Developing my GAME Plan

While this degree program has prepared me with many tools to use within classroom instruction, there is still the matter of integrating the tools in a meaningful way while still holding true to the curriculum goals. Technology is definitely a motivational tool and has boundless possibilities within the school year, but the necessity to set goals for myself of where to begin is probably a good idea. Looking at the National Education Technology Standards and Performance Indicators, I feel my GAME plan should focus on the second and fifth standards.

Before I can really begin to use technology in a truly effective and efficient manner, I should first set my goal of engaging in professional growth and leadership (standard 5). The actions necessary to accomplish this goal are clear to me. First, I will have a greater voice within not only the school’s technology committee, but the district committee as well. I will attempt to introduce new technology resources for acceptable integration into each building’s instructional tools. In a similar way, I will formulate and present valid arguments as to why certain web resources that are currently prohibited, such as blogs, podcasts, and wikispaces, would benefit the students and teachers. I will also demonstrate a leadership role by taking over as the chairperson for our school’s Technology Night. In this position, I will be able to guide teachers toward projects that would suit their students and their curriculum. Finally, as suggested by our book, I will learn more about how other teachers have supported student learning in a technology-enriched learning environment. This will not just be in conversations but also possibly professional development opportunities such as conferences that are offered throughout the year. To monitor my progress in these areas, I will journal my activities daily or weekly and reflect on how my progress to that point as well as the next steps I will need to take. To evaluate and extend my learning, I will consistently share information at staff meetings for feedback and possibly assistance while continuing to inform myself and others about the technology resources available.

Since my school has recently put Promethean boards in every classroom, I feel my next goal should be designing and developing digital-age learning experiences and assessments (standard 2). While the first standard is very important and should be a strong focus for any teacher interested in using technology, I already feel comfortable creating opportunities that use digital resources to aid in authentic problem solving, collaboration, and creative expression. As long as I keep up with the numerous resources available as stated in my previous paragraph, I feel confident I can keep creating these learning opportunities. But the Promethean board is different animal. Every day, I find out something else I can do with it. The book discusses how to use the board thoughtfully and effectively on page 93. To achieve this goal I will use the Promethean board for a majority of my instruction. I will use interactive instructional materials within prepared flipcharts and presentations. Students will interact with these flipcharts, create new ones themselves, and share their own presentations with the classroom. This accommodates the many learning styles within the classroom. Formative and summative assessments will be taken using the Activote system, and results of anonymous answers on graphs will be shared with the class to discuss the learning process. I also plan on seeking assistance from someone trained with the board to teach me a few tools here and there to aid in my progress. To monitor this progress, I will journal those resources I find so as to not forget them, and continually incorporate them into activities done on the Promethean board. Seeking assistance will also serve as my extension and evaluation of my progress.