Reflection: Integrating Technology Across the Content Areas

Throughout our course at Walden, we discovered ways to implement new ideas and approach to teaching NETS-S standards through the establishment of a GAME plan. A GAME in this case is used to outline different steps towards working towards a goal. For my own GAME plan, I wanted to increase my knowledge and confidence in is Model Digital-Age Work and Learning, which would be helping me to discover more ways to use different technology tools within my teaching such as using other teachers as models from which to learn and in the establishment of my own blog to use with my teaching. In using the GAME plan approach to this topic, I have taken steps throughout this course to achieve my goals. With this goal, I have really discovered the many different tools that are available to us as teachers as well as for our students (blogs, digital storytelling, facilitating online collaboration). I am excited to begin to implement some of these into my own teaching. The educational service that I work for has many tools that I can use with the students that I work with. I plan on looking into using some of these as a way to enhance my teaching with my students.

The second part of my GAME plan approach dealt with increasing my professional development with the vast amount of opportunities that are available to me through my district as well as on the internet through educational blogs and articles. I have not achieved this portion of my plan as many seminars and lecture begin in the fall. I have however subscribed to some of the different blogs on the internet and have found useful information for my teaching through them. In a way, subscribing to and reading through my colleagues posts from my course at Walden have broadened my horizons and provided me with new and exciting information with real life examples and experiences. I intend to take this knowledge and excitements and ignite excitement for learning with my own students.

Using the GAME Plan Process with My Students

Throughout my course at Walden, I learned about different ways to integrate technology into my teaching. As a part of this we worked with NETS-S standards and established a GAME plan to take this process step by step. As a part of my GAME plan, I wanted to begin to familiarize myself with the technology tools that are available within some of the schools that I work in as well as future schools that I will be placed in. As a part of my GAME plan, I plan to observe teachers and do some research online trying out different technology tools and instruments. I have already obtained a lot of knowledge from my course and have explore using some of these tools so I will know how to use them with my own students and teaching. As the school year approaches, I plan to find different teachers who are experienced with different technology tools and have really tried to incorporate as much technology as they can into their classrooms. I think that by learning from them, I can also share my knowledge with others. The second portion of my GAME plan, I plan to attend some professional development courses to enhance my knowledge in different aspects of teaching. I plan to make time for these seminars in order to help my students as well as other teachers that I work with.

In using a GAME plan approach to the NETS-S standards, it will help my students become better acquainted with the different types of technology in classrooms. Helping students learn to become 21st Century literate and learn to communicate are some of the major parts of the NETS-S standards. I hope that by take a GAME plan approach to becoming more proficient in these standards, it will in turn help my students learn as well. Using the GAME plan approach would also be helpful for students to accomplish their own goals in and easy to follow step by step way. It will help to make tasks seem less daunting as they focus on one step at a time. This can be used in many different areas of teaching. I hope to use the GAME plan approach with the students that I work with this upcoming fall. Using these standards and the GAME plan approach will help my students become more proficient and be better prepared for the 21st century teaching and learning.

GAME Plan Progress

Reading back through my blog posts, I realized that I have been slowly moving towards my goals. In the beginning of developing my GAME plan, I discussed using a blog to host different activities and websites for practice with different topics for my students. I wanted to better acquaint myself with different technological tools even if I am not using them on a daily basis (such as an interactive whiteboard, Elmo…). The second part of my game plan was geared more towards professional development and working towards fitting more of this into my schedule. I have been looking for different opportunities to take on when the school year starts. I want to be able to share my knowledge that I gain from these opportunities with my fellow teachers. As the school year approaches, I will most likely revise my GAME plan slightly depending on the amount of students I am able to take on for this may impact the time and dedication I have to finishing these goals.

As I am not quite ready to set any new goals, taking this GAME plan approach will help me in the future with other endeavors I may take on. This approach to setting goals and taking them step by step in order to achieve them is a very logical method. I will most likely be using this method when I would like to accomplish a task as the idea of goal setting helps you to feel more accomplished and is an easy way to actually do the tasks you only talk about. There is so much that I am learning about through these courses, I feel that I am already on my way to helping others make changes and enhancements in their classrooms.