Final Blog Post

The GAME plan that I developed throughout this course motivated me to set goals in my classroom that will help my students prepare for the future. As a teacher, I have to stay up to date with the latest trends and teach my students to be successful learners. In integrating www.globalschoolnet.org into my curriculum, I have provided my students a way to collaborate with students from all over the world. This definitely prepares them for the future workplace. My students need to learn to work with different types of people. This is a life skill. Through my GAME plan, I have also found rubrics and checklists that will help my students choose sites that are reliable and trustworthy. In order for students to be successful researchers, they have to learn how to use the internet responsibly.

My students have visited www.globalschoolnet.org and they were really excited. They visited the Geogame link. This is an interactive website that helps students learn terms, maps, and cultural diversity. I also plan on having my students visit the online exhibitions. This is great for social studies. Students will be able to view history on the internet. What a great way to motivate them and keep them engaged in learning! There are many writing projects that are included on this site as well. Students can conduct research on current local issues and publish them. Students can also write articles and post them for the whole world to see. My students are improving in choosing websites that are appropriate and trustworthy. http://www.21cif.com/tools/evaluate/ is a site that allows my students to check the reliability of a source. Teaching my students this skill is significant. In the future, this will be a lesson that I teach at the beginning of the year. As teachers, we are implementing a variety of projects that integrate technology. We have to make sure our students are prepared for these types of assignments. The internet has become the primary source for research.

In Technology Integration for Meaningful Classroom Use, Cennamo, K., Ross, J., & Ertmer, P. (2009), explains that the “GAME plan requires you to think about and take steps to direct your learning process, specifically while learning about technology and how to integrate it into the curriculum.” Through this course, I learned how important it is to reflect on what is working and what areas need room for improvement. In order to grow as an educator, I have to be willing to make changes when necessary. A plan has to be put in place that will help me to stay focused and evaluate my progress. Just as we require our students to evaluate themselves through rubrics and checklists, a GAME plan is a way for educators to reflect, set goals, take action, monitor progress, and evaluate the results. In the future, I will keep a journal of activities that I integrate. If necessary, I will create a GAME plan to improve and better reach my students.

References:
Cennamo, K., Ross, J., & Ertmer, P. (2009). Technology Integration for Meaningful Classroom Use. Ohio: Cengage Learning.

Using the GAME Plan Process with Students

Through my GAME plan, my students will collaborate with other students from all over the world using www.globalschoolnet.org. In using this site, my students will learn about other cultures and world issues. They will also have an opportunity to participate in world projects and international challenges. This will help my students to develop proficiency in creativity, communication and collaboration, and critical thinking. Participating in this will allow my students to work with different kinds of people and express themselves creatively.

Through my GAME plan, my students will also learn ways to stay safe when using technology. Using checklists and rubrics, my students will identify sites that are appropriate, effective, and reliable. This plan helps my students develop proficiency in decision making, digital citizenship, research & information fluency, and technology operations. In order for our students to be prepared for the future, we have to teach them how to be successful when using technology.

In reviewing my GAME plan, I feel like I have included two activities that will help my students to develop the NTES-S. This GAME plan has helped me to organize my thoughts and create two plans that will help to motivate my students through technology. I look forward to utilizing this GAME plan in the classroom.

References:
Cennamo, K., Ross, J., & Ertmer, P. (2009). Technology Integration for Meaningful Classroom Use. Ohio: Cengage Learning.

Revising Your GAME Plan

In creating a GAME plan, I really need to focus on my goals and implement them in the classroom. Sometimes it can seem so overwhelming. Creating this GAME plan helped me to take steps, reflect, and make changes until I was successful. I have learned how to collaborate with students all over the world. There are so many great tools that can be implemented that can teach kids about other cultures and how kids from different areas are the same and different. I have also learned ways to teach kids to be safe when using technology. The checklists and rubrics that I found will help students with this. Also, there are wonderful links and PowerPoints that help explain this to the students. This is very helpful!

I am still working on getting more comfortable with implementing this new technology into my classroom. However, I have learned to make changes a little at a time. One way is to take a lesson that has been successful and add technology to it. In this way, I will enrich the lesson and better motivate my students to learn.

In viewing the NETS-T, one new goal that I have is to better communicate with parents and students through social networking. In the near future, I will implement a blog for parents and teachers to communicate. I will also create blogs that include questions for the students regarding stories that we are reading or a unit of study. In this week’s DVD, Vicki Davis (2007) explains how “Blogging gives everyone a chance”. Students and parents needs to be given a chance to ask questions and express themselves. When students are confident and students and parents feel comfortable asking questions, the students are more likely to be successful.

References:
Davis, V. (2007). Spotlight on Technology: Social Networking and Online Collaboration, Part 1, Laureate Education, Inc, DVD.

Davis, V. (2007). Spotlight on Technology: Social Networking and Online Collaboration, Part 2, Laureate Education, Inc, DVD.

Evaluating Your GAME Plan Progress

One goal that I have implemented into my GAME plan is teaching my students to collaborate with others. I am incorporating a website, www.globalschoolnet.com into my curriculum. This site with allow my students to learn through online exhibitions, interactive games, and writing about global issues. Through this site, my students will be able to collaborate with students from all over the world. One question that I had is what my school policy was regarding this type of website as well as if I needed parental permission to allow my students to take part in this. In speaking with my administration and reading though my school handbook, I found out that this website would be acceptable. Students were given a permission form at the beginning of the year to give students permission for internet access. Since researching this, I have introduces this site to my students. We have explored all of its features. My students are very excited about getting started on a collaborative project!

