While evaluating my GAME plan, I ask myself if I have been successful in meeting my goals or if I must modify them to meet the needs of my students. I have already taken several small steps towards finding ways to incorporate technology and meet the diverse learning styles within my classroom. Taking part in various online discussion groups has proven to be beneficial. I have created a graphic organizer to collect names of websites, including a short description, for future reference. As a self-directed lifelong learner, I must be able to respond to the rapid and continuous technological changes that will inevitably occur during my career as a teacher (Cennamo, Ross & Ertmer, 2009). I also understand that I can never have enough resources to meet ALL my needs. My list (graphic organizer) must continue to grow!
My goal to develop and model cultural understanding and global awareness may be a more difficult task. I have researched ePals and spoke to other teachers who have used it, but I am not familiar with the Web application. As the teacher, I must first become comfortable using it before I can “promote, support, and model creative and innovative thinking and inventiveness” while using digital tools and resources (Cennamo et al., 2009, p. 24). I am continuously looking for other resources that I can further explore to allow students to interact with individuals around the world. Although our fifth grade Social Studies teacher discusses several global issues, I want to give my students the opportunity to stay updated on current events. I have considered subscribing to a newspaper that would be received at least once a week. The newspaper could be used for reading and writing purposes as well. Another activity I have seen is the “Flat Stanley Project”. My only concern is that maybe it is meant for students younger than fifth grade. I am curious to hear responses from other instructors who have used a similar lesson.
I am looking forward to meeting my new class in September. It will be necessary for me to distinguish what type of learning style my students possess and any individual special needs they may have to fully accomplish my goals. I have realized that I will definitely integrate problem-based lessons into my teaching strategies. They will allow my students to collaboratively solve problems using problem-solving and critical thinking skills in an authentic manner. Students will have the opportunity to learn facts and then apply them. Through research, data, and reflection my students will learn to use the “language” and “tools” of the trade for future use. Hopefully my students will be a step above the rest!:)
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.
Wednesday, July 28, 2010
Wednesday, July 21, 2010
Monitoring My GAME Plan
As I continue to move through the course, Integrating Technology Across the Content Areas, and monitor my GAME plan, I am focusing on collecting as many resources as possible. Through discussions and blogs, I have already had the opportunity to be introduced to several new websites and communication programs.
In attempting to meet my goal of developing and modeling cultural understanding and global awareness, I have researched ePals. According to other educators, ePals has been a huge success. Global awareness and collaborative communication opportunities have been enhanced through classroom emails and teacher guidance. While using a blog, students are able to communicate virtually, discuss specific topics, and share information and photos. The experiences would be beneficial to all students, as they would help to reinforce today’s digital literacy skills. I plan to contact my districts technology director to further discuss my options. I am curious to find out if I am able to monitor ePal messages sent between students. It will be important for me to assess literacy skills and monitor appropriate conversations.
My other goal which consists of customizing and personalizing learning activities to address students’ diverse learning styles, working strategies, and abilities using digital tools and resources, will be an ongoing project. I already incorporate several different teaching strategies into my classroom on a daily basis, but I am constantly looking for unique ways to apply technology and actively involve ALL my students. As stated by Cennamo, Ross, and Ertmer, “There are lots of ways to spark student motivation for learning and fortunately, technology offers some of the most powerful tools available” (Cennamo, Ross & Ertmer, 2009, p. 29). While researching, I am currently constructing a list of various media tools and programs, while referring to Howard Gardner’s Multiple Intelligences, to make sure that I am discovering ways to meet ALL my students various learning needs. I think it will be helpful for me to have a resource list that I am able to use when matching activities to my students and vice versa. Once school begins and I have ample time to build relationships and collect data, I will be able to provide opportunities that will meet grade level content standards, encourage creativity, and promote the use of critical thinking and problem solving skills.
Ideas for incorporating technology into fifth grade Language Arts and Science are always welcome!:)
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.
In attempting to meet my goal of developing and modeling cultural understanding and global awareness, I have researched ePals. According to other educators, ePals has been a huge success. Global awareness and collaborative communication opportunities have been enhanced through classroom emails and teacher guidance. While using a blog, students are able to communicate virtually, discuss specific topics, and share information and photos. The experiences would be beneficial to all students, as they would help to reinforce today’s digital literacy skills. I plan to contact my districts technology director to further discuss my options. I am curious to find out if I am able to monitor ePal messages sent between students. It will be important for me to assess literacy skills and monitor appropriate conversations.
