During the last 8 weeks of working on my GAME plan I have learned that making a plan is the only way to get things done. It will improve the learning that should be taking place in the classroom. I learned what the NETS*T standards are and how important they are to teaching in today’s students. The GAME plan taught me a structured way of going about presenting technology to my students. Each lesson I have worked on this summer has had a GAME plan to go along with it. Doing this will insure that my students are leaving my class fully prepared for the world.

I now take the time to make sure that students are using and have access to technology that will aid them as they prepare to enter the 21st century world. “While technology is not essential to creating authentic, learner-centered instruction, it offers a powerful resource for engaging students in authentic experiences…” (Cennamo, Ross, & Ertmer 2009.p.51). I agree with this statement. Before I was struggling to come up with ways to teach my students about how bad fast food is for them. I have now created a WebQuest for them as a way of getting this information to my students. I have also taken the time to see where my fellow teachers stand with using technology in the classroom. Having students use technology in my classroom isn’t enough. It is something that needs to be done in all subject areas. Teaching other educators about what technology is out there for them to use is something that I am passionate about. I have take the time to develop a Power Point on the use of the GAME plan in the hope that I will be able to share what I have recently learned from taking this course.

My plan is to keep this blog going so that I can hold my self-accountable to staying current in the world of technology and education. I would also hope that my fellow teachers would do the same. If we truly want our students to learn and grow then we must do the same.

Allison


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.

Using the GAME Plan Process with Students

I have found the GAME plan process to be something that I know I will use in my classroom. As a Family and Consumer Science teacher I spend some time teaching my 6th grade class about goal setting. In the past I have had a hard time coming up with a follow through for this lesson. The GAME Plan is just what I was looking for. My students will now be taught to "1. Set Goals
2. Take Action to meet those goals 3. Monitor progress toward achieving goals and 4. Evaluate whether the goals were achieved and Extend their learning to new situation" (Cennamo, Ross, & Ertmer 2009. p.3). In teaching my students this method I am making it so they can have success in whatever they chose as a goal. I see quite often that students get easily frustrated when given new technology to work with. Using The GAME Plan is a way for students to take control of the learning process. It allows for students to not feel overwhelmed when learning something new. When I looked at the ISTE I quickly realized that my students would not be able to preform many of the tasks listed and that it is crucial that they learn them. I know that using The GAME Plan is the perfect way to go about teaching the students the technology skills necessary to be successful. My lessons will now include my required NYS standards but also what NETS-S standard I am working on. Doing this will insure that my students have had complete instruction in all areas and that they will be fully prepared to enter a 21st century world.

Allison :)

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.

Reviewing My GAME Plan

During the course of this GAME Plan I have spent a great deal of time working at the goals I have set forth. I have learned that even the best set goals need constant reworking. I will make sure to now research what I would like to implement in my class so that I would not have to create everything on my own. I will also make it a priority to stay current with new technologies for the classroom.

I am still working on finishing up my WebQuest. I was making it for my 8th grade Nutrition class but I found out that I won't have 8th graders this year. They have given me 6th instead. Now I have a whole year to get it just the way I want it. I am also staying current with new technologies by reading blogs on the topics that will help me in my teaching. I have also been working on creating material that will be helpful for teachers that are apprehensive about using technology in the classroom.

After reading and learning about the importance of the NETS-T standards in today's classroom I will now make sure that they will be meet in some way during my lessons and school year. My goal is to make sure that by the end of the ten weeks I have my students that they leave with a better understanding of how technology can be used in the classroom in a fun and positive way.

Allison :)