Monitoring Your GAME Plan Progress

     I have currently begun to make some progress with my GAME plan. Just recently, I have been involved with meeting with my administration and creating a team of teachers to help support me on this plan as well as aid me in collecting data from students. The goal is to create a Power Point using the information we gather to present to district personnel in order to provide the vision that some sources they have not allowed us to access would benefit student success in the classroom as well as their place in society.

     The second plan of action I have taken has been to decide on resources my team of teachers and I would like to utilize in the classroom with our students. Many of the teachers have vocalized they would love to utilize blogs and wikis in the classroom. We have utilized these two particular sources from our own personal computers and brainstormed how we would use them to benefit our students. I have also received opinions from my students on how they feel about blogs and wikis in the classroom and they are very excited.

     Considering my district is data driven, I am still trying to develop different ideas of what I can present to my district personnel to convince them that the 21^st Century skills is needed to prepare students for the future especially one that is unclear. Our students are technology driven and we need every possible resource implemented into our curriculum to help us prepare them. The more information I am able to present the better chance I will be able to accomplish my GAME plan.

Carrying Out My GAME Plan

     My goal is to incorporate many of the 21^st Century learning skills into my classroom in order for my students to gain the knowledge they are expected to learn utilizing real-world experience through the use of technology. After gathering ideas for my GAME plan, it is important for me to begin brainstorming what I need to do in order to accomplish the goal I have set forth. Students need to be able to utilize the 21^st Century learning skills in order to be successful citizens in society.

     The first thing I must do to accomplish my goal is to discuss my plan with administration and gather their support. This has been the first step that I have already completed in order to move forward in carrying out my GAME plan. I will also need the help of my colleagues who have the same beliefs as I about the use of different educational websites in our classroom. There are many resources that teachers can use in order to help students master the curriculum, but have been blocked in my district because they do not have enough knowledge about the sites. With the help of my colleagues, we can create a presentation to help convince the district to allow us to have access to the resources we need to prepare our students using the 21^st Century learning skills. At this point in my GAME plan, I have begun brainstorming ideas with my colleagues and gathering suggestions to present to my district personnel.
 
     Considering my district is data driven, it will help me in my plan to accumulate data from my students if we are given access to the different resources to show my district how the utilization of these sources has benefited their education. I will also need to gather research material about the sources to present to my district in order to persuade them into allowing us to have access so the data can be collected.

    

Developing your GAME Plan

      As a teacher of almost 17 years I have seen things come and go, but there is one thing that has remained constant and that is the importance of technology in the classroom. As I begin to develop my personal GAME plan, it is important for me to evaluate areas in which I want to grow as a professional in order for my students to benefit. “Evaluating the effectiveness of your instruction is a critical component of the GAME plan for student learning” (Cennamo, Ross, and Ertmer, 2009, p. 86). To be effective in the classroom, I must be able to identify areas that I need improvement and be willing to do whatever it takes to become better.

     As I reflected over the National Educational Technology Standards (NETS-T), I was able to choose two indicators that I would love to become more proficient in. The standard I will target is 2. Design and Develop Digital-Age Learning Experiences and Assessments and the indicators I feel I need to strengthen are as follow:

     a. design or adapt relevant learning experiences that incorporate digital tools and resources to promote students learning and creativity.

     b. 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.

     Even though I am fortunate to have a full range of technology at my fingertips in the classroom, I have a difficult task when wanting to incorporate meaningful activities into the curriculum because of the lack of access from my district. This has been a problem for many of the teachers who would like to use more technology in the classrooms and our district has trouble understanding the importance of their use. In order for my students to be able to experience the full advantage of technology, I must be able to convince my district personnel that students will reap the rewards of having access to particular technological educational resources.

Goal: My goal is to incorporate many of the 21^st Century learning skills into my classroom in order for my students to gain the knowledge they are expected to learning utilizing real-world experience through the use of technology.

Action: I will research many different 21^st Century resources that would be beneficial to my students and develop lessons where they could utilize real-world experiences that could empower them into becoming self-directed learners. In order to implement these skills, I must first be able to convince my district personnel that my students will gain an engaging and meaningful learning experience.

Monitor: I will be able to monitor my progress by first keeping a reflective journal. Over the years, I have learned that being able to reflect has allowed me to grow as a teacher and allowed me to make adjustments where needed. I will also use the responses from my district personnel as well as my colleagues as way to monitor my growth as a teacher.

Evaluate: After communicating and collaborating with my district personnel and colleagues, I will be able to determine whether or not the goal I have set needs to be revised. Being able to receive feedback from my learning communities will allow me to make adjustments in order to allow me to grow as a professional and my students as future citizens.

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.