My other goal which consists of customizing and personalizing learning activities to address students’ diverse learning styles, working strategies, and abilities using digital tools and resources, will be an ongoing project. I already incorporate several different teaching strategies into my classroom on a daily basis, but I am constantly looking for unique ways to apply technology and actively involve ALL my students. As stated by Cennamo, Ross, and Ertmer, “There are lots of ways to spark student motivation for learning and fortunately, technology offers some of the most powerful tools available” (Cennamo, Ross & Ertmer, 2009, p. 29). While researching, I am currently constructing a list of various media tools and programs, while referring to Howard Gardner’s Multiple Intelligences, to make sure that I am discovering ways to meet ALL my students various learning needs. I think it will be helpful for me to have a resource list that I am able to use when matching activities to my students and vice versa. Once school begins and I have ample time to build relationships and collect data, I will be able to provide opportunities that will meet grade level content standards, encourage creativity, and promote the use of critical thinking and problem solving skills.
Ideas for incorporating technology into fifth grade Language Arts and Science are always welcome!:)
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.
Wednesday, July 14, 2010
Carrying Out My GAME Plan
As I work towards successfully accomplishing my GAME Plan. I need to focus on what resources and additional information I will need to carry out my plan and reflect on my accomplishments thus far. I believe that I must be a life-long learner by continuing to educate myself, collect data, and interact with other teachers to gain new ideas. Each goal will not only strengthen my teaching skills, but also allow my students to experience a positive learning experience.
Goal 1 is to customize and personalize learning activities to address students’ diverse learning styles, working strategies, and abilities using digital tools and resources. Since I do not have a classroom of students at this time, due to summer break, I am researching ALL types of learning styles and strategies to incorporate into my daily lessons. My Walden course textbook is currently a very valuable resource, as it discusses scenarios, the Universal Design for Learning (UDL), teaching methods, assistive technology tools and ideas for “leveling the playing field for students with different abilities, needs, or preferences” (Cennnamo, Ross & Ertmer, 2009, p. 110). As time allows, researching the World Wide Web will also prove to be an asset. I have not developed a strategy to customize, personalize, or teach learning activities yet, but I intend to observe, evaluate, and collect data to better understand my students’ needs as soon as school begins in the fall.
Goal 2 is to develop and model cultural understanding and global awareness by engaging with colleagues and students of other cultures using digital-age communication and collaboration tools. To work toward accomplishing this goal I will need to join various chat rooms to become more familiar and comfortable interacting with individuals from other countries, collaborate with colleagues (hopefully some of my cohorts from Walden:), and regularly make students aware of current global issues. I must be well informed and confident in my skills to be a supportive role model. This is something that will take time and practice, but in the meantime I will need to increase my students curiosity and encourage them to explore and investigate various subjects of interest around the world. As I collaborate with our districts 5th grade Social Studies teacher (my teammate), I hope to provide opportunities for students to be introduced to various cultures. Virtual fieldtrips and pen pals are a few ideas I have for doing this while incorporating technology.
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.
Goal 1 is to customize and personalize learning activities to address students’ diverse learning styles, working strategies, and abilities using digital tools and resources. Since I do not have a classroom of students at this time, due to summer break, I am researching ALL types of learning styles and strategies to incorporate into my daily lessons. My Walden course textbook is currently a very valuable resource, as it discusses scenarios, the Universal Design for Learning (UDL), teaching methods, assistive technology tools and ideas for “leveling the playing field for students with different abilities, needs, or preferences” (Cennnamo, Ross & Ertmer, 2009, p. 110). As time allows, researching the World Wide Web will also prove to be an asset. I have not developed a strategy to customize, personalize, or teach learning activities yet, but I intend to observe, evaluate, and collect data to better understand my students’ needs as soon as school begins in the fall.
Goal 2 is to develop and model cultural understanding and global awareness by engaging with colleagues and students of other cultures using digital-age communication and collaboration tools. To work toward accomplishing this goal I will need to join various chat rooms to become more familiar and comfortable interacting with individuals from other countries, collaborate with colleagues (hopefully some of my cohorts from Walden:), and regularly make students aware of current global issues. I must be well informed and confident in my skills to be a supportive role model. This is something that will take time and practice, but in the meantime I will need to increase my students curiosity and encourage them to explore and investigate various subjects of interest around the world. As I collaborate with our districts 5th grade Social Studies teacher (my teammate), I hope to provide opportunities for students to be introduced to various cultures. Virtual fieldtrips and pen pals are a few ideas I have for doing this while incorporating technology.
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.
