Reflection on Game Plan

As I reflect on the assignments of this course, Integrating Technology Across the Content Areas also known as Education 67131-1 and especially on the Game Plan assignment, I remember feeling reluctant at beginning the assignment. I remember feeling like this was a huge project that I would probably never use. As I gained greater confidence and as I utilized parts of my assignments in my own classroom, I experienced greater success and purpose in these assignments. I actually found teaching the concepts to be easier for me and the student’s attention more focused by utilizing some of these technology tools. I think the social networking part of the assignment was the most challenging for me. I think with the intensity of standards based teaching there is not enough time to incorporate a lot of this type of teaching. I plan to continue to incorporate many areas technology into my classroom setting but I am too much of a traditionalist to throughout all the basic educational skills and replace them with all technology. I believe there needs to be moderation in all areas. We need to continue to embrace the new but never forget the tried and true principles that make a solid foundation in our educational system.

Using the Game Plan Process with Students-week 7

The National Education Standards for Students (NETS) and the National Education Standards for Teachers (NETS-T)says that as society becomes more inundated in technology, students and teachers will be expected to be able to apply basic skills to solve problems, complete projects and use their creative abilities for a multitude of assignments. My Game Plan experience gave me an opportunity to to develop and apply some of my creative abilities to solve problems and develop and expand my basic skills in technology. I was extremely pleased that this Game Plan experience was so successful. I think when teachers are successful and feel comfortable in the project of technology, they are then able to extend that confidence and provide successful learning experiences for their students. Someone once said you can not lift another to higher ground unless you yourself are standing on higher ground. I think it is difficult for teachers to teach the new standards that require higher order thinking skills unless they themselves have those skills. The Game Plan is a good technique to help teachers and students develop those skills and learn to work through the process of improving skills





http://www.iste.org/standards/nets-for-students.aspx

Revising My Game Plan- Week #6

My personal Game Plan truly has been a journey as I have learned new ways to integrate technology into my content areas of instruction. Last week I used my newly created power point with my students. It was a very successful experience. My students were very attentive and interested in the subject matter. My co-work who does not really enjoy Social Studies was impressed with my lesson. She on the other hand is an expert in the field of music. Last year I watched her transform 80 kids into an amazing Dinosaur program in 3 weeks. I was in aw! This next week we plan to swap kids, I will take her students and teach them, social studies and she will take my students and teach them fine arts. I think this is one of the highest forms of collaboration. I am actually excited to do this. I am beginning to like the idea of establish NODES, or personal learning networks. This is a way for each teacher us use their expertise for the benefit of all students.

My Game Plan #2… Design and Develop a Digital Age Learning experience was a wonderful success and I feel like I am able to say I did what I set out to do. I learned how to make a power point! I of course will continue to develop this new skill. But I feel like I can say “Mission Accomplished”. My Game Plan H5 …Engage in Professional Growth and Leadership has turned out a bit different than I expected. I originally was planning to become more familiar with our school interactive website, however because it is so new to our staff, even the expert technologists at my school are having difficulties with it. I did find that through my experience with my development of digital media things just seemed to fall into place and I am able to engage in professional growth and leadership by collaborating with people in person… I was hoping to collaborate on the website but in person works too, and isn’t this the highest form of collaboration????

What have I learned so far that I can apply in my instructional practices?

• I learned you should not use Wiki as a working copy.. it tends to freeze up and you can’t save your work.
• I have learned there is a lot more I need to learn about wikis
• I learned there are lots of technologies and ideas but we don’t have to implement them all, we just need to find what works for us.

Evaluating My Game Plan Progress week 5

Yahoo! My Power point is done! I am surprised that it turned out so amazingly "cute" There are 18 slides, many of which include pictures. My subject matter was 1776 and the Declaration of Independence and our separation from England. I had so much fun researching this and locating pictures that I was considering doing a part 2 on the Founding Fathers, however I am now considering using this subject as a Problem Based Learning lesson. I recently found a great website on our school computers that I believe is acceptable for second grade researching. This will work great if we decide to use this for our Problem Based Learning lesson. In connection with my Game Plan I have also learned how to project this new power point with an LCD player. All of this is quite an accomplishment for me being I am very "Old School". I have it in my plans to use this with my students on Monday, October 11, 2010. Wish me luck.

