Reflection on GAME Plan EDUC - 6713

Part 1:

Creating and reflecting on my GAME plan has been a useful and practical way to prepare my students for a future where collaboration and technology are expected in the workplace. The feedback my classmates wrote on my blog provided links and suggestions to new learning. I learned ways to better reach my goal of adding technology assessments and evaluations in my classroom, and tips and techniques to monitor my students’ learning in a technology enhanced environment.  I have bookmarked links and resources that have provided me assistance in choosing project based learning and digital storytelling assessments so that I have a better well-rounded assessment grade book in my third grade classroom. In addition, this has impacted my classroom by providing motivation ways to assess my learners. I have yet to see a class that gets excited when the teacher assesses them. Adding technology assessments has changed their assessment attitude. Now, when I introduce a project based or digital storytelling project, my students’ enthusiasm is evident.

Following and learning about the GAME plan process has been a beneficial experience. I am still constantly revising ways to add a technology assessment project each marking period. For example, I recently did a digital storytelling project and collaborated with an older grade.  Since my students had help I struggled a bit on how best to assign a grade using the rubric that I developed. I will continue to research how to use technology collaboration projects and look for rubrics that align better to this type of learning.

Using the GAME plan format with my third graders is something I would like to try in the future. The most beneficial part would be to lead my students to understanding how to monitor their learning and change it to make it better. This is not impossible, but a challenging concept for the age of the students in my classroom.  They often see any work they do as their best and critiquing and changing it is a whole new way of learning for them.

Part 2:

 This course has given me the understanding behind integrating problem based learning, social networking/online collaboration, and digital storytelling into my instruction.  One huge advantage is how these types of projects are easy to differentiate for the varied learners in my classroom.  This helps me to improve my classroom environment to connect with all of my students. 

Dr. Abrams mentions “visual literacy” as a core characteristic of the present generation of students (Laureate Education, Inc, 2010). This point has helped me understand the importance of using a combination of written literacy with 21^st century literacy. Some immediate adjustments that I plan to make in my instructional practice are to continue include problem based learning and digital storytelling in other content areas. I am developing a digital storytelling unit in science where my students will be teaching the class an area of the water cycle unit, by creating a digital story. In addition, I plan to Skype an expert meteorologist as a way to use social collaboration learning to the unit.

One of the most important things that I learned in this course is to use social media as a way to reach out to other educators for ideas. Without feedback from my classmates and instructor, the monitor, evaluate and extend parts of my GAME plan would be difficult to successfully complete. I will continue using social media as a way to grow as an educator.

            Moving forward, I can say with confidence that the GAME plan process has given me the tools necessary to create a technology environment that motivates and increases my young students' focus in my classroom.  My weekly lesson plans will include more technology in the form of project based learning, educational/social media, and digital storytelling projects. In addition, I will continue to make small changes in the areas of tweaking my grade book to include a blend of traditional and 21^st century assessments. My classroom has evolved over the past seven weeks and transformed to include more meaningful curriculum based technology projects.

 

References

Cennamo, K., Ross, J. & Ertmer, P. (2009). Technology integration or meaningful classroom use: A standards-based approach. (Laureate Education, Inc., Custom ed.). Belmont, CA: Wadsworth, Cengage Learning.

Laureate Education, Inc. (2010a). Spotlight on Technology: Digital Storytelling, Part 1. Retrieved February 17, 2013, from Walden University: https://class.waldenu.edu/webapps/portal/frameset.jsp?tab_tab_group_id=_2_1&url=%2Fwebapps%2Fblackboard%2Fexecute%2Flauncher%3Ftype%3DCourse%26id%3D_2097789_1%26url%3D

Laureate Education, Inc. (2010b). Spotlight on Technology: Digital Storytelling, Part 2 [videocast]. Retrieved February 17, 2013, from Walden University: https://class.waldenu.edu/webapps/portal/frameset.jsp?tab_tab_group_id=_2_1&url=%2Fwebapps%2Fblackboard%2Fexecute%2Flauncher%3Ftype%3DCourse%26id%3D_2097789_1%26url%3D

 

Monitoring My GAME Plan Progress

The goal this week is to monitor my personal GAME plan, an important part of the GAME plan process.

