Using the GAME Process with Students…

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The National Educational Technology Standards (NETS) for teachers and students are very closely aligned, such that having a teacher design a lesson that incorporates these technology standards, allows for students to fulfill their standards by following through with the lesson to its completion. For example, there are 5 teacher (T) standards and 6 student (S) standards and, while they do not match up word-for-word, they do weave together rather tightly. It requires that each classroom participant know what they technology standards are, and be committed to doing their best to accomplishing them…students AND teacher alike.

In setting my goals for this class, I determined that there were two specific NETS-T standards/indicators that I needed more work in to become more confident in implementing. One of these was NETS-T 2b, which states that teachers “develop technology-enriched learning environments that enable all students to pursue their individual curiosities and become active participants in setting their own educational goals, managing their own learning, and assessing their own progress.” In designing lessons that fulfill this goal as an educator, I am providing an opportunity for my students to fulfill NETS-S 1b, which states that students “create original works as a means of personal or group expression,” and 4b, which states that students “plan and manage activities to develop a solution or complete a project.”

As I said before, in order to accomplish these goals and fulfill these standards, all participants must be on-board. This means I, as the teacher, can help my students learn the GAME plan process for their own learning activities. I have always wanted to help my students set goals for themselves and this is a great way for them to do so and monitor their own progress. After setting their goals, they will need to be directed to decide what action to take in accomplishing their goals, and then they will need reflection time over time to both monitor their learning and evaluate their progress. If they find that they are not on the track toward accomplishing their goals, like they thought they would be, they must re-evaluate the plan and modify it (Cennamo et. al., 2010). This is something that can be done globally in a school, at the beginning of the year, or something that one teacher can teach students to do in a class, for multiple long-term assignments.


References:

Cennamo, K., Ross, J., & Ertmer, P. (2010). Technology integration for meaningful classroom use: A standards-based approach. Belmont, CA: Wadsworth, Cengage Learning.

National Educational Technology Standards found at http://www.iste.org/AM/Template.cfm?Section=NETS on August 10, 2010.

My GAME Plan...Now and the Future...

So far in my GAME Plan I have gleaned resources with lesson plan ideas to integrate into my opening year activities and in my introduction to the Web. I have also obtained a link from a colleague with posters that can be printed and posted in my class room, and in the hallway (with administrative permission) as reminders of appropriate online behavior and computer etiquette. I still need to develop my lessons for teaching safe online practices and develop activities for students to use to practice, as well as monitor their own learning. If anyone has located any sites which might allow teens to quiz themselves on Internet safety know-how, please share with me!


My other goal involves me providing a technology-rich learning environment in which students are able to pursue individual curiosities and manage their own learning. The more I use technology tools in this class, the more comfortable I get with using them in my classroom. I think I am just going to have to come to a jumping-off point, where I just offer to let my students use a tool and we all just see how it flies!

Future learning goals I see setting for myself involve Standard 3: Teachers exhibit knowledge, skills, and work processes representative of an innovative professional in a global and digital society. The indicators under this standard focus on teacher communication with parents and community members using a variety of digital tools and resources, media and formats. I strive to integrate a variety of technology in order to gather data, analyze, and communicate with others, but I feel that I continue to lag behind. I would like to be on the cutting edge of such technologies in my everyday personal and professional life! In order to do this, I plan to continue to collaborate with professionals and seek out online professional communities to challenge me to meet my goals.

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Further Evaluation of My GAME Plan...

I continue to work on my GAME plan for becoming more proficient in NETS-T indicators 2b (“Teachers develop technology-enriched learning environments that enable all students to pursue their individual curiosities and become active participants in setting their own educational goals, managing their own learning, and assessing their own progress.”) and 4a (“Teachers advocate, model, and teach safe, legal, and ethical use of digital information and technology, including respect for copyright, intellectual property, and the appropriate documentation of sources.”).

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For indicator 2b I cannot fully determine how my actions are helping me in meeting my goals since I am on summer vacation and, therefore, do not have students and data to analyze. I am working on providing resources for my students to use in managing their own learning, and I am spending time locating and becoming comfortable using a variety of technology tools for students to use in the classroom. I feel that this is an important use of my time, since I would like to be able to offer a variety of tools for my students to use.

For indicator 4a I also continue to work on developing a plan for teaching practical and safe Internet practices…this takes time in order to cover the important parts, without spending too much science instructional time (something I know my school administration team keeps a close eye on…I am working to weave the safe practices pieces into my content.

