Evaluating Your GAME Plan Progress

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


How effective were your actions in helping you meet your goals?

My actions were effective to a degree in helping me to meet my goals. I definitely became more knowledgeable with the different aspects of digital storytelling by experimenting by myself, and by collaborating with one colleague in my building who walked me through the steps of digital storytelling. I still need to meet with one or two other English teachers who are also well versed in this digital tool who can add to what I have learned thus far. I of course do not feel competent enough in all the aspects of digital storytelling to model it for my students, but I feel much more comfortable today than I did last week. I still have not located any workshops on digital storytelling, but I will continue to search weekly.

What have you learned so far that you can apply in your instructional practice?

The colleague that I worked with walked me through the steps of digital storytelling via Digitalstoryteller.org. He showed me how to create a script and how to use narration which was similar to a PowerPoint demonstration. He also showed me how to search for pictures and then add them to my story. I also discovered that I can search for pictures through Flicker which is connected with Yahoo, so since I have a Yahoo account, I will be able to utilize this feature. I have to make sure to have a microphone available so I can record voices and add music. I learned that I can transfer what I created to other places such as my iphone or an mp3 player, etc. Since I plan on learning all there is to know about digital storytelling so I can teach it to my students confidently, I began brainstorming lesson ideas with my fellow colleague, and we came up with three ideas on how I can apply digital storytelling into my instructional practice, and I am very excited about these ideas. One is to change the ending of a book-students would have to rewrite the ending and insert pictures to help tell their new ending. Since I am starting Of Mice and Men tomorrow, I may try it here. Also, students could write a creation story for themselves-I started out as… or even create a pitch for a television show. I am just brainstorming at this point, but it is a start, and I feel good about what I have accomplished so far.

What do you still have to learn? What new questions have arisen?

There is still much to learn; I feel as though I have just scratched the surface so to speak, so I will keep experimenting and working with colleagues to keep my game plan in full swing. I have only dabbled with this digital tool; I need to keep practicing so as to feel more confident about implementing it in my classroom.

How will you adjust your plan to fit your current needs?

I will adjust my plan accordingly. I will make it a point to experiment with this technology whenever I have free time because practice makes perfect, but I am not against practicing with my students because the best way to learn is by trial and error. I would not be upset if I made mistakes and I worked through them with my students. I would make sure that I knew as much as I could about it so I would not look too incompetent of course.

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.

How effective were your actions in helping you meet your goals?

I feel pretty confident about the effectiveness of my actions because with the help of our librarian, I found some videos through Discoveryeducation.com. Our school has an account with this website, and I can access it at school or from home. I still need to collaborate with my fellow English teachers to make sure we are on the same page as far as our ethical practices are concerned, but I will be seeing to this early next week.

What have you learned so far that you can apply in your instructional practice?

I plan on showing one video from Discoveryeducation which comes with a quiz at the end that students can take to test their knowledge on Internet safety. There is also a video on cyber bullying that I plan on showing them. I worked with the librarian and set up a day next week when I will bring my students to the library and show them the videos on the big screen. The videos are fairly short, so while we are in the library, the librarian is going to go through the process of documenting sources. Our school has an account with Noodletools, so we will show how to use this digital tool for citing.

What do you still have to learn? What new questions have arisen?

I think I am sufficiently aware of what I need to know about Internet safety and properly citing sources, but I am sure I do not know all there is to know about both, so I will make sure to stay abreast of any new information that comes out by checking online, collaborating with the librarian and fellow colleagues on these topics.

How will you adjust your plan to fit your current needs?

Basically, I will make a point of checking with my students to make sure they understand the do’s and don’ts of Internet safety, and I will ascertain that my students fully comprehend how to cite within their papers as well as how to create a works cited page. I will keep up on any new information, and make sure to share what I discover with my students. For example, if changes are made to the MLA format, I will keep my students updated, and I will make a point of modeling all that I learn on both Internet safety and documenting sources.