ITST 'GAME' plan

Today’s students are surrounded by technology all day, every day. They have been navigating the technological world from a very young age, and they are, without question, more proficient using technology than me, their teacher. This fact, coupled with Prensky’s (2008) sentiments that students are begin better-prepared for 21st century living outside of school, utilizing the real-time technology available to them, than inside of the classroom, force me to want to enhance my teaching by better utilizing the various forms of technology available.

The International Society for Technology in Education (2008) has established technology standards that effective teachers must model and apply. Of the five standards, my weakest area, as a teacher, is standard # 3, “Model Digital-Age Work and Learning.” Within that standard, the two indicators that I feel I least confident carrying out are indicators a: “teachers demonstrate fluency in technology systems and the transfer of current knowledge to new technologies and situations” and c: “teachers communicate relevant information and ideas effectively to students, parents, and peers using a variety of digital-age media formats.” If I honestly assess my teaching, I feel fluent using a select-few forms of technology, but rarely, if ever, do I transfer my knowledge to new technologies to utilize in the classroom. Additionally, I communicate with parents using the basic mediums of phone and e-mail. I do not take advantage of the various technological communications available to me.

In order to address and strengthen my confidence and ability to effectively meet these indicators, I am going to follow the “GAME” format, as described by Dr. Cennamo (Laureate, 2011). This format is simply a scaffold to help facilitate self-directed learning, which simply stated, is learning independently. I will follow the four steps of the format including, goals, actions, monitoring, and evaluation. Each of the following steps will be outlined below.

G – Goals
Ultimately, my overall goal for both indicators is to be able to fluently and proficiently complete both objectives stated by the indicators. More specifically, my goals for indicator a (teachers demonstrate fluency in technology systems and the transfer of current knowledge to new technologies and situations) is to learn how to incorporate new technologies, provided by my district, into my classroom, including the use of new SmartBoard technologies, Quizdom technologies, Dotnetnuke webpages, as well as Skype and ePals technologies to collaborate with a classroom in Germany.

My specific goal for indicator c (teachers communicate relevant information and ideas effectively to students, parents, and peers using a variety of digital-age media formats) is to create a classroom blog that I can utilize to communicate with both students and parents.

A-Actions
In order to meet my goals for indicator a, I am going first participate in a district technology training session held at the beginning of the year. I need to be introduced to some and review other technologies provided by my district. After attending the training sessions, I will intentionally add these technology components to my lesson plans. To start, I will create detailed lesson plans, containing one of the above-mentioned technologies, to ensure I utilize the technology effectively with my students.

To complete indicator c, I will begin by outlining what I want to communicate with parents and students on my blog. I will set up the blog and add all of the various components I want to make available to parents and students.

M-Monitor
In order to monitor my progress for indicator a, I will keep a log of how often I utilize a technological component in my lessons. In addition, I will take notes on how effective each lesson was, and what I can do to improve my use of that technology the next time I use it. I will also note students’ reactions and responses to the new technology.

I will monitor indicator c by continually checking on the blog, tracking how often I update pertinent information, and observing how often parents are utilizing the blog. I will determine this by reading comments, and making a comparison of how often I am communicating with parents using the old mediums I used to rely on.

E- Evaluation
Both of these indicators will be evaluated using reflection. I will reflect back on how often I utilized new technology, using my log as an indicator and resource, and I will determine how to better incorporate the new technologies as I move forward. In addition, I will determine my need for additional training. In addition, I will evaluate how effective I was at keeping my blog up to date, providing parents with effective communication regarding my class and their students’ progress.

Overall, I am confident that as I move through the steps of the GAME format, I will be able to provide my students with learning experiences that engage them and force them to think creatively and critically, utilizing the technology that makes them 21st century learners.

References:
Cennamo, K., Ross, J. & Ertmer, P. (2009). Technology integration for meaningful
classroom use: Astandards-based approach. (Laureate Education, Inc., Custom
ed.).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/Libraries/PDFs/NETS_for_Teachers_2008_EN.sflb.ashx

Laureate Education, Inc. (Producer). (2011). Promoting self-directed learning with
technology [DVD]. In Promoting self-directed learning with technology.
Baltimore,MD: Author.

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