This course has been a truly rewarding experience for me. I not only learned about a variety of wonderful technologies through weekly blogging with my fellow Walden classmates, but I also learned how to promote self-directed learning by creating my own GAME Plan (Laureate Education, Inc., 2010). My unique GAME Plan quickly became my most valuable asset during this course because it forced me to set goals, take action for these goals, monitor my actions, and then evaluate what I had accomplished (Laureate Education, Inc., 2010). As an educator, my major concern is that my students are learning the content, and this course has shown me how technology can be utilized effectively to help my students learn the content in new, fresh and exciting ways. There are four variables that educators should use to integrate technology into their content area: they should be somewhat technology-savvy, they must possess confidence, they must engage in solid beliefs about teaching and learning, and they must have a supportive culture -fellow colleagues who are supportive and will also take risks (Laureate Education, Inc., 2010).
The GAME Plan that I developed was to “Design and Develop Digital Age Learning Experiences” and to “Model Digital Citizenship and Responsibility (International Society for Technology in Education, 2011). I did not accomplish all that I set out to, but I did learn a fair amount about digital storytelling through brainstorming with a fellow colleague about ways in which to utilize digital storytelling with my students, and by experimenting on my own with this great digital tool. I definitely have a long way to go before I feel completely comfortable with digital storytelling, but through this course I have also discovered that it is acceptable to experiment along with your students. During these past weeks I have come to the realization that “Language arts classrooms can be technology-rich environments if you help students understand that technology is an integral part of the classroom curriculum” (Cennamo, Ross, & Ertmer, 2009).
One adjustment I have made in order to accomplish turning my classroom into a technology-rich environment was to offer my students my gmail account and have them email their homework to me. This may not sound like much, but I think by offering my students somewhere to “send” their homework rather than having to “bring” it in will help to alleviate problems such as students showing up with no homework in hand. Also, if they are out sick, they can still email their assignments to me. Another plus would be the fact that the homework would be readable, since much of the homework comes in hand-written and illegible. This small feat affords me the luxury of moving closer to a paperless classroom which is another goal I have intended for myself as an educator. Since the first part of my GAME Plan is to design and develop digital age learning experiences for my students, I have decided to utilize digital storytelling in the beginning of the year and have my students create a story about themselves and use this as an ice-breaker activity so they can introduce themselves to their fellow peers. I will make a point of experimenting with digital storytelling over the summer, and I will create my own introductory story to show my new students in September.
In regard to the second goal in my GAME Plan, promoting and modeling digital citizenship and responsibility, I have made a point of working diligently with my librarian to uncover various videos about Internet safety and have viewed them to ensure they are age-appropriate. I have also received websites from a fellow classmate here at Walden, and this information came in extremely handy as well. I have already viewed one such website called Netsmartz, and it is a terrific website for students to view on Internet safety. My school librarian has also worked with my students by showing them how to log onto Noodletools and how to use this web tool so they can correctly cite sources and properly give credit where credit is due.
This course has helped me to think much deeper about different types of technologies and how these technologies can assist me in teaching my students the content in my English classroom. By taking baby steps, experimenting with specific technologies and brainstorming with colleagues, I have become more confident in implementing these technologies with my students. With the development of my own GAME Plan, I have learned to set specific goals, act on these goals, monitor and evaluate them so as to ascertain how to effectively reach all of the students in my diverse classroom.
References:
Cennamo, K., Ross, J., & Ertmer, P. (2009). Technology integration for meaningful classroom use: A standards-based approach. Mason, OH: Cengage Learning.
International Society for Technology in Education. (2011). NETS for teachers 2008. Retrieved from http://www.iste.org/standards/nets-for-teachers
Laureate Education, Inc. (Producer). (2010). Enriching content area learning experiences with technology part one [Webcast]. Integrating technology across content area. Baltimore, MD: Author.
Laureate Education, Inc. (Producer). (2009). Promoting self-directed learning with technology. [DVD]. Integrating technology across the content area. Baltimore, MD: Author.
Thursday, April 21, 2011
Wednesday, April 13, 2011
Using the GAME Plan with Students
Since my GAME plan has helped me to keep in alignment with the NETS-T standards, I feel confident that my students could follow suit by incorporating their own GAME plan utilizing the NETS-S standards. One of the goals of my GAME plan was to promote and model digital citizenship and responsibility. This particular goal is extremely important to me as an educator because of the potential dangers involved with Internet use by teens. Technology can be a remarkable tool for learning when used correctly and carefully, but in the wrong hands, technology can become a weapon of destruction. Unfortunately, many teens utilize the Internet to bully other teens. It has gotten so popular that Internet bullying has been coined cyber bullying and it is running rampant among the teenage population. Cyber bullying has taken on a life of its own, and does not seem to be getting better any time soon. As an educator and as a mother, I want to do whatever I can to stop cyber bullying. I want to instill in my students an ethical understanding so they too will make a concerted effort to put a stop to any unsafe practices.