Part 2 of my Game Plan involves my school community doc sharing website. I have submitted one document for sharing. I think this site is slow in getting off the ground. I will continue to try to become more familiar with this but I believe our entire staff is struggling with becoming more familiar with it. I think with anything new it takes time for people to become comfortable with using it.

Game Plan Progress...

Hmmm....learning how to do a power point presentation is a long and slow process when you are trying to fit it in-between all the other busy things in your life and also working around the schedule of your tutor. Tonight I spent several hours searching and collecting pictures. I learned how to save the image to a folder on my desktop. I also started to divide my subject matter into 5 main topics. I discovered that I already had the program installed on my computer so that made things easier although I still feel a little unsure about how all this will come together. It's a little bit like walking into the dark and not sure what is lurking off in the distance, but everyone assures me that this is so easy. I am trusting that those who have have already mastered this concept are telling me the truth. Thanks for all the encouragement from fellow educators.

Progress on my school teaming site is also a slow process. It is quite obvious that I am a list maker. I like to see things get done quickly, slow is usually not in my vocabulary however there just does not seem to be enough hours in a week. We have a new teaming website at my school which is also connected to the district. This is still quite new to everyone at my school so just becoming more familiar with how to share and post and collaborate is huge for most of us including me. I think my next step is just to spend some time surfing through the site. I brought my school computer home. I have bookmarked the site. Now I just need time to become more familiar with how this all works...

Game Plan Resources

Resources Needed for My Power Point Game Plan:
1. Laptop
2. LCD Player
3. Power Point Software ( located on Microsoft Office)
4. Connectors
5. Tutors ( a network of people to support me)

Additional information Needed:
1. How to create a power point
2. Pictures and graphics

Steps Taken:
I have begun to collect the needed resources to complete my Power Point Game plan. I still need to finalize a time to meet with tutors for instruction. I also need to locate some connectors. I also need to decide on the subject matter for my first power point presentation and begin to collect pictures.


The second area I hope to develop is Model Digital-Age Work and Learning.

Resources Needed for My Global Collaboration:
1. Located my district global collaboration site.
2. Participate in a grade level doc sharing
3. Communicate with fellow teachers within my own district and also worldwide through this class.
4. Network of friends.

Additional Information Needed:
1. Something to share
2. District password

Steps taken:
I have attempted to log onto my district global collaboration website but have been unsuccessful. I need to contact IMS and speak to the support team.

Game Plan

Developing my personal Game Plan with seamlessly integrated technology as I explore strategies that strengthen my confidence and proficiency seems like a very challenging undertaking. I am so glad there is a process I can work through to develop, implement, monitor and evaluate my personal game plan. I am very apprehensive about this concept.
They say that effective teachers model and apply the National Educational Technology Standards for students as they design, implement and assess learning experiences to engage students to improve learning. Well of course what teacher doesn’t want to be an effective teacher that engages student in their learning process.
The first step in this game plan is to identify and set a goal. I have chosen to focus on Design and Develop Digital-Age Learning Experiences and Assessments and Model Digital-Age Work and Learning.
Teachers design, develop, and evaluate authentic learning experiences and assessments incorporating contemporary tools and resources to maximize content learning in content and to develop the knowledge, skills, and attitudes identified in the NETS*S.
I wish to focus on part:
a. Teachers will design or adapt relevant learning experiences that incorporate digital tools and resources to promote student learning and creativity.
c. Teachers will customize and personalize learning activities to address students’ diverse learning styles, working strategies, and abilities using digital tools and resources.

New technology skills and opportunities move at a very rapid pace and for many people, power point presentations are “old news”. While others are advancing to smart boards and ebooks and a gazillion other new inventions, I am happy to learn some of the old tricks that seem pretty new to me.

My game plan for strengthening my confidence in using digital tools and resources and to customize learning activities to meet the needs of diverse learning styles, I have decided to learn to prepare lessons using power point.

The second area I hope to develop is Model Digital-Age Work and Learning.
Teachers exhibit knowledge, skills and work representative of an innovative professional in a global and digital society.

This seems to be an ever growing idea both in my school district and in this course. I plan to become more familiar with this whole concept of global collaboration. I plan to participate in doc sharing and global communication to locate, analyze, evaluate and use information to support learning.