Monitoring My Game Plan Progress

.  Last week, I took the first steps needed to carry out the goals I set for my GAME plan and shared what resources and additional information I would need to continue.  The focus of my GAME plan is on the ISTE Standard proficiency indicators 2.a., 2.b., and 3.b., which entail designing learning experiences that incorporate digital tools and resources into the classroom, enabling my students to become more self-directed learners in a technology rich environment, and to communicate with students and community effectively using a variety of digital media (ISTE, 2008).  Today, I am going to discuss the progress I am making toward getting the information and resources I need, what I have learned so far, and new questions that have manifested during the week.

This week proved to be rather frustrating in terms of time and energy.  I am teaching an overload at the high school and am teaching a graduate class in literacy on Saturdays in addition to this technology class, so I am stretched pretty thin.  I have managed to pull together the necessary resources in terms of curriculum maps and lesson plans.  However, after reading the chapter on assessing student learning, I realized that I can’t just stick technology into the curriculum willy-nilly; it should only be used when it facilitates learning (Cennamo, Ross, & Ertmer, 2009, p. 146).  My epiphany is that the process of updating the curriculum maps is going to work best while I am teaching the classes.  I have adjusted my timeline to accommodate this plan and am currently working on 4 content classes.  I have also decided that I want to take a closer look at the assessments that I use to monitor and evaluate student learning.  As I consider what digital tools will facilitate my lessons, it will be important to align the standards to the assessments first.  Once I do that I will be in a better place to consider if technology will facilitate student learning. 

I don’t use a lot of forced-choice assessment formats, however, I am interested in locating student responders since teachers should take advantage of appropriate technology when possible.  According to Cennamo et al (2009), student responders provide instantaneous reporting when doing this type of assessment for the whole class and can help a teacher quickly determine whether students require further instruction in content (p. 145).  Data can be quickly gathered and used to analyze individual responses as well as give an overall picture of the level of understanding for the whole class.  I am pretty sure the Science department has some, but I need to connect with them or the Media specialist to see if they are available to anyone in the school or limited to the Science department only.  I would also like to find out more about e-portfolios and determine what technology is required to create one.  Do I need special software or training so that I can teach my students how to use them?  Is this something that I would like to try to monitor and evaluate my own teaching practice?  E-portfolios are a great way to showcase student work and “involve learners in directing, documenting, and evaluating their own learning” and I think I would benefit from this tool as much as my students would (as cited by Lambert, DePaepe, Lambert, and Anderson, 2007, p. 78).

I have also been plugging away on my Delicious account as I organize bookmarks.  I am really frustrated with this tool because when I first registered for the account, they allowed you to create files, now everything goes by tags.  I wish there was a more efficient way to organize them.  When I created tags for the bookmarks in the very beginning, I was giving inconsistent names to them.  Now, I am trying to tag them with similar terms such as technology tools for the classroom and then I am adding additional tags to aid in sorting, for instance project-based learning or concept mapping tools.  The last few weeks, I have been giving a description of the bookmarks as well, and that really helps.  I have found it most frustrating because when I remember a website that had some great tool such as collaboration on creating a timeline, I can’t find it again.  Do any of my readers have any suggestions to help me sort this out?

I have not heard back from the Media specialist about the technology survey results, so I emailed him again.  I did figure out how to access student data using the Infinite Campus Grade Portal.  I can create reports of state test results and use that data to compare student performance in my classes; this will help me make better decisions about the effectiveness of the learning activities in my classroom (Cennamo et al, 2009, p. 115).  Those results can better inform what assessments and technology will best facilitate the learning of my students.

Lastly, I did not spend much time this week searching for teacher blogs and websites.  I want to design my own blog or website for my classes and their parents to be able to access.  Could the readers of my blog offer any suggestions?  If you know of a teacher blog, website, or wiki that is user friendly and has some good ideas, please reply to my post with the URLs.  I appreciate your help.  I am planning on working on this goal on Sunday of this week.

