Sharing the GAME Plan Process with my Students

Having gone through the process of creating a GAME plan and actually going through with it, I know that my students will benefit from creating their own GAME plan as well. As I have been sharing my knowledge of new technologies with my students, they have come to see how important of a role technology plays in their lives. They have learned how to create voice threads, podcasts, digital storytelling, and so much more. These are all technologies that they can use once they leave high school and enter into a post secondary educational facility. At the beginning of each school year, I have my students create goals for themselves. In the future I will have them set goals to meet the NETS standards as well. I believe that by doing this I will help them to prepare for their futures.

GAME Plan Still On...

I have found that reaching the goals of my GAME plan is a never ending process. Much like learning should never end, I should never stop trying to reach my goals of increasing professional development and introducing my students to new technology. In the past few weeks I have worked with some of my peers to plan a professional development opportunity to teach other teachers how to create a classroom website. The enthusiasm has been overwhelming and we will be teaching this course next month. Our goal is for each teacher to have their own classroom website up and running at the beginning of the 2010-2011 school year.
I have not introduced anymore new technologies to my students, but plan to teach them how to create a podcast for a project that we have coming up this spring.

Continuing my GAME Plan....

My GAME plan is progressing at an even pace. I have met with my administrators to go over possible ideas for professional growth. I created a survey for the faculty to complete to get an idea of what kinds of professional growth ideas they would be interested in. Technology is an area that most people feel they need assistance with. I have offered to teach my peers about blogging and will be setting that up in the next couple of weeks.
As for my students, I have begun teaching them how to create personal websites so that they can post their work. While I have a lot left to do in terms of reaching my goals, I feel like I have made adequate progress.

GAME Plan Progress

I am feeling confident as I carry out my GAME plan. This week I attended a professional growth seminar that taught me how to post homework and grades on the school website. By learning how to do this, I am setting a great example for my students by showing them that I am committed to integrating technology into my classroom. I have also met with the technology coordinator to discuss possible seminars for the future. I want my peers to learn various forms of technology as well. Another step forward that I have made is to teach my students how to use voice threads. This is something that I was very intimidated by when I first had to make one for this program. I had student pick a social issue and they added a voice thread to their PowerPoint presentations. The majority of my students were very excited to learn this new technology!

Carrying Out My Game Plan

My two goals for my GAME plan are to teach my students how to use technology in a useful manner and to take advantage of more professional development opportunities that my district offers. In order teach my students how to use technology in a more useful manner, I will need to make time in the curriculum in order to teach them how to use different types of technology. In order to do this, I must offer them intense lessons. I plan to use Mondays (in which the classes are shortened) as a time to do this. I plan to work with our technology coordinator in order to get the proper equipment and the use of the computer labs. By taking the time to teach my students technology, I will be offering them skills that they will use for the rest of their lives.
In order to take advantage of professional development opportunities, I must take time out of my schedule to do so. I can also work with administrators in order to make the time spent more effectively and on subjects that I can truly use in my classroom. If I become involved in the process of creating professional development ideas, I will be more likely to participate.

GAME Plan

Standard one of NETS states that “teachers demonstrate a sound understanding of technology operations and concepts”. Performance indicator “A” states that the teacher will “demonstrate introductory knowledge, skills, and understanding of concepts related to technology.” On a scale of one to four with four being the most knowledgeable, I must give myself a three. I have a “solid understanding” but “need to explore how to use these standards and better facilitate development of these in my students.” I enjoy teaching with PowerPoint and utilizing technology within my lessons. However, a goal that I have set for myself is to teach my students how to use these programs themselves so that they can complete projects that show how much they have learned by using technology. Not only will this enhance their projects, but it will also give them a life skill to carry with them once they graduate.
Performance indicator “B” states that the teacher will “demonstrate continual growth in technology knowledge and skills to stay abreast of current and emerging technologies.” I must grade myself with a two on this performance indicator. I love trying new things in technology but rarely take advantage of the multiple opportunities my district offers for professional development. It is not because I do not wish to learn what they are teaching. The primary reason is because I cannot stand to be in a classroom when I am not the one teaching. I prefer to learn things on my own and actually learn much better that way. A goal that I have set for myself is to attend at least two professional developments per semester.
The NET standards serve as a guideline that should be followed at all times in the classroom. Technology is such an important aspect of teaching and can serve as a creative tool. It is important for students to learn multiple aspects of technology as well because it will serve as a tool that they can carry with them into the workforce.

A Reflection on Teaching New Literacy Skills

Throughout this course, I have been amazed at how much I have learned that will benefit my students for many years to come. Gone are the days of depending solely on textbooks and lectures to teach my students. When I first began this program, I made a commitment to learn as much as I possibly could to assist my students in the area of technology. I believe that it is crucial for them to learn the skills they will need to be successful in their careers as early as possible. The new literacy skills give them the opportunity to create projects using tools of technology that they will be able to carry with them. They will learn how to create a website from scratch, how to blog, and create podcasts and video threads.
As a professional development goal, I would like to teach a course to my fellow peers in my school district on the new literacy skills and the importance of utilizing the technology that the district offers. I will plan this course with my administrators and then prepare to teach my peers all of the useful information that I have learned over the duration of this program.