Monitoring my GAME Plan Progress

ISTE NETS-T5.c. Engage in Professional Growth and Leadership by evaluating and reflecting on current research and professional practice on a regular basis to make effective use of existing and emerging digital tools and resources in support of student learning.

As part of my goal setting I had mentioned gaining access to the online resource, Learning and Leading with Technology. With a google search I found that this is part of the ISTE membership benefits along with others such as ISTE learning resources, ISTE book discount, ISTE Webinar discounts, and ISTE communities and social networks. This all sounds great but the membership fee was exorbitant. I also found Highbeam Business link http://business.highbeam.com/articles/4240/learning-leading-technology where you can search through past issues as far back as September 2000. At this link you can get a one week free trial, but it provides only group subscriptions. When I continued my search, I found a link http://www.learningandleading-digital.com/learningandleading to the publication that permitted access from September 2008 to current month’s issues which appears to have no strings attached. I may have to change my GAME plan slightly and stay open to other online resources as well. I also need to continue to seek out current research on the internet regarding incorporating technologies of interest to me that I feel can be impactful in the classroom.

I will continue to take classes and be involved in professional development opportunities throughout my teaching career. By doing this I hope to continue to grow my awareness and improve my implementation of effective uses of technologies in the classroom. By maintaining an “in action” reflection journal I expect to monitor my exploration and growth in finding and implementing effective uses of technologies. My hope is that this will be an ongoing process as I come across new technologies that I am interested in and develop idea on effective implementation in the primary classroom. I will modify my action plan by adding a professional development portfolio. Cennamo, Ross, & Ertmer point out that “it provides a place for you to collect and reflect on artifacts that document your professional growth over time” (Cennamo, Ross, & Ertmer, 2009, p. 13.). Artifacts can include my reflective journal, lesson plans, adjustments or refinements to the lesson plan, rubrics or checklists for assessment of the students’ progress, and considerations to incorporate technology in instruction and assessment that are age appropriate for primary student learning.

In the courses I have completed so far, I have come across a variety of uses of technology such as blogs, wikis, concept mapping using kidspiration, voicethreads, screencasting, other uses for word processing, excel, powerpoint. New question include looking into making movies with primary students. This will be an impactful way to get and maintain student interest and involvement. The materials needed to make this happen are coming together. So far, I have access to a video camera with speakers and a tripod.

ISTE NETS-T.3.c. Model Digital-Age Work and Learning by communicating relevant information and ideas effectively to students and parents using a variety of digital-age media and formats.

I have spent time learning the software that I am using for my webpage and introduced my grade level team to their webpages that I created. I have made myself available to help the other teachers in my grade level construct new pages and consider what they would like to include on their new pages.

I have added links to our math series suggestions for homework reinforcements. Recently, I have come in contact with a program called First in Math. I plan to look it over and determine if this would also work well as a resource for my students and parents. I also have added our Houghtlin and Mifflin online reading books for my guided reading groups. Here I update regularly a collection of books at the instructional level of my students guided reading levels based on reading assessments. This is especially impactful since these books can easily be translated into Spanish for my ELL students. The Consortium for School Networking suggests that “reading and listening to books simultaneously improves comprehension for some students and increases time for learning in transit or simply enjoying a book” (Consortium for School Networking, 2006, p. 13.). I continue to add resources that I feel the parents and students can use and benefit from. I have recently added a link to our district online library resources for primary students.

I have learned that this is an ongoing process and requires diligence and dedication to make it happen. Communication between the classroom, students, and families is a vital component of a student’s success in pursuing their education. I plan to do what I can to provide access to multiple resources through my webpage and make myself available for communication at any time.

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.

The Consortium for School Networking. (2006, August). Hot technologies for education: What’s happening now and later? Middle Ground, 9(4), 12–15.

Carrying Out My GAME Plan

ISTE NETS-T5.c. Engage in Professional Growth and Leadership by evaluating and reflecting on current research and professional practice on a regular basis to make effective use of existing and emerging digital tools and resources in support of student learning.

The resources that I will need to carry out my action plan include having access to internet, staying current with new technologies, getting my hands on them, playing with them, and learning how to effectively implement them in the curriculum to meet students’ needs. Consider requesting a grant for needed resources and materials.

Additional information includes articles, research, or videos on how these new technologies and their application are being implemented in the classroom. I can also invite colleagues to participate in collaborative efforts with multiple classes. During our grade level meetings, I can introduce and encourage other teacher’s participation.

At this point, I have been introduced to a variety of new technologies including blogs, wikis, voicethread, concept mapping using kidspiration, and most recently, screencasting in my current studies. I plan to continue taking courses to stay current. I will be a life-long learner and stay focused on new ways to implement engaging and motivational learning experiences for my students.

ISTE NETS-T.3.c. Model Digital-Age Work and Learning by communicating relevant information and ideas effectively to students and parents using a variety of digital-age media and formats.

The resources needed include internet and access. In order to develop a website I need to consider what I want to display on the website and how I would like to present the information. I have determined that my classroom website is designed to provide resources and information to both my students and their parents.

Additional information that would be helpful includes what information the parent’s feel they would like to see on the website. Prior to setting up the website, I needed to confirm that I had permission to create my class website from my principal. Once that was done, I also had to learn the processes in making the website. So I played with the application until I figured it out, looked at other examples, and designed my own.

Cennamo, Ross, & Ertmer note that “sharing what you have discovered with your colleagues is a critical step in improving your instructional effectiveness” (Cennamo, Ross, & Ertmer, 2009, p. 115.). Currently, I have created my classroom website and also made others for my grade level. I have included general information such as our grade level supplies. I post monthly newsletters and also send out hard copies. I also use a translation program (babblefish) to translate the newsletter into Spanish for my ELL students. My plan is to post both copies. I also have developed a file cabinet for at home math assignments recommended by our classroom text. I have also set up three on-line reading groups that correlate to our guided reading groups. Students and parents can access these books and read them online. They also have the ability to be translated into Spanish for my ELL students. My plan is to include resources for our science experiments that require at home assignments such as weather exploration. I will continue to look for more resources to include in the webpage.

Resources:

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.