Monitoring my GAME plan

Well, I have some pro's and con's about my GAME plan. There have been a few bumps in the road. While I have been so excited and pumped about learning different lessons that incorporate technology, the technology that I have checked out and wanted to learn more about has been a little difficult. The Smart "Slate" that I checked out from the media center wouldn't hook up to my laptop so I couldn't get it to be "interactive" for the students to use. Today, our technology coordinator came to help me and now it is up and running. I need to play around with it a little more before I let the students play with it. Then the mimio bar that I was planning on checking out, there is a waiting list for people who all of a sudden want to try it. (Can you tell I am a little bitter, because I just want to jump into this technology with both feet). On a positive note, I am learning different lessons that I can incorporate into the curriculum and let the students use. I am familiarizing myself with a whole new world of technology integration.

I need to modify part of my plan, which is involving our media specialist, while she is willing to work with me and help me find books that go with our curriculum, she doesn't really seem to have the time right now. I think I am going to have to set up a meeting with her to just jot a few book titles down and see if I can go from there. Otherwise, I am going to have to go and make myself comfortable in the library and find these books myself.

So far I have learned that if achieving my GAME plan involves help of another staff member, things may take a little bit longer. I am beginning to realize that I have to teach myself about the latest and greatest. They have always said that to be technology savvy you must play and create trial and error. "You can pursue informal learning opportunities by reading books, completing tutorials, asking others, or searching the web to find answers to your personal questions." (Cennamo, Ross, & Ertmer (2009) So that is my next step.

1. Cennamo, K., Ertmer, P., & Ross, J. (2009). Technology Integration for Meaningful Classroom Use: A Standards-Based Approach. (Laureate Education, Inc., Custom ed.). Belmont, CA: Wadsworth, Cengage Learning.

Carrying out my GAME plan

In order to carry out my GAME plan I need to have access to more technology and become more familiar with lessons involving technology. In order to design or adapt relevant learning experiences that incorporate digital tools and resources to promote student learning and creativity I will need to work closely with our technology coordinator. She will be my best resource at knowing what all technology tools we have in our school. The other contact that I would use to help me would be our Media specialist. She knows of great books that go with different standards and incorporates our GPS (Georgia Performance Standards). She would also be able to teach me how to use the different technology tools.

So far, I have been able to check out from our Technology Coordinator a "Slate Board" which is an interactive board that the students can use to project their information onto the big board. I like to think of it as a mini smart board. It has been a great tool not only to get them engaged and motivated, but it keeps them quiet because they all want a turn. My next step is having a Mimio bar put up in my room so that I can do interactive games and lessons with my students. Our school is ordering a few more, so I am waiting on that. Hopefully the more and more I get comfortable at using the different technology that is out, the better I will become at creating lessons to go along with it.

Personal GAME Plan

After reviewing the National Educational Technology Standards, there are still quite a few standards that I need to become stronger in and grow as an educator. I try and incorporate as much technology as I feel my students can handle considering they are only in 2nd grade. I probably don't do as much as I should considering today's day and age and how it has become so technology based. I love using technology just as much as the students do, and the students seem to be more engaged when involved in different technology activities.

The main NETS-T standards that I want to get more comfortable and confident in are:
GOALS:

• Teachers promote, support, and model creative and innovative thinking and inventiveness.
• Teachers design or adapt relevant learning experiences that incorporate digital tools and resources to promote student learning and creativity.

ACTION:

In order to achieve my goals I will conduct some research on different lesson plans that incorporate digital tools that the students can "play" with. I will also need to figure out what kind of digital tools and lessons fit in with our student curriculum.

MONITOR:

I will monitor my progress by reminding myself of the goals in which I have set for myself, as well as how engaged the students become while trying to succeed in trying to incorporate more technology and digital tools.

EVALUATE:

I will be able to evaluate my GAME plan when I attempt to incorporate my goals into the classroom. If my lessons go well and are a success, then I know I have mastered my goal. If the lesson doesn't not go well, I will know that I haven't mastered it and that I need to do a little more research and tweek the lesson in order for me to achieve success in my personal goal.