Evaluating My GAME Plan

The NETS-T standard of “Design and Develop Digital-Age Learning Experiences” has allowed me to really examine the various technology tools that are available to help create digital-age learning experiences. Many of the tools found are ones that are readily available and require minimal effort to implement. One specific tool that I am interested in implementing is The Graph Club (www.tomsnyder.com), which can be used to generate student-created surveys. I have spoken with our Math Specialist about this tool since their budget has additional money to purchase materials. I still need to determine what other tools require money in order to implement in our school. I can present the information about various technology tools to my principal to see what funds may be available. I have also learned that many of the tools, without subscriptions, are ones that can be easily tailored to meet the needs of students in order to enjoy digital-age learning experiences that will assist them in their everyday lives. If there is little money in the budget to purchase new tools that require subscriptions, I will have to wait until next year to see if funds will be available. Tools such as spreadsheets, digital cameras, presentation software, Google Docs, and concept-mapping software are tools that I can use now and create digital-age learning experiences for the students in my classroom.

The NETS-T standard of “Model Digital-Age Work and Learning” has encouraged me to find exciting ways to share student achievements with parents and community members. I also like the idea of students creating a digital portfolio where they can monitor their work and add their own comments. The only problem is finding the time and resources to upload student work in a timely manner. If I chose to create digital portfolios, this may be more time consuming that uploading documents before or after school to the class website. I am also working to create a survey that I can send home with current parents to gain feedback on what information that would like to see on a class website. This will provide me with a starting point on what to include on a website that I can start developing this summer. I still have to survey parents at the beginning of next school year and also find parent volunteers that would be able to assist students in uploading their work to the website. If parents are unable to help with this process, I will need to rely on the support of our grade level assistant. At this point, I would need to determine if it is something that parents were using at home because she would be pulled during a time when she assists me with reading groups. Throughout this process, I have realized the importance that parents have in making their students successful. Without parental involvement, this goal may not be possible.

Monitoring My GAME Plan Progress

The NETS-T standard of “Design and Develop Digital-Age Learning Experiences” has provided me with a great amount of resources that can help create digital-age learning experiences. At this point, I am finding the information and resources I need. I have found many technology tools that are of interest to me and I would like to share with my administration. I am also looking for tools that will be beneficial to my second grade students as well as those that may benefit the entire school. I do not feel that I need to modify my action plan right now. There is plenty of information that I can locate and use to help me create wonderful learning experiences that incorporate technology. So far, I have learned that there are many valuable tools and I need to narrow it down to tools that I know would work for me as well as my students. Because our district is looking at a smaller budget for this upcoming school year, I need to determine the value of tools that require a subscription and if they are worth implementing in our school. A question that I have involves money. Does anyone know of various grants and resources that are available to educators that may pay for the cost of various technology tools that will be incorporated into the classroom? Would you encourage students to create portfolios to demonstrate growth? If so, how would you keep track of products created digitally so that they would have access to the products after leaving the classroom? Some interesting assessments of technology proficiency have been developed that rely on some of the capabilities of technology to create unique learning and assessment environments (Cennamo, Ross, & Ertmer, 2009).

The NETS-T standard of “Model Digital-Age Work and Learning” has been very valuable. I have appreciated all of the feedback that my colleagues have provided me to ensure that I have all the information and permission necessary before posting student work on a website that is accessible to the public. I have had no problem with gathering enough information and resources. All information gathered has been wonderful and continues my understanding of the importance of sharing student work to promote their excitement and success in school. At this point I do not feel that I need to modify my action plan. One question I am contemplating involves my parent survey. Since I am about two weeks from the end of the school year, I do not know if I should survey parents of my current students or wait until next year. Any thoughts? The parents of my current students could provide me with great information but they would not see the finished product since their children would no longer be in my classroom.

Reference:

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.

Carrying Out My GAME Plan

The first NETS-T that I will address further is “Design and Develop Digital-Age Learning Experiences.” In order to carry out my GAME plan, I will need to determine what resources are most valuable to e. Because I am working to create learning experiences for my students that incorporate digital tools, I would need information on various types of technology and a description of how those tools can be integrated for classroom use. I will also rely on the feedback of colleagues to share their knowledge of technology tools. If I am unable to find enough information for my needs, I may need to set up my own blog to attain feedback from others in the education field. I still would like to research various technology tools that can be used for both formative and summative assessments. The assessments will help to measure what students are retaining and help gain feedback about the type of instruction and assessment. The anonymity many of these technologies provide may encourage some students to give you feedback who would otherwise be reluctant to voice their opinions in front of their peers (Cennamo, Ross, & Ertmer, 2009). I have not taken any steps yet to act on this plan. My first step will entail starting the research process to hopefully find suitable forms of technology that can be used in the classroom. In order to become familiar with the various types of technology, I will need to take a hands-on approach to learning in order to find tools that will be beneficial to the students I teach.

