To develop a GAME plan in order to strengthen my understanding of this’ week resources and to develop a supportive, professional learning community I reviewed the National Education Standards for Teacher (NETS-T) to reflect on my strengths and areas in need of improvement. I determined that I should focus on one standard to work and select two indicators within that standard. By doing this I rationalized that I can become proficient in those areas more quickly because they are encompassed under the same standard thereby reducing distraction and frustration of attempting to maintain understanding of multiple bits of information all at once.
My goal is that I want to become more confident and proficient in area 3 of the (National Education Standards for Teacher (NETS-T): Model Digital-Age Work and Learning which states that teachers exhibit knowledge, skills, and work processes representative of an innovative professional in a global and digital society (ISTE, 2008). The two specific indicators that stood out to me most as areas of need are first, teacher communicates relevant information and ideas effectively to students, parents, and peers using a variety of digital-age media and formats (ISTE, 2008). Secondly, teacher models and facilitates effective use of current and emerging digital tools to locate, analyze, evaluate, and use information resources to support research and learning (ISTE, 2008).
The actions that I plan to take include continuing my graduate course work at Walden University to receive my Masters in Education with a specialization in integrating technology in the classroom. In this effort I am gaining a wealth of knowledge, skills, and work processes representative of an innovative professional in a global and digital society through the reading material and course assignments that allow me to put learned skills to practice. I will continue to apply as much as possible within the resources available to me in my current teaching position. Another action step that focuses on indicator c of standard 3 involves further developing my class blog to include a monthly newsletter and an agenda listing important dates and activities, pictures of students at work, topics of learning, and student learning presented via voicethreads and other digital tools. I will also communicate student successes and challenges via email and encourage parents to use it to communicate questions and concerns to me as well. A third action that I will implement is in the beginning of the year to incorporate a long term inquiry research project that teaches students the steps of inquiry research. Using materials and resources that I have learned in my graduate course work, a good set of lesson handouts and activities within a workbook that I already had, and a class set of a fun book that I received free with an order through Scholastic to help students relate to young boy’s journey through a research project, I will teach the students how to engage in inquiry research.
I will monitor my progress by staying on track with my courses (I only have 2 left after this course). Encouraging myself along the way and focusing on how far I have come and the short distance I have left to complete my degree. I will compare my applications – such as building my blog site by creating static pages with other teachers’ sites and asking them to preview my site asking for tips and strategies to keep this a stress free task. Engage in an online professional learning community to learn the most proficient ways to communicate class activities to include making the students responsible for updating certain information on the blog. I will create a lesson plan and digital lessons over the summer to help me to manage the implementation of inquiry research activities that I will complete with the students during the school year.
Finally, I will evaluate and extend my learning by creating an e-portfolio for professional development where I will journal my reflections on how each section of my GAME plan goes. I will journal this information chronologically as I focus the entries in the GAME plan order. I would like to include links and widgets that include samples of the work completed by both myself and my students to include the lesson plan, lessons, copies of the handouts used, products constructed, and my thoughts along the way (Cennamo, Ross, and Ertmer’s, 2009).
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.
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.ashxhttp://www.iste.org/Libraries/PDFs/NETS_for_Teachers_2008_EN.sflb.ashx
Laureate Education, Inc. (Executive Producer). (2009). Integrating technology across the content areas. Baltimore, MD: Author.
Sara to Kaladia:
ReplyDeleteYou have a great GAME plan. It is very thorough and detailed. It is obvious that you have really put thought into how you will carry your plan out. I like how you chose two strands in one standard. I think that will allow you to focus you efforts. I think a monthly newsletter is a wonderful idea. Last school year I had a class website that I updated weekly. This was a great communication tool that both students and parents could access. I was able to include a calendar of events, pictures, homework assignments, and student work samples. You could also put the kids in charge of parts of the website. I think collaboration with colleagues is a must. It allows you to talk through your ideas and there is someone to hold you accountable. Good luck with your plan!
Sara to Kaladia:
ReplyDeleteI really enjoyed reading your GAME plan. It is thorough and detailed. I can tell you put thought into how to carry out your plan. I think a monthly newsletter is a wonderful idea. Last school year I had a class website that I updated weekly. It included a calendar of events, homework assignments, pictures, and students work samples. It was accessible by both parents and students and it seemed to be helpful and used quite often. I thought about having some of my students work on the website this coming school year. I love that you are beginning the year with an inquiry research project. That really sets the tone for the school year. I think collaboration is a must. It gives you the opportunity to talk through your ideas and also gives you someone to hold you accountable on your plan. I find it is nice to have someone who knows what your goals are and how you are doing with reaching the goals. Good luck with your GAME plan!