Evaluation of my GAME plan

The evaluation phase of a GAME plan includes a critical examination into the actions steps and their metamorphosis towards appointed goals. In the case of my GAME plan, I have found that reaching out to others for advice and information to be an invaluable tool. Cennamo, Ross, and Ertmer state that “[s]haring what you have discovered with your colleagues is a critical step in improving your instructional effectiveness” (Cennamo, Ross, & Ertmer, 2009). My action steps involving accessing others prior knowledge and seeking professional development opportunities gave me a firm foundation in which to develop 21st century based learning strategies to teach my students content area knowledge.

An critical strategy I have learned through this process is the importance of scaffolding student learning and performance to meet the varying degrees of abilities and interest in my classroom. By scaffolding instruction I can “. . . accomplish four important goals: 1) initiating student’s inquiry; 2) maintaining students’ engagement; 3) aiding learners with concept integration and addressing misconceptions; and 4) promoting reflective thinking” (Ertmer & Simons, 2006). Each student in my classroom has a learning style preference, it is my job to incorporate choices and challenge them to try other alternatives with in their ability levels. Consequently, I will need to further develop my abilities to differentiate the ways that I assess student comprehension and synthesis of core content. There are still questions in my mind about how to go about integrating and simplifying authentic assessment in an objective and quantitative manner.

As I search more in depth regarding the usage of my iPod Touch for the purpose of progress monitoring, I realize additional fiscal resources will need to be making this a reality. This is an unfortunately hurdle in my plan but not one that cannot be overcome with time and further investigation.

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

Ertmer, P., & Simons, K. (Spring 2006). Jumping the PBL implementation hurdle: Supporting the efforts of K-12 teachers. The Interdisciplinary Journal of Problem-Based Learning, 1(1), 40-54. Retrieved on October 4, 2010,from http://docs.lib.purdue.edu/cgi/viewcontent. cgi?article =1005& context=ijpbl.

Monitoring my GAME Plan

As I began the stage of monitoring my progress towards reaching my goals of:
1. Facilitate and Inspire Student Learning and Creativity
2. Design and Develop Digital-Age Learning Experiences and Assessments
I am remind of the old phrase “begin as you mean to go”. This emphasizes for me the importance of knowing at the beginning what your designation will be and the avenues you intend to take. Dr. Ross says that assessment should be the first thing teachers consider when designing lessons (Laureate, 2009).

I mentioned in an early post that I was going to use digital story telling to spark my students’ natural curiosity and creativity through the use of iMovie and flip cameras. This week I met with another teacher in my school that routinely uses flip cameras in her classroom. She showed me previous footage her students had shot and edited. I was amazed at the amount of detail these second grade students had added to their feature films. One great suggestion she had was to let students watch the "making of the movie" feature on a educational DVD and the credits of the film. She also had a cameraman from a local television station come in as a guest speaker. I can now see the how the affect of integrating real life situations and context into lesson can have a powerful impact on students buy–in to the content areas.

Pressing forward with my quest to find authentic opportunities to assess my students’ achievements I encountered a nifty way to use PDAs.. “Whether based on formal or informal observations, many student information systems allow you to quickly add notes to students records that can be accessed and recorded on handheld and laptop computers, making students records dynamic” (Cennamo, Ross, & Ertmer, 2009). One of the great struggles I have in regards to student performance-based assessments is the time consuming and laborious task of recording and transferring information. Handling student performance assessments in this manner would free up time and provide instantaneous feedback to customize future lessons.

My most pressing question so far is how I can use my own personal iPod Touch to make wireless performance assessment take place. It definitely not something I have come across in the iTunes (itunes.com) app store. Does anyone have any prior experience with this method of data collection? What program would you suggest? What is the cost factor involved?

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

Laureate Education, Inc. (Executive Producer). (2009). Program 7. Assessing Student Learning with Technology. [Educational video]. Baltimore: Author.

Puttling Actions Into Words

From past experiences, I have surmised that my preferred through process is deductive thinking. Cennamo, Ross, and Ertmer define deductive thinking as moving “from the whole to its parts, from generalizations to underlying concepts to examples” (Cennamo, Ross, & Ertmer, 2009). So, I began the Action phase of my GAME plan by watching my son’s home iMovies. This allowed me to refamiliarize myself with the scope and sequence of the movie making process. I also began a journal to record my questions, thoughts, and findings as well as a technology list which includes my Mac laptop, the iMovie application, and a flip-camera.