I found a new resource: http://siemensscienceday.discoveryeducation.com/ by investigating the blog of a classmate: Virginia Crisanti at http://www.artrendipity.com/. I have already pulled three lessons from the site that would fit seamlessly into my curriculum! Something I have learned about this that I can apply to my instructional practice is to continue to use the expertise of those around me in my school, as well as professionals around me online. There are so many ideas that I have not yet had myself!

My GAME progress...

I have finally identified what looks like some really good resources to help me progress in my GAME plan towards becoming more proficient in two NETS-T indicators! The goal this week was to find more resources for use with my middle school science students.


Once again, the first NETS-T indicator I wish to work on is 2B: “Teachers develop technology-enriched learning environments that enable all students to pursue their individual curiosities and become active participants in setting their own educational goals, managing their own learning, and assessing their own progress.” Two resources that would provide my students an opportunity to become more active participants in setting goals for themselves and assess their own progress are:

1. http://jlab.org/index.html,

which contains great teacher and student resources in lower right, in the box labeled science education;

2. http://iq.poquoson.org/

also contains quizzes for students to practice skills used in the classroom, in any content area.

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The second NETS-T indicator I wish to work on is 4a: “Teachers advocate, model, and teach safe, legal, and ethical use of digital information and technology, including respect for copyright, intellectual property, and the appropriate documentation of sources.” Two resources that I have located which look promising for use with my students are:

1. http://www.nsteens.org/,

which appears to have some lesson plans which might be engaging for students in learning about Internet safety;

2. http://isafe.org/,

which is a website promoted by my school system and which teachers are required to use to complete professional development to become aware of the dangers of the Internet.

http://product-safety.com/internetsafety.html

I encourage anyone that is able to, to help me explore these and provide feedback. If you know of additional resources which would be appropriate for middle school students, please let me know! 

Thank you!

Resources and Information for My GAME Plan

My post last week was about developing a GAME plan for becoming more confident in two indicators of the NETS-T. This week, I am taking a look at the information and resources I might need in order to carry out my GAME plan.

Once again, the first indicator I am working on is 2b: “Teachers develop technology-enriched learning environments that enable all students to pursue their individual curiosities and become active participants in setting their own educational goals, managing their own learning, and assessing their own progress.” I have said that my action will include a better understanding of my students’ diverse learning styles, which will help me to provide opportunities for them to practice with a variety of technology tools and skills, pinpointing the ones that they feel confident in using. In order to carry out my GAME plan for this indicator, I will need to access information from previous years’ summative assessments and behavior logs. I will also need a plan for implementing formative assessments throughout the year. Additionally, I will need to have access to, and follow, students IEPs and 504-plans to ensure special needs of students are being met. Ahead of time, I will need to ensure that I am comfortable using Wikis, Blogs, and Discussion Boards, and that they are set up and ready to go when I want to use them. Additional resources I am interested in trying in order to develop a technology-enriched learning environment is polling software and personal response clickers.

The second indicator I am working on is 4a: “Teachers advocate, model, and teach safe, legal, and ethical use of digital information and technology, including respect for copyright, intellectual property, and the appropriate documentation of sources.” I have said that the action I will take to achieve this goal is to develop and implement an introductory lesson on What the Web is, how to use it, and how to be smart about it. I would like for the lesson to include computer basics, Internet basics, how to search the Web, and how to use information found on the Web. Additionally, I feel that I need to go further to inform students of the legal issues of the Web and how to be safe about using and posting on the Web. In order to carry out my GAME plan for this indicator, I first need to ensure that I am fully aware of the legal issues of the Web, and work with my School-Based Technology Specialist (SBTS) in order to develop a lesson plan to use with students. I plan to use my SBTS as a resource not only in the planning stages, but to have them in my classes, assisting with the delivery of the lesson as well. I need to access such resources as ethical and acceptable use policies and ensure that my students (and their parents) also have access to them. I will also need to ensure that I have access to, and feel confident in, using the technology platform that will be used to deliver the lesson, as well as the student technology (laptops or desktop computers) for students to practice with during the lesson.

If anyone can make suggestions on information and resources I have overlooked, please leave comments! Thanks!!

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

Establishing a GAME Plan for NETS-T

Ensuring that teachers are confident in the National Education Technology Standards for Teachers (NETS-T) has never been more important. We will do our students a disservice by not become proficient ourselves in 21-Century technology skills, and infusing them seamlessly into our lessons. In order to continue doing this, I have identified two NETS-T indicators in which I feel I need more work in order to become more confident and proficient to support my students.