Thursday, July 8, 2010
Developing My GAME Plan
After visiting the International Society for Technology in Education (ISTE) website and reviewing the National Education Standards for Teachers (NETS-T), I was able to reflect on my teaching skills and the ability to successfully integrate technology into the curriculum. I believe I have a grasp on certain standards, such as promoting, supporting, and modeling creative and innovative thinking and inventiveness and promoting and modeling digital etiquette and responsible social interactions related to the use of technology and information, but understand that as a teacher I must be a life-long learner. The world of technology is constantly changing, so I must continuously educate myself to be a role model and encourage my students to be self-directed learners. This past year, I had the opportunity to incorporate blogging into my Language Arts lessons. I modeled appropriate blogging techniques, shared examples of discussions I participated in through Walden, and stressed the importance of good writing/speaking to establish credibility. I also used technology for other subject areas and promoted creativity while students were asked to explore, collect data, and produce creative projects while following a rubric and meeting content expectations. These are only a few of the ways I met specific standards, but hope that I can become more confident and improve my teaching by setting goals, taking action, and then monitoring and evaluating my progress towards achieving those goals related to the use of technology. My GAME plan is as follows:
GOAL 1: Customize and personalize learning activities to address students’ diverse learning styles, working strategies, and abilities using digital tools and resources. I want to have the ability to differentiate instruction to meet ALL my students’ needs while using technology. I hope to give extra assistance to those in need and challenge students who understand the subject matter and technology tools being presented to them.
GOAL 2: Develop and model cultural understanding and global awareness by engaging with colleagues and students of other cultures using digital-age communication and collaboration tools. I want to incorporate blogging, assign pen pals, and introduce real world issues by interacting with students from various states and countries.
ACTION (goal 1): I plan to continue to educate myself by participating in professional development opportunities and by exploring the Internet and searching for authentic resourceful websites that will provide me with useful strategies to incorporate within my lessons. As stated by Cennamo, Ross, & Ertmer, “While technology is not essential to creating authentic, learner-centered instruction, it offers a powerful resource for engaging students in authentic experiences, typically increasing both their motivation and their learning” (Cennamo, Ross, & Ertmer, 2009, p. 51).
ACTION (goal 2): I plan to blog and interact within various “teacher” chat-rooms to familiarize myself with colleagues around the world. Creating relationships and collaborating will benefit both me and my students.
MONITOR/EVALUATE: I will monitor my students’ progress and reflect on the teaching strategies I have chosen to use with each individual student by journaling and collecting data. I will continuously think about and modify my current teaching strategies as I observe student output and ask questions similar to the ones below. This will allow me to evaluate and make adjustments if my goals are not being met.
Are the technology tools/resources I am using allowing my students to be successful self-directed learners? (Students will discuss and reflect. Teacher will observe.)
Are positive relationships being built between students (and teachers) from different cultures? (Students/teacher will share information from discussions.)
As a teacher, I believe that I must prepare my students for a world where technology is becoming more and more prevalent. Developing students’ creative and critical thinking skills will assist them in becoming successful problem solvers in our fast-paced ever-changing society.
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.
GOAL 1: Customize and personalize learning activities to address students’ diverse learning styles, working strategies, and abilities using digital tools and resources. I want to have the ability to differentiate instruction to meet ALL my students’ needs while using technology. I hope to give extra assistance to those in need and challenge students who understand the subject matter and technology tools being presented to them.
GOAL 2: Develop and model cultural understanding and global awareness by engaging with colleagues and students of other cultures using digital-age communication and collaboration tools. I want to incorporate blogging, assign pen pals, and introduce real world issues by interacting with students from various states and countries.
ACTION (goal 1): I plan to continue to educate myself by participating in professional development opportunities and by exploring the Internet and searching for authentic resourceful websites that will provide me with useful strategies to incorporate within my lessons. As stated by Cennamo, Ross, & Ertmer, “While technology is not essential to creating authentic, learner-centered instruction, it offers a powerful resource for engaging students in authentic experiences, typically increasing both their motivation and their learning” (Cennamo, Ross, & Ertmer, 2009, p. 51).
ACTION (goal 2): I plan to blog and interact within various “teacher” chat-rooms to familiarize myself with colleagues around the world. Creating relationships and collaborating will benefit both me and my students.
MONITOR/EVALUATE: I will monitor my students’ progress and reflect on the teaching strategies I have chosen to use with each individual student by journaling and collecting data. I will continuously think about and modify my current teaching strategies as I observe student output and ask questions similar to the ones below. This will allow me to evaluate and make adjustments if my goals are not being met.
Are the technology tools/resources I am using allowing my students to be successful self-directed learners? (Students will discuss and reflect. Teacher will observe.)
Are positive relationships being built between students (and teachers) from different cultures? (Students/teacher will share information from discussions.)
As a teacher, I believe that I must prepare my students for a world where technology is becoming more and more prevalent. Developing students’ creative and critical thinking skills will assist them in becoming successful problem solvers in our fast-paced ever-changing society.
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.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)