Game Plan- Monitoring and Evaluating

Game Plan

This is the forth week of my Game plan and I am monitoring and evaluating how to integrate new technology into my teaching.

Goal #1 is from Standard 2a. “design or adapt relevant learning experiences that incorporate digital tools and resources to promote student learning and creativity” (ISTE , 2010).

I have had professional development on the whiteboard and explored the software that the program has supplied. In reflection of “in action”, I learned many aspects of the software but was only able to actually manipulate the interactive unit for about 10 minutes with a colleague (Cemmano, Ross & Ertmer, 2009). In reflecting “on action”, my action plan should be modified to set aside time to physically use the interactive whiteboard that will be installed in my classroom. I have bookmarked many websites with teacher examples using smartboard technologies, but have not had time to examine them. I will need to schedule time for this. I am also starting a new assignment on Problem Based Learning (PBL) in my EDUC 6713 corse. This will also give me another designed activity to foster learning and creativity.

Goal #2 is from Standard # 3 Model Digital-Age Work and Learning- Indicator A . “collaborate with students, peers, parents, and community members using digital tools and resources to support student success and innovation” (ISTE , 2010).

The action plan was to use a district supplied moodle account to create an online platform for my students. I also went through training on Moodle last week and have iputed some lessons. Upon reflecting about the “on action” I need to integrate the program slower than I had originally envisioned it. I will use to to launch projects but the nature of moodle will not allow for comfortable parent and community access. I had originally percieved a web page access for parents and the school community. Upon evaluating the capablilities of the moodle account, I have decided that I need to redesign a part of the action plan to incorporate a web page. One of the factors is my team of teachers at school want to post assignments on one location for easy parent access. I don’t want to manage two locations of information but allowing parents open access to the Moodle account won’t be available. A Wiki to develop the above mentioned PBL assignment will give me great experience in carrying out

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.

National Education Standards for Teachers (NETS-T) located at

http://www.iste.org/Content/NavigationMenu/NETS/ForTeachers/2008Standards/ NETS_T_Standards_Final.pdf.

Monitoring and Evaluating the GAME Plan

Game Plan

This is the forth week of my Game plan and I am monitoring and evaluating how to integrate new technology into my teaching.

Goal #1 is from Standard 2a. “design or adapt relevant learning experiences that incorporate digital tools and resources to promote student learning and creativity” (ISTE , 2010).

I have had professional development on the whiteboard and explored the software that the program has supplied. In reflection of “in action”, I learned many aspects of the software but was only able to actually manipulate the interactive unit for about 10 minutes with a colleague (Cemmano, Ross & Ertmer, 2009). In reflecting “on action”, my action plan should be modified to set aside time to physically use the interactive whiteboard that will be installed in my classroom. I have bookmarked many websites with teacher examples using Smartboard technologies, but have not had time to examine them. I will need to schedule time for this. I am also starting a new assignment on Problem Based Learning (PBL) in my EDUC 6713 course. This will also give me another designed activity to foster learning and creativity.

Goal #2 is from Standard # 3 Model Digital-Age Work and Learning- Indicator A . “collaborate with students, peers, parents, and community members using digital tools and resources to support student success and innovation” (ISTE , 2010).

The action plan was to use a district supplied Moodle account to create an online platform for my students. I have gone through training on Moodle last week and have imputed some lessons. Upon reflecting about the “on action” I need to integrate the program slower than I had originally envisioned it. I will use to to launch projects but the nature of Moodle will not allow for comfortable parent and community access. I had originally perceived a web page access for parents and the school community. Upon evaluating the capabilities of the Moodle account, I have decided that I need to redesign a part of the action plan to incorporate a web page. One of the factors is my team of teachers at school want to post assignments on one location for easy parent access. I don’t want to manage two locations of information but allowing parents open access to the Moodle account won’t be available. A Wiki to develop the above mentioned PBL assignment will give me great experience in carrying out

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.

National Education Standards for Teachers (NETS-T) located at

http://www.iste.org/Content/NavigationMenu/NETS/ForTeachers/2008Standards/ NETS_T_Standards_Final.pdf.

Today was one of two consecutive professional development days on integrating a technology grant into the Social Studies curriculum in my district. I learned a lot and look forward to applying it. Here is how my GAME stands.

My goal on designing and implementing lessons for the interactive whiteboard has progressed. I was able to see a demonstration on the notebook feature of the software and will be able to install it on my home computer tomorrow. This will allow me to transfer the “Do Now” activities onto the templates for the software including forced-choice assessments. This will be a great step in preparing to use the clicker response system along with the interactive white board. I am anxious about actually using the board since I have only been instructed on it and have never touched one. I was promised I can have “alone time tomorrow afternoon. My classroom unit will be installed in two weeks. I will have to arrange time to use and set up my system well before the first day of school. The time to learn all of the nuances of this technology has me thinking to modify my expectations on the use of the whiteboard. I do not want to use it for a novelty and will need to take my time to add to my repertoire of lessons for this. I have found more simulations and animations that will fit in nicely,

I spent the other half of my professional development day navigating my moodle account. I look forward to using the forum discussions to re-format my ongoing current events assignment that I mentioned in my week 3 discussion. The biggest need to integrate this program is time. I have to upload files, post links and activities as well as spend time exploring all the features of this product. Their are so many tools and functions that I must learn by doing, not watching somebody run through a presentation. I also need to scale back my original vision of using moodle until I have mastery of the program. I will post two projects for the first half of the year and the current events assignment which will recur every two weeks. The moodle will not allow me the parent access to information that I originally thought it would.