In summary, I have made some adjustments to my GAME plan.  I am taking action on my goals by using standards to set learning goals and assessment data from state tests and formative assessment data from my classroom to determine what technologies and instructional choices are best to facilitate student learning as I make adjustments to curriculum maps and lesson plans.  I am checking out whether I can have access to student response systems at my school and paying closer attention to the types of assessment I am using to monitor and evaluate student learning.  I need advice on how to more efficiently organize my Delicious account and connect with peers to see if they have recommendations for great teacher websites.  I am making progress on my goals, however, there are times when I feel frustrated and wonder if I am making any headway at all.  I realize that the real progress is that I am thinking differently as I rework curriculum maps and lesson plans to reflect standards, assessments, learning goals, technology and most of all, the needs of my students.

 

References:

Cennamo, K., Ross, J., & Ertmer, P. (2009). Technology integration for meaningful classroom use: A standards-based approach. Belmont, CA: Wadsworth, Cengage Learning.

International Society for Technology in Education. (2008). National education standards for teachers (NETS-T). Retrieved from http://www.iste.org/docs/pdfs/nets-t-standards.pdf?sfvrsn=2

Lambert, C., DePaepe, J., Lambert, L., & Anderson, D. (2007). E-portfolios in action. Kappa Delta Pi Record, 43(2), 76–81. Retrieved from the ERIC database.

Carrying Out My Game Plan

 

Last week, I set goals for my GAME plan and shared the steps I needed to take to meet those goals.  The focus of my GAME plan is on the ISTE Standard proficiency indicators 2.a., 2.b., and 3.b., which entail designing learning experiences that incorporate digital tools and resources into the classroom, enabling my students to become more self-directed learners in a technology rich environment, and to communicate with students and community effectively using a variety of digital media (ISTE, 2008).  Today, I am going to discuss what resources and additional information I will need as I carry out my plan and share what I have done so far.

This week I started gathering the resources I will need to evaluate my curriculum for the incorporation of digital tools to engage students in self-directed learning.  I have curriculum maps and lesson plans in Word and Excel that are kept on my school server space.   I am already involved in the process of incorporating the English Language Arts standards into our curriculum maps so this will be a good time to add the ISTE standards as well.  I have also begun the tedious job of organizing the bookmarks in my delicious account as I locate links I have created for to digital tools.  I started saving descriptions and adding tags a couple of months ago, so the process is somewhat easier, but there are a lot of links that do not have either.  Another resource I am taking advantage of is my Professional Learning Community (PLC).  I have been sharing my goals and what I plan to do and they are supportive and very interested in the sharing of resources.  Another group I would like to consult is the Technology team I serve on; however, they have not met yet this year.  Lastly, I am using the Web as a resource for locating and evaluating teacher blogs, websites, and wikis that might serve as a model for designing my own.  My intention was to create a checklist of criteria for rating each site; however, I didn’t have time and I couldn’t find one online, so I am using a reflection journal saved to my computer.  If any of my readers have a resource for checklists used to evaluate blogs and websites for layout and design, I would appreciate it.

I have begun to explore technology that more effectively meets the needs of the diverse learners in my classroom and familiarize myself with what is already available on the school computers.  I asked the Media Specialist what software we have available for students and discovered that we have the basic programs that come free with Windows 7 and have Adobe Photoshop on one set of computers for photography class.  We had a discussion about whether I would be able to access some of the software online such as Voicethread or webpage design software and learned that it is a filtering issue.  Tech Support will open any website that I request through the Media Specialist.  Not only do I need to understand what resources are available in my school, I need to assess the learning needs of all of my students.  I am going to need additional information about student access to technology outside of school, so I have requested that information from the Media specialist.  He conducted a technology survey last year. Cennamo, Ross, and Ertmer (2009) stated that teachers need to use a variety of technologies in order to engage students because individuals have differing levels of ability, backgrounds, and learning styles, which may require different types of software, different amounts of time, and opportunities to work both independently and in diverse groups (p. 174).  My hope is to have a repertoire of tools in my technology tool bag that I can be proficient with; however, I want to be sure that I am using student performance data from assessments and state tests to inform my decisions about what learning experiences and technology can support my diverse classroom (Cennamo et al, 2009, p. 113-117).  I need to access state test data on my students so that I can compare that performance to the grades my students are achieving in class.  This will help me identify struggling students, but it also may help me identify students who may not feel challenged in class.  I need to gather information from the students on their proficiency level and interest in using computers and help them identify their strengths and preferred learning style.  If any of my readers know of online resources for assessing learning style, please share them with me.

