GAME Plan Success

In my GAME Plan, as I amended it along the way, I wanted to develop my abilities to promote student reflections, using collaborative tools to reveal and clarify students' conceptual understanding and thinking, planning and creative process, and to advocate, model and teach safe, legal, and ethical use of digital information and technology. After learning more about UDL, I decided to add one more goal to my GAME plan, that was customizing and personalizing learning activities, to address students’ diverse learning styles, working strategies, and abilities, using digital tools and resources.

As I reflect back on the past 7 weeks, I recognize that I attained many of my GAME Plan's objectives, and I successfully incorporated them in to the Problem Based Learning project I developed. Having my students employ concept mapping, wiki and voice thread tools met my first objective of using collaborative tools to spur conceptual understanding, thinking, and creativity. By incorporating several of these same tools, and including mentoring, and providing individualized assistance within my plans, I believe I adequately achieved the objectives of Universal Design for Learning, by recognizing and supporting diverse learning styles, and abilities to use digital tools. I also included in my lessons a requirement for students to cite and give appropriate references for their Internet sources which addresses the standard of ethical use of digital information.

These objectives, and the GAME Plan that I developed which encompassed them, has given me a greater insight into the possibilities digital technology offers me as a teacher, and enhanced my abilities to design future learning opportunities for my students. I plan to employ many of these ISTE/NETS Teacher and Students standards in my classroom, when the fall semester begins. I feel that I have been successful in meeting the course objectives, and look forward to continuing to develop my teaching abilities and knowledge of technology.

John C.

Using a GAME Plan with students

As we have learned, within a GAME Plan, we set Goals, take Action, Monitor our actions, and Evaluate and extend our accomplishments. This is very useful and effective model for us as teachers to introduce to our students especially as it relates to teaching and learning about technology.

The six core elements within the ISTE's National Educational Standards for Students (NETS-S) include:
1. Creativity and Innovation
2. Communication and Collaboration
3. Research and Information Fluency
4. Critical Thinking, Problem Solving, and Decision Making
5. Digital Citizenship
6. Technology Operations and Concepts

In attaining these standards students are expected to demonstrate creative thinking, construct knowledge, and develop innovative products and processes using technology; use digital media and environments to communicate and work collaboratively; apply digital tools to gather, evaluate, and use information; demonstrate a sound understanding of technology concepts, systems, and operations.

This is a tall order for students, and teachers entrusted with helping students attain these standards. The expectations for teachers is very demanding, when one considers the NETS-T for teachers. As teachers, we are expected to use all of our knowledge and teaching abilities to help our students successfully learn, be creative, and innovative within a digital world; and we need to learn all that we can about the technology that can expand and encourage learning, and pass that on to our students in an effective way. Also we are expected to keep up with new technologies, and model the use of technology, in ways that inspire honesty and integrity, in this digital world.

So as the saying goes about Ginger Rogers dancing with Fred Astair, we have to do everything that we expect students to do, but we just have to do it backwards.

For teachers and students having a GAME Plan will enable each group to move toward mutually beneficial outcomes.

For us as teachers the GAME Plan is an extension of what we have been doing for years (at least we have if we want to survive in the classroom), with the addition of new teaching tools through hardware, software and new sources of information.

For students the view may be quite different. Although students today are very adept at using technology, and to many it seems to be a natural extension of themselves, students do not see the educational or learning value of technology. To them technology is a toy, a way to have fun.
To use technology wisely, as a tool for learning, students will need to develop their GAME Plans, as we have been doing. The need to set goals related to the use of technology, which can help them attain learning success. Students need to take positive action, and make appropriate decisions, on what technology to employ, and how to use it effectively. They need to understand that self monitoring, and evaluating their actions and accomplishments, are requirements to assure a successful learning process.

What I plan to do in the coming school year is to introduce my students to the GAME planning process. To help them establish their own game plan when it comes to using technology in various courses, to teach them how to monitor their activities, learn to evaluate what they accomplish, and make adjustments along the way, to help them achieve the best outcomes.
Whenever I am going to present a lesson in which I plan to recommend or require the use of technology, I am going to present my GAME plan for that lesson or project, and then I am going to give them time to develop their own GAME plan. As motivation for them to address their plans seriously, I will make it an element of the grade they can achieve.

One Size Fits All Technology?

In working with Special Needs students one becomes acutely aware of their different abilities and needs. As I explore the digital technology tools available for educational uses, I see the advantages and disadvantages of each tool to each student I work with.

It is kind of like a jigsaw puzzle. I look at the picture on the box (a picture of my students) and then I look at all the pieces of technology, in many shapes and sizes, and I am trying to match the pieces to my students. Some tech tools are very similar in design and function, and fit well with my students, while others are very unique and may meet some of the special needs of a few students.

As I have said before there is no one size fits all.

Since one of the goals in my GAME Plan is to 'customize and personalize learning activities to address students' diverse learning styles, working strategies, and abilities using digital tools and resources.' I feel compelled to find a basic format to work from. I have therefore decided to sign up for PBworks, and make it the wiki program I will employ when school resumes in the fall. I have read some good comments about it and have explored it and it seems to be a very versatile program, one that has the functionality and flexibility to meet my students needs.

I am planning on preparing my new PBworks wiki for the next semester, by developing guidelines for use (including guideline on how to cite sources and not violate copy write laws,) accessing appropriate sites, and links to other digital tools the students can access. I am also going to integrate some lesson plans into the wiki for the opening of the next school year.

John C.

I Wish I Had A Magic Wand

The end of a school year is often for me, and I would think for most educators, a time for reflection. That is what I have been doing mostly. Reflecting on how I presented many of my lessons this year, and how I can improve them by incorporating useful technology into them next year.

I wish I had a magic wand so that I could transfer, and translate much of my lesson materials into a digital format. Unfortunately I don't even have a scanner in my room, with which I could capture much of what I have on paper. Nor do I have the time, unless I want to take it all home and work on it during the summer. I am dedicated, but my family is not a dedicated as I am. I don't think that is what they have in mind for our summer vacation.

I have become increasingly anxious and excited about the potential opportunities to improve my students learning opportunities through increased use of technology next year. I have written into my Outlook task list for the summer, to set aside significant time to practice with all the tech programs I want my students to have available next year. A teacher needs to model and in this case demonstrate the best practices of technology, so I plan on being well versed in many of the tech programs and tools we have been introduced to by the beginning of school.