Final Reflection

Throughout this course, we have been given the challenge to formulate a GAME plan, implement a project-based learning lesson, develop upon our technological skills, and seek ways to improve our classroom instruction. In the past seven weeks, I have learned a good bit about my teaching and my own learning abilities. Vicki Davis (2010) emphasized the point that it is “important for teachers to remember you do not get there overnight” (Laureate Education, Inc.). As a teacher, new advances in technology has been a constant struggle for me because it seems once I have grasped how to do one concept, something else comes to the forefront and replaces it and the new and improved way. Many times I have had to take a step back and reflect on what I need to do to improve my classroom instruction and do what will be the most beneficial for my students. As Cennamo, Ross, and Ertmer (2009) state, the “Key to effective reflection is the ability to go beyond a simple description of what happened to consider why it happened, how it is connected to other events, and what adjustments should be made to subsequent actions based on understanding” (p.11). The courses here at Walden have required me to reflect on my classroom practice and to define new learning goals for myself as well as my students. I have found that if I am truly honest with myself and my peers in my reflections, I gain a better understanding as to how I can improve and the steps I need to take to become a better teacher.

According to Cennamo, et al., (2009), “due to the rapid pace at which technologies are changing, the work place is also changing quickly” (p. 23). As an educator in the twenty-first century, I am expected to know and how to use the latest technology tools, and I am encouraged to apply them to my classroom instruction. As I developed my GAME plan for this course, I found two significant areas I needed to work on. I know I did not and still do not do the best job with “modeling and facilitating effective use of current and emerging digital tools to locate, analyze, evaluate, and use information resources to support research and learning” (NETS-T 3). I also struggled with and continue to work on NETS-T-5 which to “evaluate and reflect on current research and professional practice on a regular basis to make effective use of existing and emerging digital tools and resources in support of student learning”. As I have examined my teaching and learning styles over the past weeks, I have reflected on my ability to make changes and to engage in concepts which take me outside of my comfort zone. “As a self-directed lifelong learner, you'll be able to respond to the rapid and continuous technological changes that inevitably will occur during your professional career, keep your skills up-to-date, and better meet the needs of your students today and in the future” (Cennamo, Ross, and Ertmer (2009) p.7).

As I have identified my weaknesses and developed my GAME plan, I have found the use of the wiki, blog, and discussion board to be particularly helpful during this course to be motivational tools and areas for inspiration and useful feedback. This was the first time I have ever utilized a blog or wiki, so the engagement with these technology tools have helped me to move closer to my plan of integrating more technology into my classroom content. I have gained an appreciation for taking time out of my busy schedule to learn about other technology tools and the benefit these tools will have on my students. Research shows that “Once students are engaged, technology can be used to promote and support students' understanding of the content” (Cennamo, et al., (2009) p.37). As part of my future goals, I would like to implement the use of a discussion blog with my students to promote reflection, technology, and writing instruction. According to Cennamo, et al., (2009), “Blogs can help students practice and demonstrate different styles of communication, especially through writing” (p. 74). As an English teacher, it is an essential goal to do what I can to increase the motivation of my students to conduct in more writing activities to improve their skills and to provide real-world techniques to do so. I plan to incorporate more with digital storytelling in my classroom as I have gained new ideas on how I can use this tool in my classroom; I have used presentation software multiple times in my classroom, but I find that the digital stories provide additional aspects and promote more engagement for the students. As suggested by Cennamo, et al., (2009), “The opportunity to develop a personal story is extremely motivating for students, and the tangible outcome of the process contributes to confidence-building necessary for creative thinking” (p. 70). I want my students to get the most out of everything they are required to do in my classroom and I find that by allowing them to use as much technology as possible, they will hopefully be more engaged and become self-directed learners as they collaborate with their peers.

In the near future, I plan to revise the GAME plan model to adapt to function as a graphic organizer. I find that my students would benefit from using the GAME plan as they begin new projects and as we focus on new units of instruction. In my experience, many students are not organized and this is the area where they need help as they develop projects and keep up with assignments. If I can use this plan to help students become more organized, I feel they will do better in the classroom. I have also learned the importance of modeling practically everything for the students. Although I am an auditory learner, I have found that the majority of students are visual and need to literally see the expectations laid out for them. Through the use of the GAME plan model, I will be able to do that and this is an organizer the students can keep in their notebooks. As I introduce the GAME plan method to the students, I would be willing to share my own experience with stepping outside of my comfort zone to apply new methods and technology. I also find the situations encountered in this course will help me to articulate my new learning with my colleagues and help me to be more confident when promoting new ideas for assessments and projects.


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). (2010). Spotlight on Technology: Social Networking and Online Collaboration part 2. [Webcast]. Integrating technology across the content areas. Baltimore, MD: Author.

