Dr. Cennamo (Laureate Education, Inc., 2009a) talks about the plan for self-directed learning and it is called the GAME plan, a plan to help a person determine how they learn best. As I reflected on the National Education Standards for Teacher (NETS-T) to determine which indicators I felt most comfortable with and those I do not feel as confident or proficient in. The fact that I teach a Personal Finance and a Business Law class, makes what I teach real world and authentic because I am preparing them to understand laws that govern society and how to live within the laws as well as how to plan to make a living for themselves and save for purchases and their futures. I am already using many of the standards listed, I just need to incorporate more technology into the lessons where appropriate to further enhance and enrich the lesson according to Dr. Ertmer (Laureate Education, Inc., 2009b).
The indicators I am going to share a GAME plan for are indicators 2 a & b.
The first indicator I am developing a GAME plan for is to design or adapt relevant learning experiences that incorporate digital tools and resources to promote student learning and creativity.
The goal is to take a lesson plan I already have established and incorporate appropriate technology with it and engage my students in a more authentic lesson with the technology there to support the lesson.
Action is to engage students in the lesson with the technology which will help them with their critical thinking skills, creativity, decision making skills and to become self-directed learners.
Monitor what is taking place constantly in the classroom to see if the students are grasping what it is they are to be learning and if the technology is appropriate for the lesson to tie it all together as Dr. Ertmer stated (Laureate Education, Inc., 2009b).
To evaluate I would have some type of exercise for the students to demonstrate if they actually grasped the concept and developed any higher level thinking skills, if I need to review and revised the lesson or if I need to start again using another method all together.
The next indicator I would develop a GAME plan for is to develop technology-enriched learning environments that enable all students to pursue their individual curiosities and become active participants in setting their own educational goals, managing their own learning, and assessing their own progress. Prensky (2008) says we should find out how students want to be taught by conversing with them and allowing them to have their say (p. 45).
My goal would be to involve the students directly in planning, monitoring, and evaluating their learning activities and sequences (Cennamo, Ross & Ertmer, 2009, p.86).
The action would be to have students to chart the things they know, want to know, and how they will learn it in some type of chart form to help them keep track of what is taking place and keep them on track. It will be a guide to help them figure out how they will go about searching for the information they want to know.
Students would be able to monitor their progress by making notes on their chart which will provide them with where they are with what they want to know.
Students would evaluate what they have learned, chart it and be able to determine if they learned what they set out to learn or if they did not quite learn all it was they felt they wanted to learn and start to understand how they learn best. I would be able to reflect on the kinds of things that took place in the class to determine if I need to make changes to the plan or if this plan will work as it is.
I realize I might have to try my GAME Plan more than once to see if it really will work because sometimes it takes more than one try to see if a plan will really work, but I know in order for me to be able to integrate the technology effectively Dr. Ertmer (Laureate Education, Inc., 2009b) says I have to have the knowledge, confidence, belief and a supportive culture. I am working hard on the knowledge I am not afraid to make mistakes and to ask for help I am not afraid to give up some of the controls because I believe students learn from each other all the time and the fact that students have different backgrounds makes technology even more important to level the playing field (Laureate Education, Inc., 2009b).
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.
Laureate Education, Inc. (Executive Producer). (2009b). Integrating technology across the content areas. Baltimore, MD: Author.
Your goal of taking a lesson plan you already have established and incorporate appropriate technology with it to engage your students in a more authentic lesson is an important one and no always very easy to accomplish. "Some classrooms have one or two computers, some have clusters of four or five computers. No matter what technology resources you have available, you will need to know how to develop technology-enriched learning environments that enable all students to pursue their individual curiosities and become active participants" (Cennamno, Ross & Ermter, 2009, p. 87).
ReplyDeleteI also have some of the same goals you have to develop lessons around technology as we both see the importance of it. However, I feel sometimes schools do not always provide the teacher enough resources to take advantage of technology. The quote I used above from our textbook states that we cannot use that as an excuse and we must as educators find ways around those problems. As an educator we must "develop techniques that help our students’ mange their uses of technologies" (Cennamo et. al, 2009, p. 88). Because of lack of computers in my school many times I will have the students work in small groups, each having different roles in the assignment because there are not enough computers for the entire class.
I think it is important for each student to havea specific role anyway when they are working together to ensure that they are carrying their share of the weight because I have so many students saying I would rather work by myself because they feel they will have to do everything to get that grade they want. We have to teach our students how to collaborate together as well as be able to incorporate the technology in the lesson to engage students in more authentic lessons. As Prensky (2008) stated our students are always involved with technolgy and are connected around the world through media and their own personal devices (p.41). I know I am doing a disservice to my students if I do not search and find ways to incorporate the technology to the lesson.
DeleteReference
Prensky, M. (2008). Turning on the lights. Educational Leadership, 65(6), 40–45.
When monitoring progress towards your goal, I would suggest using various forms of monitoring. Research has highlighted the importance of different phases of assessment or monitoring and a divergence from the “teach, test, and hope for the best” model that has dominated schools (Volante & Beckett, 2011). One form could include observation and keeping journals. Another form could include surveys that produce quantitative data. A third form of monitoring could be journal writings or blogs from students, colleagues, or yourself. Using this type of monitoring could help to extend your goal into other realms. For example, if you find that your student surveys suggest that they are not highly engaged in the programs that are being used, students can develop their own real life application programs or you can use search engines to locate new technology components.
ReplyDeleteIn response to the second indicator you addressed, I enjoyed reading how you will engage your students in completing the GAME Plan. This indicator along with the first can be completed simultaneously. Students will be engaged in technology and real life applications through the use of their GAME plan. If extending indicator one to have students develop their own technology program that promotes real life learning, students would actively become engaged in utilizing the GAME plan to produce these programs. Upon choosing their topic, students could use the KWL chart you discussed to plan and implement the process to develop their program.
References
Volante, L., & Beckett, D. (2011). Formative assessment and the
contemporary classroom: Synergies and tensions between research
and practice. Canadian Journal Of Education, 34(2), 239-255.
Salend, S. J. (2009). Technology-Based Classroom Assessments. Teaching Exceptional
Children, 41(6),
Thank you for all of your suggestions and for helping me to see I can do these two indicators simultaneously. I feel my lessons are real wworld and that the students would get so much more out of them if there is a technology component to the lesson especially since students get so much more out of the lesson when they are doing what they like to do. As Dr. Ertmer (Laureate Education, Inc., 2009) stated technology helps students work together and they are learning what is going on.
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