The first indicator is 2b: “Teachers develop technology-enriched learning environments that enable all students to pursue their individual curiosities and become active participants in setting their own educational goals, managing their own learning, and assessing their own progress.” The action I will take in order to achieve this goal includes understanding my students’ diverse learning styles, providing opportunities for students to learn a variety of technology tools and skills, find the ones that they feel confident in using, and encouraging them to try new ones with which they are not familiar. I also need to prepare myself for the reality that I probably do not have all of the answers, so my students may be the experts in using technology that is introduced to my classroom, and that is okay! I plan to monitor my progress through student observations and reflections throughout the learning process, assessment of student projects and assignments, as well as formative and summative assessment data. In order to evaluate and extend my learning I will use assessment data to drive my instruction, as well as to drive my choice of technology tools. I will also self-reflect on how my teaching has adapted to fit the needs of my students and on what I have learned in the process.

The second indicator is 4a: “Teachers advocate, model, and teach safe, legal, and ethical use of digital information and technology, including respect for copyright, intellectual property, and the appropriate documentation of sources.” The action I will take to achieve this goal is to develop and implement an introductory lesson on The Web: What it is, how to use it, and how to be smart about it. The lesson will include computer basics, Internet basics, how to search the Web, and how to use information found on the Web. Students must also be aware of the legal issues of the Web and how to be safe about using and posting on the Web. This is something that must be done before I can launch any inquiry-based unit, for my own peace of mind! In order to monitor my progress, I will observe student use of the computer and Internet, and use formative and summative assessment data to drive my instruction and to help me determine when students are ready to move to the next level, or into an inquiry-based unit. Evaluating and extending my learning will be a continuous process with this indicator. As my students and I move through this lesson and put into practice what has been learned, there will be issues and new lessons that will crop up and cause me to pause or take a step back. I am anxious to self-reflect and evaluate my own learning and progress in this area, as it is new territory for me! I have always assumed that my students are learning about this indicator from someone else, but I can no longer assume that, but must assume responsibility for my own students’ learning of technology, even if I teach science.

Reflection: Teaching New Literacy Skills in the Classroom

Integrating the teaching of new literacy skills into my 8th grade science curriculum is not only necessary, but it seems that it will be rather seamless. This might be the most striking revelation I have had as a result of taking my most recent master’s class, “Supporting Information Literacy and Online Inquiry in the Classroom.” Rather than this being “just another thing” to add to my often overwhelming list of “things to do” during the school year, this course has provided a platform on which to do the things I already do, or that I must do, better.

In developing a lesson plan for teaching new literacy skills, I was able to think critically about each moment of learning in the classroom. One of the most difficult parts of developing my lesson plan was in determining my methods for assessing student acquisition of new literacy skills…how am I going to KNOW that they have learned what they need to in order to effectively use new literacy skills in the classroom, and in their daily lives, not just in playing with information, as they might on social networking sites, but in working with information to accomplish something with meaning and purpose (Laureate Education, Inc., 2008)?

One professional development goal that I have deals with a recent opportunity I had to attend Space Academy for Educators, sponsored by Honeywell, at the U.S. Space and Rocket Center in Huntsville, AL. First, let me encourage all math, science, and technology teachers to apply for this amazing opportunity…it was life-changing for me! There are many, many ways for me to integrate what I have learned in this master’s course with what I learned and experienced at Space Academy with what I currently teach. The goal of the Space Academy program is to inspire teachers to inspire students to excel in the areas of STEM education (science, technology, engineering, and math). The space program needs today’s students to be tomorrow’s experts if the U.S. is to continue to be a world leader. Inquiry-based learning provides the framework and platform for students to master new literacy skills, as well as content skills, needed to accomplish their goals. I plan to continue to develop my proficiency in using new literacy skills myself by conducting research, performing searches using the techniques I have learned in this course, and using the results of my searches to make things happen. Additionally, I would like to use new literacy skills to integrate new skills and lessons learned during my time at Space Academy to inspire my students in STEM education areas. When my students see me getting excited about learning and using what I am learning to make change happen and to do great things, then perhaps they will be inspired to do the same!

References:
Laureate Education, Inc. (Producer). (2008). Program 13. Supporting Information Literacy and Online Inquiry in the Classroom [Motion picture]. “It’s Not about the Technology”. Baltimore: Author.

U.S. Space and Rocket Center

Huntsville, AL