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.