Reflection (GAME Plan)

My original GAME plan developed at the beginning of this course was very general and needed to be more specific.  My GAME plan was to increase my students’ eagerness to use technology because they see the benefits of it while also increasing their knowledge.  Through this course, I gained a greater understanding of how I could make my GAME plan more specific and still accomplish what I wanted.  An example would be to create problem based learning units that allow my students to use math in everyday life.  I also became very acquainted with some other technology resources that allow me to portray real life discussions and presentations.  My original GAME plan is a year long process, so I have not met the goal yet.  I have been working towards it and I will continue working the remainder of the year. 

Developing a GAME plan has helped me learn more about setting goals and how to follow through with them.  I need to set goals that are attainable and can be measured.  I “need to constantly assess [my] technology integration skills in order to identify the new knowledge and skills [I] need” (Cennamo, Ross, & Ertmer, 2009, p. 4).  Technology is constantly changing and evolving and educators will need to keep pace with this progress.  Probably the greatest thing I will take from this course is how to apply technology in a way that inspires creative and higher-level thinking throughout a lesson that involves technology.  In the past, I have used technology mostly for lower level thinking.  While this captures most students’ attention, it does not help them to understand the content material at a higher level.

I am planning on using the unit that I developed for this class and also take what I have learned about writing problem based lessons to keep developing them.  I have never developed a problem based lesson as well as I did for this class, which has provided me with more confidence.  I would like to take all of the technology that I became more familiar with and integrate it into my curriculum to generate higher level thinking.  I would like to change my perspective on homework and emphasize that “learners are given control over the amount of information they receive, the number of practice exercises they complete, and the level of success they obtain before moving on” (Cennamo, Ross, & Ertmer, 2009, pg. 37).  I also need to reconsider my theory that a successful lesson means that all of the students completed their homework.  Instead, I need to focus on the ultimate goal of learning the material and how this can be accomplished.

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.

GAME Plan (Application 7)

The process of using the GAME plan to set goals for myself and to create lesson plans has been very beneficial.  The GAME plan is a simple outline that provides all of the necessary steps.  Looking at the NETS standards for students, I see how it would be beneficial for me to create a goal for each standard that will get accomplished sometime during the school year. 

The goal of the GAME plan can be the individual standards that my students must accomplish.  The action will be the steps or activities I will use in my classroom to meet the standards.  Some of the activities that I plan to use are blogs, wikis, VoiceThread, Geometer’s Sketchpad, social networking, podcasts, PowerPoints, and more.  This will give me a great outline of what will need to be accomplished throughout the year.  Developing my action plan will require “analyzing and determining tools and strategies that will best help students master curriculum standards” (Cennamo, Ross, & Ertmer, 2009, p. 245).  Monitoring and evaluating each activity may differ for everyone.  This part of the GAME plan will be very important to make sure all of the students are meeting the NETS standards in addition to the curriculum standards. 

Setting a GAME plan for a year can be a great way for me to outline what needs to be taught, when it will be taught, and how I will teach it.  Every standard will be taught in a manner that is implementing technology to enhance every student’s learning.

 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.

Jenna Enevoldsen

Revising my GAME plan

As a look back on the goals I set, I realize they are long-term goals that may not come to fruition any time soon.  My goal was to show my students how valuable technology can be in learning as well as in life.  Going forward, I want to be more specific with my goals so they will be easier to measure.  Through my readings and experience, I have become much more familiar with technology and how I can use it in my classroom to benefit my students.  Setting goals has increased my awareness of how technology is used. 

At this point, I am not ready to set any new goals.  Instead, I want to continue to work towards my current goal.  I want to add to my action plan by using social networking in my classroom.  I want to use something more than just a blog, such as Twitter or another similar website.  I also want to collaborate with another teacher somewhere in the world and start working on more technology projects.  All of these ideas came from this week’s resources, which inspired me to reach out to other teachers (Laureate Education, Inc., 2009). 

My goal has helped teach me the benefits of using manipulatives, games, and drill and practice applications.  I have found that some work really well while others are not as effective in getting the curriculum across.  I have also developed a better understanding of problem-based lessons and how to implement them.  Finally, this week has taught me more about social networking and ways I can implement it in my classroom. 

References

Laureate Education, Inc. (Executive Producer). (2009b). Social Networking and Online Collaboration, Part 2. [Educational video]. Baltimore: Author.

Jenna Enevoldsen

GAME Plan (Application 5)

The actions towards achieving my goal are going to be ongoing through my teaching career. I have initiated my search for technology tools that will supplement my teaching, allowing my students to learn the material at a higher level. I was looking at some virtual manipulatives this week and found a great way to help teach my class to add integers. Another tool that I discovered, which was mentioned in our reading for this week, was creating tessellations using a computer program. All of these different tools are just a start; I hope to continue this search throughout my career. I have also learned about more ways to explore data through calculators and computer programs. Geometer’s sketchpad has also been useful in my classes, but I am now getting a better understanding of how to use it in a problem-based learning activity.




I think PBL (problem-based learning) units and lessons can be very beneficial in a math classroom, but it will take some time to determine the correct way to implement them that will allow my students to learn at a higher level. One method I am going to try is to use “mini PBL units” to get started (Ertmer &Simons, 2006, p. 43). Integrating technology in my classrooms by using PBL units, my students will see how beneficial the technology was for solving a problem as well as the benefits of using technology in general. One change that I would like to make to my plan is to integrate PBL units. Accomplishing this change will require a lot of practice and will be something the students need to get used to.



References

Ertmer, P., & Simons, K. (Spring 2006). Jumping the PBL implementation hurdle: Supporting the efforts of K-12 teachers. The Interdisciplinary Journal of Problem-Based Learning, 1(1), 40-54. Retrieved from