Reflection on the GAME plan process

The GAME plan allows you to reflect and take steps to direct your own learning processes, especially while learning about technology and how to integrate it into one’s classroom.  The GAME plan also enables you to customize your approach to learning tasks, to develop relevant skills that are important to you, prepares you for life long learning, and helps you to respond to the rapid and continuous technological changes.

The Process

The GAME plan process has allowed me to become a better self directed learner because it has directed me to take steps towards my ambitions by “setting goals, taking action to meet those goals, monitoring my progress towards achieving those goals, and evaluating whether the goals were achieved” (Cennamo, Ertmer & Ross, 2009, p. 3). This plan held me accountable to two goals I had set for myself, to use Smart response units daily and also use my department head status to educate teachers in our building of 21^st century technology advances.  By holding myself accountable, I was able to move myself through the GAME plan process quickly and was able to reflect on my experiences along the way.  I believe all teachers try to set goals for themselves and follow through, but with the demands of daily teaching life, sometimes goals get pushed to the side.  The GAME plan process is easy to remember, easy to incorporate, and is recursive.  It has also allowed me to feel prideful in my accomplishments and has led me to start a list of some new goals I could use this process to complete.

Progress

As far as my progress goes towards my GAME plan goals, I have made some strides and some setbacks.  Last year, I was using the Math department’s Smart response units because they were sitting on a shelf collecting dust.  After my presentation on the importance of technology to our staff, our Math department decided to implement lessons using the Smart response units.  Now, the great accomplishment is that Math teachers are trying some new innovative technology advances to bring rigor and creative thought to their lessons, while I am left without the use of the Smart response units. However, my principal sent out an email last week pertaining to 3 technology grants for $2500 that will come available August 31.  I am currently in the process of writing the best grant ever, to obtain that money for my Language Arts department.  My hope is that I can purchase not only one set for myself, but multiple sets for others in my department.

GAME plan with Students

This year my school has made it easy to implement the GAME plan with our students.  Each Monday, our middle school students spend 45 minutes in the morning with an advisement group to discuss and write goals pertaining to school success, behavior, and attendance.  Our school asks the students to set goals for each element and on Monday they discuss their progress and steps to complete these goals.   Our principal has stressed the importance of using reflection with our students and advisement time gives the perfect opportunity to discuss their experiences with a group of peers and find solutions needed for personal growth.

Immediate Adjustments

“Language Arts classrooms can be technology-rich environments if you help students understand that technology is an integral part of the classroom environment” (Cennamo, Ertmer & Ross, 2009, p. 190).  Since this is very important, I jumped on the opportunity to use the mobile laptops weekly to aid in the development of my student’s technology learning.  Most teachers had not signed up to use the lap tops yet because it is only two weeks into the school year.  I made this one of my top priorities, and may have to share eventually, but really love the idea of having laptops available as much as possible.  Since writing is such a vital part of the Language Arts class, I am finding that students are able to work through the writing process quicker and are able to do more peer collaboration, editing/ revising, and sharing with the use of technology.  Since I currently have access to the lap tops, I am not as sad with the loss of my Smart response units.

Technology Integration

This course has shown me the benefits that technology can have on student learning through problem based learning, online collaboration, and digital storytelling.  Problem based learning has always had a place in the Language Arts classroom through the expository research process, but adding technology pieces such as blogging and incorporating interviews, this unit is much more engaging, and students have a deeper understanding of the content.

Overall, this course at Walden was the most beneficial to my learning thus far, since I had never blogged or participated in a wiki before.  It has really advanced my technological knowledge and I feel confident that I can use online tools with my students successfully.  Thank you for the opportunity to work collaboratively online, that will probably be the most useful technology skill I have learned to date.

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.