Final Blog Post

Following my GAME plan throughout this course has been beneficial in many ways. The process helped me think about the way(s) I learn. "As a future teacher you will be directing much of your own learning, so it is important that you think about the learning process and how you work best within this process" (Cennamo, Ross, & Ertner, 2009, p. 3). It was also helpful to reflect on the effectiveness of different learning methods. This has helped me to continually use methods that work for me and to not use ones that are not as effective. "As a reflective learner, you will think about what has been effective in the past, but also continually monitor and evaluate what is effective for you now" (Cennamo, et al., 2009, p. 11).

My two GAME plan goals were to add variety to my instruction and assessment as well as teach my students about digital citizenship. Through the course of this class, I have learned about and created a large variety of assessment and instruction options. Technology really creates flexibility in the classroom and allows teachers to differentiate their instruction and assessment options. "While technology is not essential to creating authentic, learn-centered instruction, it offers a powerful resource for engaging students in authentic experiences, typically increasing both their motivation and their learning" (Cennamo, et al., 2009, p.51). My GAME plan has also helped me discover some fantastic resources that will help me teach digital citizenship to my students. My favorite is the video at Brainpop.com. I plan on showing my students this video before engaging in any online activity.

The two most noticeable changes that I am going to make to my instruction are an increase in the variety of my assessment options and additional instruction about digital citizenship. Many of the activities and lessons that I learned about during this class will be put to good use in my classroom. I am excited to integrate these new ideas and the technologies that I have been learning about. I am also contemplating adding a whole lesson about digital citizenship/etiquette. This would give my students all the information they will need while using the internet for the rest of the year and beyond. Overall, my instruction and assessment options will be more than doubled with the new ideas I have picked up. Integrating these new technologies will engage and motivate my students more and allow them to better demonstrate their content knowledge to me.

-Matt DeAmaral

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.

http://www.brainpop.com/spotlight/digitalcitizenship/

Using the GAME Plan Process with Students

As an educator, one of the values I hope to instill in my students is that of being a lifelong learner. I think that the best way to do that is to guide them toward being self-directed learners. The GAME plan is a great resource for teachers or students who want to learn something new; like technology. I would like to teach my students the GAME plan process at the beginning of the school year. I will ask them to make goals for learning new technologies based on the NETS-S standards (ISTE, 2007) and develop actions that they can take. Every 5 weeks we will monitor our GAME plans and see if there is anything that needs to change. If a student feels that they have achieved their original goal, I will ask them to evaluate their method and determine why it was successful. I would like to continue this process with students all year and then at the end of the year we can all share what we learned. One of the benefits of the GAME plan is that I can continually learn as my students do. "As you are considering ways that you can meet the required teachers standards, you can simultaneously consider ways to help your students meet the required student standards" (Cennamo, Ross, & Ertmer, 2009, p. 7).

As I was looking for new ways to teach students technology, I found this website. It gives some good information that educators can pass on to their students. Things like citing and copyrights may not be topics that students choose to learn about on their own, but they should be covered by teachers who want to frequently use technology. Even though digital citizenship is included in the NETS-S, I don't think many students will want to learn about it.

-Matt DeAmaral

References

http://www.iste.org/Content/NavigationMenu/NETS/ForStudents/2007Standards/NETS_for_Students_2007.htm

http://www.letu.edu/opencms/opencms/_Portal/cetl/helping-students-learn/Technology.html

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

Revising Your GAME Plan

From my original GAME plan, I have learned many new practices that I will be able to use in my classroom in future years. Most importantly, I have gather some key resources that will help me teach my students about digital citizenship and etiquette. I have also adapted to a broader sense of what assessment is and therefore have been able to utilize a wider variety of assessments. I am much more likely to offer my students options for assessment at the end of a unit. I want them to choose the method that they feel most comfortable with and fits their learning style best.

The new goal that I have set for myself come from the NETS-T list of performance indicators for teachers. My next goal will be to continue to improve my skills as a professional. More specifically, I will focus on item 5c (ISTE, 2008): "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." This will include staying up to date on research and implementing new ideas into my planning. I will also strive to make technology a constant piece of student activities and assessments.

I believe that I achieve my previous goals because I set realistic expectations of myself and used methods that were comfortable for me. I most used the course textbook and internet resources to find the information that I needed. I also visited some great blogs and discussions that offered some differing perspectives and interesting ideas. Because this method worked well for me previously, I am going to rely on it again to achieve my next goal of continuing my professional development. In some preliminary internet searches, I have already found a variety of resources about professional development for teachers. This has already helped me narrow my goal to focusing more on reflection for the moment. I found this website to be of particular interest for reflective practices. If I continue to peruse the reflective process, I will modify my teaching style and improve my effectiveness as an educator. "As a reflective learner, you will think about what has been effective in the past, but also continually monitor and evaluate what is effective for you now" (Cennamo, Ross, & Ertmer, 2009, p. 11).

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.

National Education Standards for Teachers (NETS-T) located at http://www.iste.org/Content/NavigationMenu/NETS/ForTeachers/2008Standards/NETS_T_Standards_Final.pdf.

http://webserver3.ascd.org/ossd/reflection.html