I would also model for my students how to cite correctly when utilizing information from various sources. The librarian has already put together a PowerPoint presentation on how to do this, but I need to keep modeling for them. I have actually brought in my own papers to show them how I have given credit where credit is due.
With this in mind, I would like to implement #5: Digital Citizenship (International Society for Technology in Education, 2011) because if my students cannot display digital citizenship, then they do not need to be on the Internet. I would not want to have my students partake in any online activities if they could not be responsible teens and use the Internet wisely. I would like to show my students videos related to cyber safety and then have them create a digital story on cyber safety. In their story they would need to explain why it is important to practice Internet safety.
References:
International Society for Technology in Education. (2011). NETS for students 2007. Retrieved from http://www.iste.org/standards/nets-for-students/nets-students
Wednesday, April 6, 2011
Revising Your GAME Plan
Goal #1: Design and Develop Digital-Age Learning Experiences and Assessments-More specifically-design or adapt relevant learning experiences that incorporate digital tools and resources to promote student learning and creativity.
1. What have you learned so far that you can apply in your instructional practice? What goals are you still working toward? I have learned some interesting things about digital storytelling, but not enough to feel comfortable about implementing it in my classroom. I still feel that I need to experiment with this digital tool over the summer when I have more time. This school year has been quite hectic, and I don’t want to rush things. I have spoken to my students about it, and I would like to have them write an “alternate” ending to the novel we are reading using digital storytelling because this digital tool truly lends itself perfectly for this assignment. I am still working towards gaining a better handle on how to manipulate the various tasks that need to be accomplished in order to create a digital story. I could practice with my classes because practice makes perfect, but I don’t know if I will attempt it this school year. Once I have succeeded in mastering how to use digital storytelling, I will utilize this tool to create other assignments. I have two other ideas in mind, and I feel confident that other ideas will come to me as I continue to experiment and become more familiar with it.
2. Based on the NETS-T, what new learning goals will you set for yourself? I would like to Facilitate and Inspire Student Learning and Creativity-More specifically-engage students in exploring real-world issues and solving authentic problems using digital tools and resources. Now that I have created an authentic lesson about homelessness, centering on the novella my students are reading, Of Mice and Men, about homelessness, it has sparked a flame in me to truly bring this project to fruition. I would like my students to be able to talk with students from around the world about the issue of homelessness so they can discover, for themselves, how this problem is world-wide, and not just here in the states. I would like them to step their class project up a notch, and brainstorm ways to end homelessness in other parts of the world. What an accomplishment this would be-just the challenge alone would be so fruitful and worthwhile for students. It would lift their self-esteem, knowing they were making the effort to help eliminate homelessness. They can Skype with students or use Ning, a social networking website to communicate worldwide to discuss homelessness with their peers.
3. What learning approaches will you try next time to improve your learning? I think that next time I would plan ahead better to ensure that my goals were met. Most facets of technology are new to me, and I think that I did not allow enough quality time to be put aside to really learn digital storytelling like I would have liked. Also, I did not take into consideration that my fellow colleagues may not have the time to “show me the ropes” so to speak. Everyone’s time is precious, and I should have realized that teaching someone how to effectively implement a digital tool is probably not an easy task. This in turn has brought me to the realization that I must experiment more on my own, and that is what I plan to do.
Goal #2: Promote and Model Digital Citizenship and Responsibility-More specifically-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.
1. What have you learned so far that you can apply in your instructional practice?
I have learned that Internet safety is first and foremost a priority if you want your students to conduct any kind of communicating online. I also learned how commonplace cyber bullying truly is. I of course knew all about cyber bullying before setting this particular goal, but after viewing various videos about it, I realized just how prevalent it is. The fact that there are commercials broadcasted daily about it, articles in the newspaper about it, and actual incidents in my very own high school relating to it, make this issue that much more authentic. As far as making sure to ascertain that my students understand the importance of “giving credit where credit is due” is very important to me as a teacher.
What goals are you still working toward? I will continue to work with the librarian on this because she is the person to seek out regarding specific changes for MLA formatting. She takes care of setting up the accounts that our school subscribes to, so I will make sure to keep in close contact with her.