First, I will reflect on how I am doing in the area of gathering my needed resources. My Walden classmates have been very helpful in providing me with additional resources besides the ones I have found on my own. Sharon provided me with several project based learning resources. These websites are helping me decide on one type of project based assessment and some of the resources included a rubric so that I can develop a midpoint checklist. Assessing my student’s project based technology task half way through will enable me to re-teach and or model any troubling areas in the lesson. In addition, my students will be able to adjust their project and determine what should be revised and what still needs to be completed.  Mr. Clark suggested that I remember to include parent information to increase my student’s learning since their parents play an important role, especially since my students are in third grade.

Second, I will reflect on if my plan needs modifying. The answer to this question is “yes!’ I began my plan thinking that I would use one formative and one summative type of assessment while incorporating technology. Now I want to just focus on using authentic technology assessments such as a project based learning assessment.  I am finding that using assessments from the programs that I use in my classroom already have built in summative assessments, so I it will not be necessary to add more of these type of assessments in my classroom.

Third, I will summarize what knowledge I have gained thus far. I have inquired a lot of additional information on types of assessments and ways to incorporate technology with each type. In addition, I have found the need to focus on developing one type of authentic project based assessment. To make this assessment meaningful, I found the need to plan a midpoint assessment. I found benefits in including this, and by incorporating a midpoint assessment I will reach my goal of better managing my student’s learning in a technology environment.

Lastly, I have a few new questions to add to my GAME plan. What are some easy to manage midpoint checklist assessments in a project based assessment? What weight will the midpoint check assessment have in the total grading of the project? How do other elementary teachers monitor their student’s learning in a technology environment?  

As the authors of our course text pointed out, Assessment is more than the assigning of grades and serves a critical role in monitoring and evaluating the academic progress of students (Cennamo, Ross, & Ertmer, 2010).  The key to my GAME plan is to now choose an authentic project based assessment that incorporates technology in a meaningful way, while at the same time providing me with a way to evaluate my student’s progress towards reaching curriculum objectives.

 

References

Cennamo, K., Ross, J. & Ertmer, P. (2009). Technology integration or meaningful classroom use: A standards-based approach. (Laureate Education, Inc., Custom ed.). Belmont, CA: Wadsworth, Cengage Learning.

Carry Out My GAME Plan

To be successful in Carrying Out my GAME plan I will need to gather some resources.

First, I will develop a teacher survey for the teachers in my district who teach 3^rd, 4^th and 5^th grade. I will design survey questions that ask educators how they manage their student’s learning in a technology-enhanced environment and how they use multiple methods of evaluation in their classrooms. I will use the information from the survey to create a PLC email group. This way I can collaborate with colleagues from my district, while trying to carry out my GAME plan.

Next, I will research and read some information about multiple methods of evaluation. I will look for one technology project based assessment that proved to increase student learning. Once found, I will tweak it to fit my third grade class. In addition, I will learn how to use our districts already approved benchmark testing program, and explore learning activities and instruction to increase student achievement on this district approved assessment.  I will collaborate with the other teachers in my building throughout this process.

Some additional information I may need is using my judgment on the correct balance of technology assessments to use with the third graders in my classroom. I am not sure there is any magic number, or combination of the correct amount of multiple methods of evaluation in a research article. I feel this will be something that my teacher instincts will have to guide. I will include student feedback into my decisions.

The steps that I have taken thus far are as follows. First, I have analyzed the data from our technology based benchmark testing program. I noted a weakness in comprehending informational text. I designed a lesson to teach strategies to strength comprehending informational text. I created a technology based assessment for my students to complete. This lesson served as a two-fold activity. My students are gaining knowledge on comprehending informational text while learning how to become better at taking tests on the laptops using the same benchmarking format.

As I journey through my GAME plan, I am open to any advice or ideas you can provide me. I feel this GAME plan will enable my students to score higher on our benchmark technology tests. In addition using technology will motivate my students to learn and become engaged in using technology in my classroom.

Developing My Personal GAME Plan

Developing My GAME Plan: Integrating the National Educational Technology Standards and Performance Indicators into my classroom will enable me to reach a higher level of integration of technology in my classroom.

As I reviewed the NETS-T, the indicators in which I feel most comfortable with are:

1. Technology Operations and Concepts: I am extremely confident in this area. I am somewhat known as the “tech guru” in my building. I possess the type of thinking ability that enables me to learn and or figure out almost anything new in technology. I “love” learning about a new technology and will walk into my classroom and try it out without any fear of failure. I learn along the way.
 
3. Teaching, Learning, and the Curriculum: I am involved in writing the technology curriculum; this committee helps me to understand the curriculum. This knowledge results in my ability to incorporate technology to support higher order skills and creativity and learner-centered strategies.
 