Monitoring My GAME Plan Progress

As I continue to move forward with my GAME plan, I am finding it easier to step outside my comfort zone and explore more technology outlets to use for myself and for my students in the classroom.  The resources this week gave me a better perspective on what I can also do to add more technology to the assessment process and provide students with the opportunity to do more than sitting down and taking a paper and pencil test.  I plan to learn how to incorporate more testing and online software into my classroom by finding more time in the lab for the students to be able to take their assessments.  I also plan to engage my students more by providing them the opportunities to use Activotes as a mode of formative assessment and in our class discussions to monitor their progress throughout the units.  I am still most comfortable with allowing the students to create multimedia projects, but I would like to expand on this format and try to get the students away from wanting to do PowerPoint presentations and introduce them to other media presentation software.

As for conducting my own personal research to expand my knowledge, I am still not having the kind of progress I would like to have.  I am not finding as much time as I would like to do all that I would like to do. I have researched more about the content mentioned in the Cennamo text and I am utilizing those resources to expand my knowledge.  As we move into the next couple of weeks, we will engage with wikis and I look forward to understanding more about them and how they work as I have never used them before.

At this point, I do not feel I need to revise my GAME plan, but I do feel I need to engage more with the plan I have committed myself to. I am finding the resources I need, and I know there are more resources out there for me to explore if I can take the time to do so.

The only question I have is how teachers find more time to integrate technology into their classrooms and how they find the time to learn the software and work with it?  This is something I have struggled with over the past couple of years as we have been required to do more and learn more with all of the advances in technology.  I still do not feel like I am able to catch up and stay caught up.

Continuing the GAME Plan

 As I continue to carry out my GAME plan, I am still looking for new ways to incorporate technology into my curriculum to better engage my students with the lessons and I am slowly beginning to find more online resources to help me stay connected to changes in technology and education. So far I have been able to apply my prior knowledge of technology strategies to better develop lessons for my students and I am working on integrating more video streaming to aid my visual learners. I have learned that it helps to model practically everything I require my students to do to give them examples of what the assignment should look like upon completion and to demonstrate the learning goals I have for them. This week's learning resources focused on customizing student learning activities to benefit diverse learners in the classroom. According to Cennamo, Ross, and Ertmer (2009), “Technology can be a tremendous asset that helps teachers support the diverse learning needs of children” (p. 107). In my experience, providing students with more opportunities to use technology to complete assignments does benefit all learning styles, especially when the students are given a choice in the media they are able to use. As referenced by Cennamo, et al., (2009), “By offering choices of media and tools within the scope of your required content, you are supporting students' affective networks” (p.120). For future assignments, I have thought about how I can in corporate the different learning styles of my students into my lessons and project requirements. I plan to allow for more collaborative groupings and provide ample time for my students in the lab. I know that integrating technology can be challenging at times, but I also know it can help to improve the learning outcomes of the students I teach. To continue implementing and applying the ISTE standard: NETS-T 3- “Model Digital Age Work and Learning”, I must continue to seek advice from my colleagues, media specialist, and tech support, along with researching online resources like streaming videos and interactive activities to my lessons.

In reference to my second learning goal in accordance with ISTE standard: NETS-T 5- “Engage in Professional Growth and Leadership”, I am working on advancing my knowledge by researching more technology and becoming more familiar with the tools introduced in the Cennamo text. There are many digital tools I have either never heard of or have never worked with, so it is important for me to discover what these tools are used for and how I can incorporate them into my lessons. In the next couple of weeks of this course, we will be integrating a plan using wikis; this is something I know very little about and I do look forward to working with this tool. I have not researched as much as I would like to for this component of my GAME plan at this time, but I do plan to do more in the weeks ahead. According to Cennamo, et al., (2009). “As a teacher, you develop learning goals for your students that allow them to obtain the skills and knowledge required by curricula and standards” (p.121). As important as is to set goals for our students, it is also important for teachers to set and maintain goals for ourselves.

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.

Developing a GAME Plan to Become More Confident

                The first thought which came to mind when faced with the concept of “The GAME Plan” was the movie of the same title which focused around family and football.  The majority of people may initially assume that this concept has something to do with playing a sport or some other type of game, however, this plan is intended for teachers to be better prepared to engage students in the classroom and to seek new knowledge to become more proficient teachers.  According to Cennamo, Ross, and Ertmer (2009), “The GAME plan enables you to customize your approach to learning tasks, to develop relevant skills that are important to you, and prepare your for lifelong learning” (p.4). It is not enough for me to sit down and create daily lesson plans for my classes; I must continually re-evaluate the effectiveness of those plans and how I can better engage my students.  I must also continually educate myself as technology is always changing and I am in a battle to catch up to what my students are learning and doing with all of the advances.