This week I have felt a range of emotions from excitement to frustration as I tried to make the time to begin the steps toward achieving my goal.  I am getting there, but I realize that this is going to be a journey that may take a year or maybe even years as I traverse the rocky terrain of acquiring resources for my classroom and meeting the needs of so many different types of learners.

References:

Cennamo, K., Ross, J., & Ertmer, P. (2009). Technology integration for meaningful classroom use: A standards-based approach. Belmont, CA: Wadsworth, Cengage Learning.

International Society for Technology in Education. (2008). National education standards for teachers (NETS-T). Retrieved from http://www.iste.org/docs/pdfs/nets-t-standards.pdf?sfvrsn=2

 

 

 

Developing My Personal Game Plan

There is one thing about being a teacher that I have always loved and that is the fact that I can constantly improve upon a lesson.  Over the last 18 years, there have been many times that I have been excited about the results of a lesson because not only did my students learn, but they were engaged and having fun in the process.  There were also times that I trudged home trying to figure out where I went wrong and how I could improve my teaching.  This is a natural process for me, because I am constantly trying to improve on my teaching practice.  Setting goals for improvement and reflecting upon the results is part of what a self-directed learner does and this is what teachers do all of the time, but I also want my students to get this worked up over their learning.  One of the ways to get students engaged in their own learning is to incorporate the use of technology.  According to Cennamo, Ross, and Ertmer (2009), technology is a “powerful resource for engaging students in authentic experiences, typically increasing motivation and their learning,” (p. 51).  I am going to use the GAME plan recommended by Cennamo et al (2009) to direct my own learning process (p. 3).  The first step is to set goals.  The question is what goals should I set for implementing technology into my teaching practice, especially when the district where I teach does not offer a lot of professional development?  The ISTE National Education Technology Standards and Performance Indicators for Teachers provide a framework for teachers to design and implement lessons that engage students with technology (ISTE, 2008).  I have chosen to set goals for strengthening my confidence and proficiency in three of the performance indicators in the NETS-T.

I have chosen to focus on ISTE Standard 2.a, 2.b, and 3.b, which are to “design or adapt relevant learning experiences that incorporate digital tools and resources to promote student learning and creativity, to 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, and to communicate relevant information and ideas effectively to students, parents, and peers using a variety of digital age media and formats ” (ISTE, 2008). 

In order to meet proficiency 2a, I will explore technology that I can use in my classroom.  I am confident in my ability to use new tools and am already proficient with Power Point, Voice Thread, Blogs, and Edmodo, however, I have a delicious account full of other resources that I haven’t begun to explore.  Proficiency 2b concerns providing a technology-enriched environment and my goal will be to familiarize myself with what my school district already has available to teachers and students in terms of technology.  We have media center access and can sign up for either computers or a limited number of wireless laptop carts; however, I am not versed in what software programs are available or what digital tools are available.  We have a school filter which may not let my students access some tools.  Finally, my goal to meet Proficiency 3b will be to create a website, a wiki or a blog for my classes where I can communicate with students, parents, and peer about what is going on in my department. 