I then began to search for resources to help me gain proficiency. My district offers several professional develop classes on both iMovie and flip-cameras. Additionally, I discovered a well developed and detailed site entiled Dummies.com: Knowing What You Can Do with iMoive at http://www.dummies.com/how-to/content/knowing-what-you-can-do-with-imovie.html One of my most crucial sources of knowledge will be my innovative thinker husband. I hope to benefit from his wealth of knowledge gathered over the past nine years of making countless iMovies.

In my classroom, I have 20 different versions of Vygotsky’s Zone of Proximal Development. Each child is a unique individual with equally important needs. By expanding the creativity level students need to expend in order to learn, I am gifting them with not only information to past a standardized test but also the ability to face and conquer life’s challenges.

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.

The GAME Plan

The purpose of the International Society for Technology in Education (ISTE) is to inform students, teachers, and parents about the integral part technology plays in facilitating an active learning environment. With an increased number of students reporting bouts of boredom ranging anywhere from 50 and 70 percent of the school day, the time has come to take a more introspective examination at teaching practices in the classroom. My GAME plan to incorporate technology as part of an active learning atmosphere focuses on developing the components of creative thinking and authentic assessment.

My first goal is to ‘facilitate and inspire student learning and creativity” (the International Society for Technology in Education (ISTE), 1997-2010). I plan to utilize digital storytelling as a technique. I will begin by familiarizing myself with the basic functions of iMovie by importing and editing a movie of my students enacting a story from our literature curriculum. According to Dr. Peggy Ertmer, the key components to enhance standard based learning is through knowledge of program capabilities, confidence to implement, positive beliefs, and locating supportive resources (Laureate, 2009) .To monitor my progress during this multimedia project, I will create a rubric using Partnership for 21st Century skills to guide my work . The evaluation phase of this project will be to two-fold. This video will not only be evaluated by myself, but also by another professional in my cohort. This will ensure I have demonstrated competent knowledge of the program.

Additionally, I plan to “design and develop digital-age learning experiences and assessments” (1997-2010) by utilizing King-Sears and Evmenova’s Checkerboard of Choices for Integrating Low, Medium, and High Technology Into Instruction (King-Sears & Evmenova, 2007). Exploring these multiple avenues in which students can demonstrate their knowledge will allow me an authentic opportunity to assess student mastery. “When you know what your choices are, you are better able to determine whether technology is already available or whether you need to request specific technology” (2007). I will use the Checklist for Integrating Technology Into Instruction(2007) by King-Sears and Evmenova to progress monitor my ability to organize and implement these various mediums. Additionally, I will evaluate my ability to encapsulate these digital projects into various lessons by tracking the impact of student learning. This will allow me to develop my skills in the navigation of these technologies in a progressive and methodical manner (Laureate, 2009).

Technology is a tool to be used in the classroom for the betterment of student comprehension, mastery, and development. It is no longer as simple as making computers accessible to students. Instead, students must go beyond basic keyboarding and learn the importance and responsibility of the keystrokes that bring the outside world to their fingertips.

References

King-Sears, M., & Evmenova, A. (2007). Premises, Principles, and Processes for Integrating TECHnology Into Instruction. Teaching Exceptional Children, 40(1), 6-14. Retrieved from Education Research Complete database.

Laureate Education, Inc. (Executive Producer). (2009). Program 2. Promoting Creative Thinking with Technology. [Educational video]. Baltimore: Author.

National Education Standards for Teachers (NETS-T) located at: http://www.iste.org/Content/NavigationMenu/NETS/ForTeachers/
2008Standards/NETS_T_Standards_Final.pdf

Prensky, M. (2008). Turning On the Lights. Educational Leadership, 65(6), 40-45. Retrieved from Education Research Complete database.