5. Social, Ethical, Legal, and Human Issues: I teach third grade and our district technologies guidelines and policies, combined with common sense are pretty clear. Each new school year I familiarize myself with any changes to the policy, so that I have a clear understanding how to promote a safe and healthy use of technology resources. My school does not have a huge array of diverse backgrounds, however if this ever changed I would update my technology resources to empower those learners.

The areas that I will focus on are:

2. Planning and Designing Learning environments and Experiences: This indicator is not exactly my weakness, but an area I could focus on is part E., managing my student’s learning in a technology-enhanced environment.

4. Assessment and Evaluation: Although I understand this indicator, I only use the district approved technology assessments to evaluate my students. I know I could bring my assessments to a higher level if I researched and incorporated more of a variety of technology assessment techniques. I am decent at using data to drive my assessment, but my assessments are not made up of multiple methods of evaluation.

Reflecting on these areas will guide my GAME plan.

G- Goals – My goal is to familiarize myself with the variety of technology assessments available to me and research how other teachers use these assessments to drive their instruction. I also want to figure out the right balance of multiple methods of evaluation so that I am not constantly assessing my students in a summative way, but also incorporating more of a formative way involving my students in using my feedback to monitor their learning in my classroom. While I use technology assessments, I will manage my student’s learning environment in an assessment type of way. I will focus on researching and using midpoint formative assessment when incorporating my technology projects. I will use the data from summative technology assessments to drive my instruction.

A-Actions- I will incorporate and experiment in using a combination of technology type of assessments in addition to some of the basic ones I already use. I will collaborate with other teachers in and out of Walden to see what type of technology based assessments increased student learning. I am also looking to research how technology could be used as a re-teaching tool based on assessment data.

M- Monitor – I will review my research about technology assessments and decide on incorporating two new technology assessments in my classroom. I will make the goal of using one formative and one summative assessment. I will collaborate with my colleagues and my classmates once I have used the assessments. In addition, I will ask for student feedback in the form of a survey. I will look at how technology assessments’ increased the level of learning and active engagement in my classroom. I will also monitor my ability to understand how my students’ learn best and judge if the technology assessment is adding to their learning so I can incorporate more positive technology experiences in my classroom.

E-Evaluate – I will evaluate and extend my learning through reflection by keeping a journal when my students are engaged in their technology assessments. This will help me to monitor and adjust my decisions about the type of technology assessments I will choose. I will also use the survey my students filled out and read their feedback to confirm or change my assessments and or teaching practices. I have the technology knowledge necessary to incorporate technology and use multiple technology assessments in my third grade classroom. There are a vast number of digital tools that support digital learning such as computer-based tutorials, wikis, and web-based programs that can help me analyze and evaluate my student’s learning as Cennamo, Ross, & Ertmer pointed out (Cennamo, Ross, & Ertmer, 2010). I am comfortable at so many levels of the NETS-T indicators that this plan will be beneficial to increasing my students’ learning by modifying my technology activities in my classroom.

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.

http://www.iste.org/docs/pdfs/nets-t-standards.pdf?sfvrsn=2 Retrieved from: http://www.iste.org/standards/nets-for-teachers

Reflections on My Personal Learning Theory

At the beginning of the Bridging Learning Theory, Instruction, and Technology course, I described my personal learning theory as mostly incorporating the Social Learning Theory. I did describe my classroom as full of engaging activities, relevant conversation, and lots of collaboration and learning. I also stated that bits and pieces of the other theories are intertwined in my personal belief of how my students learn.

As a third grade teacher, there is part of the curriculum that requires memorizing and increasing my students’ knowledge by delivering new information. Throughout this course, my understanding of learning theory, instructional strategies and use of available technologies have grown. This growth has resulted in having a better understanding of the learning theories and how each approach can be used to help my students complete learner-centered activities. This course has made me realize that technology supports all of the learning theories. It provides me with enough tools to help reach all learners. Technology tools are so versatile and can be used in many ways by my students and myself.

One immediate adjustment I have made to my instructional practice is to use more of a learner-centered approach and less of a teacher-centered approach. I have done this in response to Dr. Orey’s statement that the worst instructional approach is to lecture. (Laureate Education, Inc., 2009) I sometimes use a lecture approach because it is the quickest way to cover material. I have learned from this course to allow my students to construct meaning by completing a hands-on activity and provide opportunities for my students to learn from others. These activities are the best way for my students to be engaged in their learning. I have always struggled with understanding why so many of my students do not pay attention when I lecture. Now I understand why and have adjusted my teaching to allow for more hands-on creative projects that incorporate technology.