Tomorrow's professional development day will be applying the knowledge of today’s presentations.

Jim

8th SS

The Game Plan "Is In Play"

I have targeted two National Educational Technology Standards (NETS•T) and Performance Indicators for integrating technology into my classroom. (See previous post)

The first goal that I have set was to use an interactive whiteboard and develop “do now” activities along with general competence to design relative learning experiences. I have never used a Smartboard and really want to spend time exploring the different parts of the software. The Smartboard is supposed to be installed sometime this month and I am checking weekly on it’s installation. In the meantime., I have used some of the tutorials associated with Smatboard technologies. I have developed a large list of bookmarks about using lessons about Social Studies and the interactive whiteboard. My strategy is to spend an hour a week to read through and analyze these sites. My do now’s are archived in my computer at school so I need to get access to them in order to evaluate their use using the inetractive whiteboard.

The second goal is to use a Moodle account to increase student, peer and parent communication. I am awaiting access to an account this summer so I can develop a better understanding of how to use Moodle. My district had some professional development time devoted this summer but the accounts were not yet established. I want to establish a time management schedule in order to balance the added use of this software as I expect a learn as I go process. Of the two goals, I need to spend time exploring and using the account as it is a platform for all Social Studies teachers this year. Please advise if you have any experience with this program.

Jim

8Th SS

National Education Standards for Teachers (NETS-T) located at

http://www.iste.org/Content/NavigationMenu/NETS/ForTeachers/2008Standards/NETS_T_Standards_Final.pdf.

My GAME Plan

My Studies at Walden University have lead me to evaluate my comfort levels for confidence of integrating technology into my instruction. While I have gained immensely from the courses at Walden in theory, I have much to learn in the practice and applications of these many strategies. What makes this posting most timely is my district has been awarded a grant to infuse technology into the Social Studies department as a model for the district. The National Educational Technology Standards (NETS•T) and Performance Indicators for Teachers signals five performance standards and subsequent indicators (ISTE , 2010). Having reflected on the standards, I have established a GAME plan for self directed learning in two aspects of the NETS•T that I need to strengthen. the GAME plan refers to four step Process; Set Goals, take Action, Monitor progress and Evaluate goals and Extend learning (Cennamo, Ross, & Ertmer, 2009).

I have the opportunity to have a mounted smartboard, access to clickers response system, a wireless net-books and a moodle account to integrate into social studies learning environment,

The first indicator is from Standard 2a. “design or adapt relevant learning experiences that incorporate digital tools and resources to promote student learning and creativity”

G - My goal is to use the Smartboard technology to integrate technology everyday for my students. I especially want to integrate a daily “do now activity” focusing using the Smartboard much like the teacher that does a lot of start up activities from the K-5 teacher on this weeks video (Laureate Inc. , 2009).

A - I have no experience using the smartboard, therefor, I have already gone to a workshop (in which I never touched one!) and plan to go to my classroom as soon as it is installed to go through all the tools it has. I will also do personal research on the internet to find creative and engaging lessons. Please feel free to send me any Smartboard technology information that could be useful. I will read it! I will need to work at home and transfer it to my computer at work.

M- I have until August 24th to launch the Smartboard in font of my students. I will continue to accumulate strategies for using the Smartboard but would like to have the month of September's and October's “Do Now” ready to implement.

E- To determine if I am successful will be evaluated when I observe the reactions of my students and their engagement to the lessons I launch using the smartboard. I will extend the lesson since I will have the Smartboard for two years.

The second indicator is from Standard # 3 Model Digital-Age Work and Learning- Indicator A a. “collaborate with students, peers, parents, and community members using digital tools and resources to support student success and innovation”

G- My goal is to increase student, peer, parent and community members by creating and maintaing a moodle account for all of my classes

A- Moodle is another tool that I have encountered in theory but not in practice. I am awaiting my account to be set up by my district. I plan to use the tutorials from the account, as tutorials provide new information and provide the practice that I need to apply the software system (Cennamo, Ross, & Ertmer, 2009). If any reader of this blog have any experience with moodle please contact me with any experiences.

M- I will monitor this throughout the year. This will be a challenge for me as I expect it to take more time to set up an maintain the moodle account.

E- I will evaluate the implementation of the moodle account in weekly curriculum time with my Social Studies department. This time has been given to collaborate about the new experiences from implementing the technology systems of the grant.

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). (2009A). Enriching content area learning experiences with technology, part 1. Integrating technology across the content areas. Baltimore: Author

National Education Standards for Teachers (NETS-T) located at

http://www.iste.org/Content/NavigationMenu/NETS/ForTeachers/2008Standards/NETS_T_Standards_Final.pdf.