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