GAME Plan Reflection

I started out skeptical about following a GAME plan. I usually have to create my own tools of organization for them to work for me; and yet here I am having accomplished several goals. It turns out that making learning goals that are relevant to me now, writing them down and then checking back in the monitor and evaluate my progress (Cennamo, Ross & Ertmer, 2009) has worked beautifully to build on my technology know-how and confidence. I believe that even though this was an assignment completed for a grade it has also become a catalyst for further learning for me in the integration of technology in my classroom.

New learning involved further detailed knowledge in how to handle a wiki and about several other applications that would work in parallel in my instruction using a wiki. Uploading files, importing YouTube videos and slide shows is now easy for me. I have raised my visual intelligence and speed for assessing work that has been done and evaluating the users of a wiki and have observed several different ways to organize the information on a wiki. An excellent support to what I want to accomplish on my wikis is epals and google.docs. These applications will bring more authenticity into student learning. After my current goal is reached, that of creating several digital stories of my own, I am confident of accomplishing even more after this class has ended. My method of teaching is newer and I was having trouble at first finding a way to adapt suggestions from the course resources to my particular style but now I have a clearer picture in my head of how to integrate technology into my curriculum.

As a result of my learning I will be starting my classes on a wiki the second week in January after sharing the GAME plan with them. I hope to get them signed up with an epal by then also but that will depend on who I can find to be our companion classroom. A month ago having my students creat digital story was intimidating because I didn't even know how to make one. Now, even though I have not finished any, I have confidence that I can figure it out so in February I will assign a simple digital story using slide.com. In March, their second digital story will require more and I hope to use photostory if it can be obtained for free on our school computers. If not then I will have my students use PowerPoint.

 

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.