to new ideas and using technology. I am still blogging and emailing things I find to teachers. Sometimes I get a response and some encouragement, but I wish more teachers would get on board. Do you have ideas to encourage teachers to get involved?
    Missy

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  4. To Nellie,
    Thanks for the video. My Environmental Science class puts together an Earth Day activity for the school each year. This may come in handy when looking for new ideas in terms of awareness and action.
    To Kourtney,
    Thank you for the website. I will definitely take time exploring for new ideas. I really like the idea of videotaping the students. What a great way to get students to stay focused or else have their crazy off topic antics caught on tape.
    To Missy,
    Although I would like to believe that all teachers would take an active part and try new ideas, I know that it is wishful thinking. You will always have the teachers that are resistant to change or feel that they are being pressured to do even more in their classroom. I guess you take the good with the bad. Even if only one teacher uses the ideas or shares what they have done, it is better than none. I just hope that teachers will be willing to be a part of such an important change for our students.

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