The second NETS-T that I will address further is “Model Digital-Age Work and Learning.” In order to carry out my GAME plan, I will need to gain information from my current parents on what they would like to see displayed on a class website, to include student achievements. I will need to make sure I have all necessary tools to upload student work, such as a scanner. I am hoping to acquire parent volunteers that can help students upload their documents/achievements to the website. The ITRT will also be able to help me set up a website that parents, students, and community members can access. If I put together the community and my students, the community might be willing to provide incentives for students who work hard in the classroom and share what they are learning. I will need to obtain further information from local businesses to see if this is something they would be interested in doing. I still need to work on creating a checklist that I can use to track my progress as well as make notes of things that need to be completed or added if necessary. I have not taken any steps yet to act on this plan. My initial planning will start by surveying current parents on what information they would like on our class website. Then I will work with my ITRT to ensure that the site is accessible. In order to become familiar with ways to present student work and share that with the community, I will need to take a hands-on approach to learning in order to discover the best way to present student work as well as how to display that work on the website. I will work closely with parents, students, and community members to make sure the website is a success.

Reference:
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.

My Personal GAME Plan

The NETS-T that I would like to strengthen my confidence in are: Design and Develop Digital-Age Learning Experiences and Assessments and Model Digital-Age Work and Learning.

Design and Develop Digital-Age Learning Experiences

In order to strengthen my confidence and proficiency in this standard, I would like to design relevant learning experiences for my students that incorporate digital tools and will promote student learning and creativity (ISTE, 2008). I already realize the importance of creating a learning environment that engages all students and allows them be creative in the products that they produce. I will know if I have been successful through the retention of information, student interaction, and assessment scores. I would also like to receive feedback from my students on their satisfaction of learning accompanied with the use of digital tools compared to previous lessons that did not use digital tools.

The actions I will need to take to achieve this goal would involve research of various digital tools that would match with my current state standards. I would also like to use the Internet to receive feedback from colleagues on digital tools that they currently use to teach students in second grade. After I compile a list of digital tools, I need to explore those tools to determine if they are compatible with my students and will meet their needs.

I will monitor my progress by referring back to my original standards and determining if the information and tools I have found will lead to greater learning experiences for my students. I need to make sure I have enough information on each tool to become the “expert” in order to instruct my students on how to use that digital tool. I will also make sure that I using more than one digital tool that will meet the needs of each student’s diverse learning style.

In order to evaluate and extend my learning, I will need to decide if I have sufficient digital tools that will permit my students to participate in new learning experiences. These tools should offer students alternative assessments that are aligned with the curriculum and notify me of their successful learning experiences. At this time I can also decide if I need to research additional digital tools that will benefit my students.

Model Digital-Age Work and Learning

In order to strengthen my confidence and proficiency in this standard, I would like to collaborate with students, peers, parents, and community members to support student success (ISTE, 2008). I would like to survey parents and community members to determine what information they would like to be able to access using the Internet that illustrates a student’s success in school. I would also like to establish a way for students to display their achievements in a way that protects them. Furthermore, I need to learn about tools that students can use to display their achievements. I would also like to create a place where parents and community members to recognize student achievements in an innovative way.

The actions I will need to take to achieve this goal would include reviewing survey results from parents and community members as well as searching the Internet to see what other schools do to display student achievements online. I can also create a blog where colleagues can post information about sharing students’ success with parents and the community. I would also need to work with my school’s administration to set up a site where students and parents/community members can communicate with each other about successes.

I will monitor my progress by tracking the progress of what I want to accomplish through a checklist. If I cannot find or obtain enough information on ways to display student achievements, I may need to modify my plans. If I do not receive much feedback from parents or community members, I may need to go into the community and speak with them in person to elicit their opinions. I also need to stay in contact with administrators and technology staff to ensure that my site will be running when I am ready to start sharing student achievements.

In order to evaluate and extend my learning, I will need to determine if I have created a site that is user-friendly and safe for students to share their achievements. If the site proves to be successful, I can make modifications to it for future classes and build on new ways that achievements can be shared with the community. I can also share what I have done with my peers and work with them to create a site that their students can also use.

Reference:

International Society for Technology in Education (ISTE), (2008). The ISTE National Educational Technology Standards (NETS-T) and Performance Indicators for Teachers. Retrieved May 10, 2010, from http://www.iste.org/Content/NavigationMenu/NETS_T_Standards_Final.pdf