After we have set goals for ourselves and begin to put our GAME plan into action, we must monitor and evaluate our progress toward obtaining those goals. Just like we want our students to assess their learning throughout a lesson, we must assess our goals in order to know where we are going and how we are going to get there (Laureate Education, Inc, 2010).
As the school year is coming to an end, I am realizing how difficult it is to take my lessons and begin to find ways to integrate technology into them. This is definitely a project that I will want to really dive into over the summer and at the beginning of the school year. I have been successful at finding some resources to help me along the way. Technology integration is definitely something that requires advance planning in order to reserve resources and be sure I know how to operate the device before setting my students on it (even though they probably know more than I do!). I have found that it is also important to have a back up plan just in case that particular digital tool does not want to cooperate that day! The nice thing about that is I already have the general lesson planned so that can be my back up if the technology is not working out for me. One lesson that I have already transformed and implemented with my students involved having them respond to their novel prompts through a classroom blog that I set up instead of writing or typing them and only submitting them to me. This easy transition has allowed my students to collaborate more with each other and leave really constructive feedback. They have really impressed me with this and it took virtually nothing for me to set up the blog!
I have also done some research in terms of technology conferences that are going to be offered next year that I would like to attend. I found one that is really interesting to me called The Teaching Professor Technology Conference http://www.teachingprofessor.com/conferences/technology-conference-2013. It is a little distance away and costs more than the usual conference so I will have to broach it with my headmaster before the year is over so we can work to see if there is money in the budget for me to attend. I would really like our technology teacher to be able to attend as well so we can collaborate and bring back great ideas for our faculty for next year!
At this point, I do not feel that I need to revise my plan, but I will definitely need to continue to monitor my progress especially as I put into action more throughout the summer and beginning of next year. One thing that I need to always remember when embarking on this GAME plan is that "technology should only be used when it facilitates learning, and not simply as a novelty" (Cennamo, Ross, & Ertmer, 2009, p. 146). I do not need to transform every lesson, but only where it deems appropriate and where it will enhance my lessons for my students.
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.
Laureate Education, Inc. (Executive Producer). (2009). Assessing Student Learning with Technology. Baltimore, MD: Author.
Hi Kori,
ReplyDeleteIt sounds like you are making progress already with the use of blogs in your classroom. Another tool that allows students in interact virtually is the wiki. I have found wikis to be very useful for students working together asynchronously. They can share tools and resources while contributing to a group project. Another strategy that may be useful to you is WebQuests. There are so many WebQuests that are available for free that you will not need to create one from scratch. If you are not familiar with WebQuests, you can get more information at http://webquest.org/. I have found that this tool provides students a guided and supported way to research for answering questions and solving problems. The are rigorous in their expectations while they are engaging to students. Students can work independently or in small groups to complete the tasks at their own pace. I hope that you find this and other useful tools that will allow you to easily and meaningfully integrate technology in your classroom.
Ellen
Hey Kori,
ReplyDeleteI am fascinated with your class blog. This is my GAME plan for my self-contained students to improve their writing skills. Did the students find the instant feedback helpful to your students? Did they write thoughtful responses? Was it a smooth transition from pencil and paper? Forgive me, but these are some questions I've been pondering.
You closed with the quote from Cennamo, Ross, and Ertmer (2009) about using technology to facilitate learning not as a novelty. Right now, I need the novelty of it to motivate my students to write. Pencil and paper is not effective for them. Even word processing has lost it's appeal, and I'm ready to try anything. Do you have any helpful hints to pass along?
Julianna
Reference
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.
Kori,
ReplyDeleteI love that you are using a class blog! My students really love blogging. I just wanted to share with you a website that I used to help me with evaluating students blog posts, http://www.risemodel.com. Check it out and let me know what you think!
Thanks,
Heather