New Literacy's Reflection

The definition of literacy no longer means just being able to read, write, and regurgitate. Instead, today’s digital-based society requires that participants be able to manipulate, maneuver, and manage numerous sources of information simultaneously in order to construct new meanings (Eagleton & Dobler, 2007). For the classroom, this means implementing New Literacy Perspectives: how to generate questions/problem statements, conduct inquiries, synthesize resources, and share information (Laureate, 2009) to better equip students and educators for transition into the 21st century workforce.

I experienced an “ah-ha” moment when I read Jukes and Macdonald’s 21st Century Fluency Skills list and it occurred to me that just simply utilizing technology in the classroom was not synonymous with teaching 21st century skills. Instead, technology provides a platform by “facilitating the analytical and critical thinking and collaboration championed in the constructivist approach to education” (Pitler, Hubbell, Kuhn, & Malenoski, 2007). Teaching students how to use digital devices and their various applications is only a fraction of the skills needed to become web literate. These components are only stepping-stones students “…will need to work with information in all forms to fashion productions that have value, that entertain and teach” (Jukes & Macdonald, 2007).

Like myself, my students tend to do well on an individual basis but struggle to complete tasks when group dynamics are involved. Dr. Leu emphasizes that the development of global communication has made socioculturalism an imperative step in the acquisition of new literacy skills (Leu, Kinzer, Coiro, Cammack, 2004). Knowledge gained relating to stimulating social interaction in my classroom illustrated for me the importance of student engage in collaborative partnerships in both traditional tasks as well as digital-based ones. Utilizing VoiceThread (VoiceThread.com), for example, would be an age appropriate way for me to incorporate new literacy skills and promote social interaction in my classroom. Students can share ideas and thoughts not just within the confines of the classroom but also on a more global level.

In the coming school year, I would like to engage in professional develop using a new multimedia strategy called scrapblog. This” …enables students to create media-rich scrapbooks for the Web that they can share with others and receive feedback” (Oliver, 2008). I will seek out professional development on local and regional levels as well as online collaborations. Working knowledge of applications like BubbleShare (bubbleshare.com), Weebly (weebly.com) Quimble (quimble.com) will enable me to help students actively engage in setting up and participating in our class blog site. By personalizing this project with content that directly pertain to them, my students will be more apt to stay involved and continue to develop skills they can post as achievements.

Additional, I will seek out professional develop that focuses on teaching online etiquette and safety. Since I am on my district’s STEM committee, this will give me the opportunity to build relationships and make connections with other professionals and share my gained knowledge with the staff at my school. The Internet is a potent force that brings about the best and worst of society. Its endless avenues provide outlets for individuals to research, publish, and create within a few clicks of a button. As students discover this world, we as educators need to impress upon them gravity of staying safe, responsible and ethical online (2009).

The needs of the 21st century learner are vastly different from those of previous generations (Jukes & Macdonald, 2007). "We have passed from a smokestack age which was information lean to an age of info-glut and info-garbage" (Coiro, 2003). Therefore, today's students need to become "healthy skeptic[s]" (2007) in order to develop the necessary skills to become articulate and ethical users and producers of online information.

References
Coiro, J. L. (2003). Rethinking comprehension strategies to better prepare students for critically evaluating content on the Internet. New England Reading Association Journal, 39(2), 29–34.

Eagleton, M. B., & Dobler, E. (2007). Reading the Web: Strategies for
Internet inquiry. New York: The Guilford Press.

Jukes, I. (2007). 21st century fluency skills: Attributes of a 21st century learner. Retrieved from http://www.committedsardine.com/handouts/twca.pdf

Laureate Education, Inc. (Executive Producer). (2009). Program 4. Teaching Online Literacy Skills. [Educational video]. Baltimore: Author.

Leu, D. J., Kinzer, C. K., Coiro, J. L., & Cammack, D. W. (2004). Toward a
Theory of New Literacies Emerging from the Internet and other Information and Communication Technologies. Theoretical Models and Processes of Reading (5th ed.), 1570–1613. http://sylvan.live.ecollege.com

Oliver, K. (2008, May). Media magic. Learning & Leading with Technology,
35(7), 33–33.

Pitler, H., Hubbell, E.R., Kuhn, M., & Malenoski, K. (2007). Using
Technology with Classroom Instruction that Works. Alexandria, VA: ASCD.

