Do I feel that I was able make progress on my goals through
the use of the GAME plan during the past two months? Absolutely.
I have been able to keep a spreadsheet of the technology tools I have
discovered and used throughout this course.
I was able to add to my list almost every day – through the daily
technology ideas presented by Dr. LeBeau, our weekly resources, and through
my own exploration. And not only was I
able to log these tools, I was able to test them and decide their appropriateness
for my students. Doing so has given me
ideas and tools that will carry me through this school year and beyond. By writing and implementing lessons that
incorporated problem-based learning, social networking/online collaboration,
and digital storytelling, I was able to make further progress on my GAME plan,
while enriching the content I was tackling with my students. I will continue to modify and add to my list as
the school year goes on.
Becoming a leader through technology collaboration has been,
and will continue to be a goal that requires frequent monitoring on my
behalf. If I do not work to reach out to
colleagues (both down the hall and around the world) in order to extend my
learning, it will not be possible. Over
the past few weeks, I have been given the opportunity to present technology
tools to the colleagues in my program (K-12 teachers for students with multiple
disabilities) during our quarterly teacher meeting in January. I am incredibly excited and empowered by this
opportunity and plan on sharing the “Tech Tools” spreadsheet that I created to
meet the needs of my first GAME plan goal.
Next week, I will be part of an iPad app training in my middle school
building, where I not only will be learning about new apps, I will be able to
share my experience with the apps I am currently using with my students
with special needs. Becoming the
educational technology leader that I want to be will take more time, but keeping the steps of the GAME plan in mind will ensure continued success in this area. Keeping up to date with the field of
educational technology through subscription to Ed Tech blogs (particularly those
related to special education) has also helped to give me a clearer perspective
and model for connecting and collaborating with other educators via the
Internet.
In addition to having a continued focus on these goals
through use of the GAME plan, I have also begun to think about the ways in
which this process can be used in the classroom with my students. Because of the needs of my students, I may
begin with having them focus on one goal at a time, all in relation to
technology. As a class, we could choose
one tool/website/app that we would like to learn more about. Once we have chosen a goal, our class can
spend a few minutes each day, whether embedded into a lesson or in isolation,
to look at the tool we are using. Once
students are familiar with the tool, I can give them the opportunity to work
with it on their own, carefully monitoring its appropriateness and value for
learning. I can also give my students
the opportunity to “rate” the tool, based on a simply yes/no survey. In addition to these daily “tech tool” goals,
I would also like to set more extensive goals for my students (such as learning how to
use PowerPoint). In both of these scenarios, the GAME plan process can be modified to meet their needs and lead them to a successful learning experiences.
While the first few weeks of this course focused on the development, implementation, and monitoring of my GAME plan, we shifted our focus to specific technology tools that could help us meet the goals of our these plans. After the creation of my unit plan, which centered on social studies (economics), I saw the benefits and success of integrating three technology tools - problem-based learning, social networking/online collaboration, and digital storytelling - into three separate lessons. Seeing how seamlessly these tools can be integrated into any lesson was incredible. I was also amazed at how my students with significant special needs were able to access these tools in meaningful and powerful ways. Because I teach all content areas in my self-contained classroom, I am confident that I will continue to use these tools across disciplines. After observing the motivating qualities and learning depth that was experienced by my students, I can see myself working harder to ensure I do all that I can to integrate technology into every lesson. Through the use of the GAME plan process, I will be able to keep my skills aligned with the ever-changing field of technology, and better meet the needs of my students... today and in the future (Cennamo et al., 2009).
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.
International Society for Technology in Education. (2008). National education standards for teachers (NETS-T). Retrieved from http://www.iste.org/standards/nets-for-teachers