Monitoring My GAME Plan

Self-directed learners set goals, take action and then monitor and evaluate their progress towards meeting those goals. Cennamo, Ross, and Ertmer (2009) assert that self-monitoring and self-evaluation are essential components to becoming a self-directed learner (p11). This week, I monitored the development of my GAME Plan. My goals include exploring new technologies to facilitate and inspire student learning, and creating lessons that promote and model digital citizenship and responsibilities (ISTE, 2008).

I have been able to locate an unlimited amount of online resources available for helping teachers scaffold, engage, and enrich student learning through the use of technology. To facilitate and inspire student learning, I have located multiple points in my 7th grade language arts curricula that can be supported by the new technologies I have learned, to create authentic learning activities for my students that foster critical and creative thinking skills. I have explored several ideas such as incorporating wikis as a means of group communication for students while they work collaboratively on a project, blogs as a literature response journals and reflection journals, and WebQuests when beginning a new unit or when researching background information or author information on a novel (Cennamo, Ross, & Ertmer, 2009, p55-68). Students can create a website for the Greek god or goddesses they research, or use flips cameras and Windows Movie Maker to create a video book review or write a personal narrative in the format of digital storytelling. Students can also take virtual field trips to the settings of our class novels. I also plan to implement the use of talking text for my English Language Learners and Special Education students, and have all of my students search for non-fiction online articles or websites to read at their lexile level (Laureate Education, Inc., 2009).

To promote and model digital citizenship and responsibility I have started a unit based on the QUEST model for Internet inquiry (Eagleton & Dobler, 2007). Students will use the QUEST model to write and research their own questions, evaluate resources, synthesize the found information, transform their findings into new understandings, and publish their work online through the use of a glog (http://edu.glogster.com/). Students will also present their findings to their classmates. Students will also create a delicious account, a social bookmarking tool, where they can save and share the websites, articles, and videos they locate while researching (http://www.delicious.com/). Through the use of this research model, students will learn the safe, legal, and ethical uses of digital information. Students will use their blogs a means of communication and reflection during this project-based assignment, thus learning the importance of digital etiquette and responsible social interactions (ISTE, 2008).

I feel confident that I am following through with my GAME Plan efficiently. Unfortunately, I cannot proceed with my plan completely because I am not presently working with any students. However, within the next month, I will be able to begin implementing the new technologies I have been exploring. One modification I plan to make to my GAME Plan will be to have students create online portfolios where they can store their work. Students can use their eportfolios as workspaces for learning and reflection, or as showcases to present what has been learned or created (http://electronicportfolios.org/balance/index.html). Thus far in my GAME Plan, I have learned many new technologies that are available to support students learning. With technology, students become more engaged and invested in their learning. Technology enhances and enriches content area learning experiences for students (Laureate Education, Inc., 2009).

One concern that has arisen this week involves sharing these lessons with other teachers at my school. Due to new state testing requirements and standards for next year, and the curriculum bundles generated by my school district, we have decided to write our lessons plans together next year as a team throughout the school year. I am hoping that the teachers in my department will be open-minded and willing to undertake the new lessons I plan to implement this school year.

Whitney Barber

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.

Eagleton, M. B., & Dobler, E. (2007). Reading the web: strategies for internet inquiry. New York, NY: The Guilford Press.

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). (2009). Enriching content area learning experiences with technology, part 1. [Webcast]. Technology across the content areas. Baltimore, MD: Ertmer.

Laureate Education, Inc. (Producer). (2009). Meeting students’ needs with technology, part 1. [Webcast]. Technology across the content areas. Baltimore, MD: Ross.

Laureate Education, Inc. (Producer). (2009). Meeting students’ needs with technology, part 2. [Webcast]. Technology across the content areas. Baltimore, MD: Ross.