                As I look to the NETS-T standards provided by ISTE, there are several categories in which I fall short.  Technology is definitely not my strongest point, but I do attempt to provide my students with ample opportunities to use as much of it as possible in the classroom.  However, it is not enough for me to require my students to incorporate technology into their projects if I am not utilizing all of the potential it has for my classroom environment.  

                The two key areas I feel I need the most improving in accordance to the NETS-T standards are: NETS-T 3- “Model Digital Age Work and Learning” and NETS-T 5- “Engage in Professional Growth and Leadership”

                To become more proficient in these areas, I have devised a GAME plan to self-direct my learning outcomes.  According to Cennamo (2009), “First, you identify what you already know about the topic in order to identify what you need to learn” (p.4).  Okay, so I know the basics of computer technology, I can create documents using Microsoft Word applications, and I can find what I need on the Internet using a search engine. However, I do not do the best job with “modeling and facilitating effective use of current and emerging digital tools to locate, analyze, evaluate, and use information resources to support research and learning” (NETS-T- 3). I do participate in school discussions with my colleagues and provide feedback, but I have not “evaluated and reflected on current research and professional practice on a regular basis to make effective use of existing and emerging digital tools and resources in support of student learning” (NETS-T-5).  For my personal goal, I want to research more about current events in education and technology to be able to bring more into my classroom environment. I want to be up-to-date on new advances so I can understand the technical language many of my students use that I am out of touch with.  I also want to learn more than just the basics of computer technology; it is not enough to just “get by” anymore.  That may have worked when I was in school, but now I need to be able to teach my students how to use this new technology.

                According to Cennamo (2009), “After you’ve identified your learning goals, you need to take action to meet those goals” (p.4). So, I know what I want to do and what I need to learn. Now, I actually need to explore current research and technology using an Internet search engine and educate myself on new technology.  By advancing my degree in literacy and technology, I have already taken certain steps to meet my goals since these courses have required me to step outside by comfort zone, such as using this blog site.  To educate myself further, I can also go to my colleagues who are more technology proficient and use them as a resource tool to show me new and innovative ideas to incorporate into my classroom.  As a self-directed learner, I can also use the trial and error approach and test what works well and what I need to improve on in the classroom with my students.  As much as I hate to admit it, another source of information I can go to and have gone to would be my students; the majority of the students have grown up with this new technology and have had to utilize it.

                “As you take action to achieve your learning goals, you’ll need to monitor whether you are making sufficient progress toward your goals and reflect on whether the strategies you have chosen are working” (Cennamo et al,2009, p.4). To monitor my progress, I will look to how efficiently I am teaching new technology to my students and the effectiveness of my lessons.  If my students are engaged and understand what I am teaching as I use the technology, then I will know I am on the right path, but if my students seem dazed and confused, I will know I need to approach the concepts differently and redirect my method.

                Finally, I will need to evaluate my self-directed learning and determine if I have met my goals or if I need to change my initial strategy.  As with the modeling stage, if I notice a trend that is not working, I will go back and attempt to correct my mistakes and the reevaluate my progress.  As a teacher, I know that everything does not always work out the way you want it to the first time.  It takes practice and patience to learn a new skill. I am not perfect and I am not the most technologically efficient person, but I know I will succeed if I follow through and keep to the plan.

References

Cennamo, K., Ross, J., & Ertmer, P. (2010). Technology integration for meaningful classroom use: A standards-based approach. Belmont, CA: Wadsworth, Cengage Learning.

http://www.iste.org/docs/pdfs/nets-t-standards.pdf?sfvrsn=2

Growth in Technology

Technology is constantly changing in our society from day to day.  I have never been as tech savvy as many of my colleagues or my husband, who has more knowledge about computers than I could ever hope to come to understand.  With all of the advances in technology, it is difficult to catch up and keep up with the new strategies and resources.   In the past decade, I have seen a rapid growth of children utilizing more technology in the home and on the go. When I was growing up, I did not have a computer or a cell phone and Facebook was nonexistent.  Today, it is almost uncommon for a student to not have access to a computer or the Internet at home, although I am aware that many families cannot afford to have these amenities.  Schools are putting more pressure on teachers to learn more about technology and to utilize these resources in the classroom, but many times we are not given the time necessary to teach ourselves and workshops are few and far between.  For the most part, I have taught myself anything I know about technology through trial and error.  I do understand the value of promoting technology in the classroom and I have seen its effectiveness among my students.  For almost every project my students complete, some type of technology is involved.  I tend to do a lot with PowerPoint presentations for lessons and for student presentations.  It is important for students  to know how to create presentations and how to use Microsoft software.  Over the past few months, I have learned how to use other software which I will incorporate into my classroom.  As a teacher, it is important for me to keep on learning just as I desire for my students to become lifelong learners.  It is a struggle, but I do feel it is worth it to benefit the next generation.  Technology is not going away like many fads, so we need to embrace the possibilities.