The second step of the GAME plan, is to take action to meet my goals.  In order to achieve my first goal, I will need to look at my curriculum and choose where I could use technology to enhance the content.  Then I will access my delicious account to look over resources.  I have not done a stupendous job of organizing my bookmarks and they have changed the format, however, as I peruse what I have, I will take the time to update the tags so that they are better categorized.  I don’t want to feel overwhelmed, so I will select three or four tools that could be used with my students.  Next, I will become familiar with the tools that I have selected and try them out in the classroom.  When supporting students’ use of technology, it is important that the teacher is skilled in using the technology and that it is used appropriately to support the content and standards (Cennamo et al, 2009, p. 96).  My second goal is to familiarize myself with what the school has to offer to teachers and students in terms of technology.  The action I have already taken is to join the high school technology team whose purpose is to make recommendations for school policy on technology use as the school goes wireless.   The team consists of content area teachers and the media specialist, all of whom already use technology in their classrooms and are interested in supporting teachers and students as we determine best practice for using personal devices such as kindles and cellphones to enhance classroom practice.  My final goal is to create a website, wiki, or blog in order to communicate with my students, their parents, and my peers about my department.  This will require several steps.  First, I will investigate what other teachers or school websites are doing and what they look like.  Using a checklist for rating each site will allow me to summarize my preferences for layout and design as I begin my own design and make my final decision about what forum to use.  Then, I will plan the content and create a storyboard so that I can plan navigation as suggested by Cennamo et al (2009, p. 63).  Finally, I will develop my website, wiki, or blog and make it available to my audience.    

Monitoring and evaluating are the last two steps of the GAME plan.  Monitoring and evaluating require time to reflect on whether progress is being made and whether goals are actually achieved.  The most appealing tool for monitoring would be to keep a reflection journal for recording my thoughts as I progress toward my goals and process whether the strategies I have selected are working toward accomplishing those goals.  This would provide ample opportunity to modify the strategies I am using so that I can be successful.  In addition to a reflection journal, as I explore technology and integrate some new tools into my classroom, I can use student feedback as a way to monitor and measure my progress toward my first goal.  I will use that feedback to evaluate whether the tools I have chosen to implement in class were useful and determine if I need to explore further options.  Discussions with the technology team and progress made toward the smooth implementation of school-wide wireless will be a way to monitor progress toward my second goal.  The discussions will not be enough, however, I will need to engage in conversations with students, teachers, and parents as we establish policies that enable students to use their own technology and engage in their own learning (Prensky, 2008).  The evaluation process for this goal will be ongoing as our school adapts to change and teachers begin to allow students to become self-directed learners.  The conversation will be ongoing as well, since it would be important to engage all those involved as we run into problems.  Lastly, implementing a blog is a natural way to reflect on experiences and provide a place for colleagues or peers to respond and this would provide a way to monitor progress on my third goal as well as be one of the action steps (Cennamo et al, 2009, 75).  A blog is one of the easiest things to set up for the purpose of communication and I could use the blog to monitor my progress as I examine teacher wikis and websites and evaluate my discoveries for the purpose of developing my own.

Setting goals for improvement and reflecting upon the results is what teachers do all of the time.  Teachers are natural self-directed learners as they learn about new ways to implement technology and improve classroom practice.  Using the GAME plan provides the opportunity to set specific goals, take action, monitor progress, and evaluate and extend learning.  It is the perfect tool for teachers and self-directed learners to check in with themselves on their own learning.

References:

Cennamo, K., Ross, J., & Ertmer, P. (2009). Technology integration for meaningful classroom use: A standards-based approach. Belmont, CA: Wadsworth, Cengage Learning.

Prensky, M. (2008). Turning on the lights. Educational Leadership, 65(6), 40–45.
Retrieved from the Academic Search Complete database.

International Society for Technology in Education. (2008). National education standards for teachers (NETS-T). Retrieved from http://www.iste.org/docs/pdfs/nets-t-standards.pdf?sfvrsn=2