The other goal that I have implemented into my GAME plan is teaching my kids to be safe when using technology. In researching rubrics and checklists to use through this process, I have found quite a variety. Some of the information that I have found is explanations as to why this is so important as well as the steps to take during this process. Here is a list of websites that include information as well as rubrics:

http://lrs.ed.uiuc.edu/students/tbarcalow/490net/EvalRubric.htm
http://eduscapes.com/tap/topic32.htm
http://www.nhema.net/rubric.pdf
http://www.nhema.net/rubric.pdf

I have learned that evaluating websites is a skill that many teachers are trying to teach their students. Technology plays a major role in today’s classroom. Teaching students to stay safe when they are searching the web will help them research more efficiently and maximize learning.

As I continue to implement my GAME plan, reflection is very important. In Technology Integration for Meaningful Classroom Use, Cennamo, K., Ross, J. & Ertmer, P. (2009) state, “Key to effective reflection is the ability to go beyond a simple description of what happened to consider why it happened , how it is connected to other events, and what adjustments should be made to subsequent actions based on this understanding.” I need to reflect on what is working and what changes need to be made as I move forward with implementing my goals. Keeping a journal will help me in this process.

References:
Cennamo, K., Ross, J., & Ertmer, P. (2009). Technology Integration for Meaningful Classroom Use. Ohio: Cengage Learning

Monitoring Your GAME Plan Progress

In Technology Integration for Meaningful Classroom Use, Cennamo, K., Ross, J., & Ertmer, P. (2009) state, “As you take action to achieve your learning goals, you’ll need to monitor whether you are making sufficient progress toward your goals and reflect on whether the strategies you have chosen are working.” My GAME plan includes collaborating with others using digital tools and resources and teaching students to be safe when using technology.

In teaching my students to collaborate with other using digital tools and resources, I am implementing www.globalschoolnet.org into the classroom. I am very impressed by this website and am confident that this will help my students to collaborate with others. In searching through this site, I have found online exhibitions, an interactive game to teach geography, and even a program that allows students to write articles for the whole world to see. This website gets teachers and students involved in developing all content areas. It also teaches students to be effective citizens and to understand other cultures. One question that I do have is what policy my school district has in participating in a program such as this. Parents would also have to give permission for students to showcase their work and collaborate with others on the web.

In teaching my students how to be safe when using technology, I plan on researching rubrics and checklists that would assist my students. In my research, I am amazed at how much is out there as resources. One site, http://21cif.com/tools/evaluate/ ,explains the steps of evaluating websites and leads students step by step through the process. This is just one of many sites that I have found. In teaching my students how to evaluate websites, I need to talk to others and find out how I can keep my fourth graders engaged in this process.

References:
Cennamo, K., Ross, J., & Ertmer, P. (2009). Technology Integration for Meaningful Classroom
Use. Ohio: Cengage Learning.

Carrying Out Your GAME Plan

My first goal is to learn how to collaborate with others using digital tools and resources. The site www.globalschoolnet.org is designed to connect students with others around the world. What a great way to learn about other cultures and world issues! In order to carry out this plan, I would need to read more about this program. I will also talk to other colleagues that have used this and how to go about implementing this into my classroom. The fact that I am getting my masters in integrating technology in the classroom allows me to collaborate with other teachers on this topic in the hopes that they have used this program in the past. In researching this website, it is essential to check the reliability of the site and its references. So far, in viewing this site, it looks like a way to enable my students to collaborate with others. World projects and international challenges are just some of what is featured through this site.

My second goal is to learn how to properly teach my students to be safe when using technology and make sure that the information is coming from a reliable source. In Technology Integration for Meaningful Classroom Use, Cennamo, K., Ross, J., and Ertmer, P. (2009) state, “In evaluating resources, it’s useful to answer the standard questions of who, what, when, why, and how.” In teaching my students how to evaluate websites by using these standard questions, my plan is to find rubrics and checklists that will help them through this process. To do this, I must research and speak to other educators that have worked with their students on this same skill. Often as educators, we expect our students to find answers to questions on the internet without teaching them the correct steps to take. In teaching my students this evaluation process, it is important for me to determine how much practice, if any, they have had in doing this.

References:
Cennamo, K., Ross, J., & Ertmer, P. (2009). Technology Integration for Meaningful Classroom Use. Ohio: Cengage Learning.

Developing My Personal GAME Plan

In examining the National Education Standards for Teacher (NETS-T), I have identified two goals that will help me build my confidence and skills in teaching technology. First, I want to gain the knowledge needed to collaborate with others using digital tools and resources. It will be great to teach my students how to collaborate with each other as well as with students from other parts of the country. In order to achieve this goal, I plan on becoming familiar with The Global Schoolnet. In Technology Integration for Meaningful Classroom Use, Cennamo, K., Ross, J., & Ertmer P. (2009) explain that this site is an “example of using the computer to connect students from around the world to explore community, cultural, and scientific issues that prepare them for the workforce and help them to become responsible and literate global citizens”. As I apply my knowledge to the classroom, I will reflect on how this will benefit my students. It is important for me to look at the benefits, how my students are learning, and ways that I could improve in this area. As my students and I integrate this into the classroom, I will add this to my portfolio. This will allow me to make changes in the future and look back on this for future tasks.

Another goal that will further develop my technology skills is learning how to properly teach my students to be safe when using technology and make sure that the information is coming from a reliable source. My students need to be aware of the copyright and whether it is an appropriate source of information. The action that I will take to meet my goal is researching available checklists and rubrics that will be helpful in teaching my students to evaluate websites. I will place my students in groups as they use these checklists/rubrics to evaluate a variety of websites. As I monitor their progress, I will reflect on how this is working and what changes need to be made. My students will also reflect. I evaluate this plan through the rubrics and student feedback.

References:
Cennamo, K., Ross, J., & Ertmer, P. (2009). Technology Integration for Meaningful Classroom Use. Ohio: Cengage Learning.