Personal Learning Theory Summary

Personal Learning Theory Summary
A teacher’s personal learning theory can impact his or her instructional practices in the classroom and directly impact student performance. During my course of study on the theories of learning, I have consistently identified with the behaviorist learning theory that says “[t]he consequences of an act affect the probability of it's occurring again.” (Thinkexist.com). This model for learning validates my previous rationality that if students feel safe, valued, and successful in their learning environment than high expectation will be met and outcomes achieved. It has also become apparent to me that employing social constructivism strategies like authentic assessment, ongoing feedback and recognition are critical aspects in facilitating students’ towards being positive, productive and successful learners.
Immediate Adjustment
Employing strategies that emphasize the usage of nonlinguistic representations into my daily lessons is an immediate adjustment that I can make to my instructional practices. Research has proven that students can make up to a 38-percentile gain when strategies such as kinesthetic activities, concept mapping and images are used in place of traditional instructional practices (Marzano, Pickering, & Pollock, 2001). Two technologies I can incorporate nonlinguistic representations with are Kidspiration (www.inspiration.com) and VoiceThread (http://voicethread.com/#home). Kidsiration’s vocabulary word template will enable my students to create image concept maps to organize information and VoiceThread (http://voicethread.com/#home) will offer my students a platform to share summaries and analysis regarding information gained from these digital images. Utilizing various media strategies in my classroom allows students to further their comprehension of the content through means that are meaningful and relevant.
Long Term Goals
Setting goals that involve structuring student-learning experiences around high interest and developmentally appropriate strategies demonstrates my commitment to learning new techniques that can positively affect my students’ outcomes. The integration of technology into instructional practices is defined by Lever-Duffy & McDonald as the teaching strategies and techniques used to impart content through the use of media (Lever-Duffy & McDonald, 2008). Believing that how students view learning affects their performance, I will make my first long-term goal the incorporation of website based instruction. The students in my classroom often utilize, are instructed though, or assessed using website based tutorial programs. I will facilitate this change by using instructional sites such as Internet4classrooms (www.internet4classrooms.com) or Brainpop (www.brainpop.com)to aid students in building concept connections instead of just regurgitating information. “With the advent of powerful and inexpensive computers, early [computer-assisted instruction] CAI programs have long since evolved into the powerful, multimedia programs available today that entice students to learn and support teacher’s instructional efforts” (Lever-Duffy & McDonald, 2008). The basis for all learning theories according to Dr. Orey is the active engagement of students in their own learning process (Laureate, 2009). My second goal will be to utilize digital means to provide my students with an opportunity to create products that can be shared with others. Using Powerpoint (office.microsoft.com/powerpoint), Jigsaw Classroom (www.jigsaw.org), or iWeb (www.apple.com/ilife/iweb), I will be able to provide my students with the tools to demonstrate and share and demonstrate their knowledge in a format that fits with 21st century skills. As a behaviorist/social constructivist, my future teaching practices need to reflect strategies that enable students to be conditioned through positive concrete learning experiences that best meet their preferred learning modality and challenges their desire to explore other types.
Conclusion
Engaging in effective classroom instruction requires me to employ ongoing reflective practices, which delve into my own beliefs, the data supported theories of others, and the needs of the individual students in my classroom. Closely examining these will enable me to provide students with the optimal learning experience designed to promote and support their development of self-efficacy.


References
Laureate Education, Inc. (Executive Producer). (2009). Bridging learning theory,
instruction, and technology. Baltimore: Author.
Lever-Duffy, J. & McDonald, J. (2008). Theoretical Foundations (Laureate Education,
Inc., custom ed.). Boston, MA: Pearson Education, Inc. Chapter 1: Theoretical
Foundations, pg. 2–35
Marzano, R.J., Pickering, D.J, Pollock, J.E. (2001). Classroom Instruction that Works: Research-
Based Strategies for Increasing Student Achievement. Alexandria, VA: ASCD. Chapter
6: Nonlinguistic Representations, pg. 72-83.
Orey, M.(Ed.). (2001). Emerging perspectives on learning, teaching, and technology.
Retrieved on March 7, 2010 from http://projects.coe.uga.edu/epltt/

What does the future hold?