Reflecting on the GAME plan

This May I was excited to hear about a large technology grant being awarded to the Social Studies department in my district. I really wanted to couple what I was learning at Walden with changing my instructional practices. Developing 21st century skills is essential to all of my students. In my summer graduate course, I created GAME plans (set Goals, take Action Monitor progress and Evaluate) to develop two skills that would guide me as a self-directed learner (Cennamano, Ross & Ertmer, 2009).

My first GAME plan was to use my moodle page to create an online environment in my classroom. I have set up a Moodle account and received professional development time from my district. I look forward to start using the account to post assignments and projects on. I now have the ability to transfer a continuous current events assignment to a blog which students will select and comment on issues important to them. This will allow them to become better communicators using authentic 21st century media and sharpen their writing skills (Laureate, 2009). I learned that the Moodle environment had limited access for parents, a targeted outcome. I will pursue a team sponsored webpage to post homework assignments which is a school-wide initiative to allow better access for parents.

The second goal was to introduce an interactive whiteboard to my everyday instruction. This will allow me to design more interactive learning activities which will engage students. Originally, I wanted to develop start up activities, but have found many content area simulations and interactive lessons for this device. With just simple searches and colleague advice, I have re-evaluated my goals and hope to incorporate more of the interactive board than I had originally planned. I hope to become less dependent on teacher driven lessons and let students use our new device, or else it will become a glorified overhead. I also received professional development for this device from my district, but have not had access to an actual board to practice. It was installed in my classroom yesterday and student start class next Thursday. I hope to spend a lot of time running through the programs and files that I have accumulated early next week.

I always look forward to the beginning of the school year with hope and promise for the coming year. This year I have new knowledge of how to integrate technology into my classroom and the tools to achieve my goals. This year will be a learning opportunity for me and my students as I will continually develop my GAME plan as I merge the theory and the practice of my goals. The GAME plan helped me independently which is a goal I have for y students. In reflection, I see the end of my summer course and the beginning of the teaching year as a smooth transition to integrate my new skills.

Jim

8th SS

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