2. If you are not ready to set new learning goals, how will you extend what you have learned so far? I am not quite ready to set new learning goals, but I would most definitely like to extend what I have learned so far by continuing to model and monitor Internet safety among my students. I will monitor blogs and Nings, and whatever other digital tools I implement with my students. I will also continue to teach and guide my students in the right direction where appropriate documentation of sources are concerned. I will make sure to remain informed of any changes made to MLA formatting so as to teach my students correctly.
3. What learning approaches will you try next time to improve your learning? In order to improve my learning, I will need to keep myself informed of updates on Internet safety and cyber bullying. I will make sure to keep abreast of MLA formatting information, and I will keep myself well aware of workshops and literature pertaining to same. I will make a point of conferencing with my colleagues, and I will take advantage of RSS feeds (which I am doing currently) so as to obtain information quickly and efficiently.
1. What have you learned so far that you can apply in your instructional practice? What goals are you still working toward? I have learned some interesting things about digital storytelling, but not enough to feel comfortable about implementing it in my classroom. I still feel that I need to experiment with this digital tool over the summer when I have more time. This school year has been quite hectic, and I don’t want to rush things. I have spoken to my students about it, and I would like to have them write an “alternate” ending to the novel we are reading using digital storytelling because this digital tool truly lends itself perfectly for this assignment. I am still working towards gaining a better handle on how to manipulate the various tasks that need to be accomplished in order to create a digital story. I could practice with my classes because practice makes perfect, but I don’t know if I will attempt it this school year. Once I have succeeded in mastering how to use digital storytelling, I will utilize this tool to create other assignments. I have two other ideas in mind, and I feel confident that other ideas will come to me as I continue to experiment and become more familiar with it.
2. Based on the NETS-T, what new learning goals will you set for yourself? I would like to Facilitate and Inspire Student Learning and Creativity-More specifically-engage students in exploring real-world issues and solving authentic problems using digital tools and resources. Now that I have created an authentic lesson about homelessness, centering on the novella my students are reading, Of Mice and Men, about homelessness, it has sparked a flame in me to truly bring this project to fruition. I would like my students to be able to talk with students from around the world about the issue of homelessness so they can discover, for themselves, how this problem is world-wide, and not just here in the states. I would like them to step their class project up a notch, and brainstorm ways to end homelessness in other parts of the world. What an accomplishment this would be-just the challenge alone would be so fruitful and worthwhile for students. It would lift their self-esteem, knowing they were making the effort to help eliminate homelessness. They can Skype with students or use Ning, a social networking website to communicate worldwide to discuss homelessness with their peers.
3. What learning approaches will you try next time to improve your learning? I think that next time I would plan ahead better to ensure that my goals were met. Most facets of technology are new to me, and I think that I did not allow enough quality time to be put aside to really learn digital storytelling like I would have liked. Also, I did not take into consideration that my fellow colleagues may not have the time to “show me the ropes” so to speak. Everyone’s time is precious, and I should have realized that teaching someone how to effectively implement a digital tool is probably not an easy task. This in turn has brought me to the realization that I must experiment more on my own, and that is what I plan to do.
Goal #2: Promote and Model Digital Citizenship and Responsibility-More specifically-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.
1. What have you learned so far that you can apply in your instructional practice?
I have learned that Internet safety is first and foremost a priority if you want your students to conduct any kind of communicating online. I also learned how commonplace cyber bullying truly is. I of course knew all about cyber bullying before setting this particular goal, but after viewing various videos about it, I realized just how prevalent it is. The fact that there are commercials broadcasted daily about it, articles in the newspaper about it, and actual incidents in my very own high school relating to it, make this issue that much more authentic. As far as making sure to ascertain that my students understand the importance of “giving credit where credit is due” is very important to me as a teacher.
What goals are you still working toward? I will continue to work with the librarian on this because she is the person to seek out regarding specific changes for MLA formatting. She takes care of setting up the accounts that our school subscribes to, so I will make sure to keep in close contact with her.
2. If you are not ready to set new learning goals, how will you extend what you have learned so far? I am not quite ready to set new learning goals, but I would most definitely like to extend what I have learned so far by continuing to model and monitor Internet safety among my students. I will monitor blogs and Nings, and whatever other digital tools I implement with my students. I will also continue to teach and guide my students in the right direction where appropriate documentation of sources are concerned. I will make sure to remain informed of any changes made to MLA formatting so as to teach my students correctly.
3. What learning approaches will you try next time to improve your learning? In order to improve my learning, I will need to keep myself informed of updates on Internet safety and cyber bullying. I will make sure to keep abreast of MLA formatting information, and I will keep myself well aware of workshops and literature pertaining to same. I will make a point of conferencing with my colleagues, and I will take advantage of RSS feeds (which I am doing currently) so as to obtain information quickly and efficiently.
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