This class has introduced me to many new technology tools. Concept Maps and Voice Threads are the two that I feel will be the most beneficial to my third grade students.

The first technology I plan to use is a concept map internet tool. I have used this tool in a lesson this year. My goal is to integrate technology based concept maps more into my classroom. I have found that these maps help my students to organize and understand knowledge. As stated in the text, “Multimedia is very effective because it helps students both activate prior knowledge and develop a mental model to help them understanding new information.” (Lever-Duffy and McDonald, 2008, p. 82) I have always used graphic organizers, but I find incorporating technology by using the Concept Mapping tools have motivated and helped my students to develop a mental model, organize, and understand taught concepts better.

The second technology tool I plan to incorporate in the near future is VoiceThreads. I am working on getting the site unblocked. VoiceThreads are a technology that enables me to step away form the front of the classroom and watch and guide my students with a meaningful learner-centered experience. Incorporating both of these technologies will enable my students to be better prepared for the 21st century workplace.

In the long term, I hope to adapt new technologies such as Voice Threads to enhance and increase student learning. First, I need to submit a rationale for using VoiceThreads with my students. Next, I will incorporate Voice Threads into my teaching as explained in my technology lesson plan that I have developed for this course. Last, I will present to my colleagues the new technology and highlight its benefits and discuss my experience with using it. My goal is to be using Voice Threads with my students by January.

My second goal is to present my experience and my findings at a faculty meeting in April. To achieve my second goal, I will create a VoiceThread from my experience. My expectations are to use my VoiceThread as a professional learning experience. I will invite my colleagues to have a conversation about the advantages of using VoiceThreads in the classroom. My second goal will allow for teacher collaboration and conversation about technology. My goal is based on the fact that many teachers complain that there is never enough time to learn about new technologies. I am on the technology committee in my school and this goal will help teachers in my building learn a new technology tool.

Achieving my long term goals will result in a wonderful experience to implement new technology into my lessons and share them with my colleagues. I will remember as I do this to relate the proven strategies and learning theories that I have learned in this class into my lessons along with the new technology.

References
Laureate Education, Inc. (Executive Producer). (2009). Instructional theory vs. learning theory [Motion picture] Bridging learning theory, instruction, and technology Baltimore: Author.
Lever-Duffy, J. & McDonald, J. (2008). Theoretical Foundationst (Laureate Education, Inc., custom ed.). Boston, MA: Pearson Education, Inc.

My first Voice Thread "Writing for high-stakes test or writing as a process??"

Here is my first voice thread. My problem is two-fold. First: What effects do high-stakes Language Arts writing test have on writing ability? Second, Will using a voice-thread help generate ideas for struggling writers?
Please look at my whole slide show when you are finished listening. I am excited to hear your thoughts about my two problems.

Connectivism and Social Learning in Practice

Social learning is built on the foundation that students learn by interacting with others. This learning can be achieved in different ways in the classroom. One way that we looked at this week was cooperative learning. “Cooperative learning focuses on having students interact with each other in groups in ways that enhance their learning” (Pitler, Hubbell, Kuhn, & Mealenoski, 2007, p139) It was also stated in our text that cooperative learning is achieved when students cooperate to learn. (p143)

In order for students to learn with and from each other it is important that I model my expectations and plan ways for every student to be accountable for learning. I often close a cooperative learning activity by posing a few questions and randomly asking for one of the group’s members to state the answer. Each group member receives a number and they are aware of the fact that they could be called to answer the questions. This motivates all of the group members to pay attention and learn the answer if they do not know it. It also gives the students who think they always know the answer time to listen to other member’s opinions and to include them in their group’s answer. Having the experience of finding an answer from other students, and understanding different ways to solve a problem is what social learning is all about.

Social learning can be successful in any classroom if it is implemented and managed correctly. The teacher’s role is to monitor each group, adjust and clarify if needed. One advantage of social learning is that differentiated learning can be achieved easily. I find it challenging to differentiate with a group of 24 learners when I am the only teacher. However, when cooperative learning structures are used, I can more easily reinforce skills with my struggling students, while challenging my brighter students at the same time. This does take a lot of thought and planning on the teacher’s part. Technology especially helps to achieve this daunting task. Through the use of Web Quests, I can easily plan and choose different Web Quests to match the level and ability of my students.

Resource:
Lever-Duffy, J. & McDonald, J. (2008). Theoretical Foundations (Laureate Education, Inc., custom ed.). Boston, MA: Pearson Education, Inc.