Sticking with my G.A.M.E. Plan

This week we are supposed to describe the progress we have made on our G.A.M.E. plan.  If you look at the picture below, you will see the progress I have made.  On Friday morning, my wife and I had a beautiful baby boy whom we named Kasen.  Came into the world a whopping 9 lbs. 1 oz. and 22 inches long, making it a stressful delivery (are any not?).  However, all are doing well now and we are settling in nicely.

Between him and my two-year-old daughter, Aubree, we have had our hands pretty full since we first submitted our G.A.M.E. plan.  Therefore, in terms of progress there has been none, so this post will contain more about what I need to do rather than what has been done.  Without further ado, let us look at the ISTE (2008) standards I have chosen and discuss how to move forward.

Standard 1c) “Promote student reflection using collaborative tools to reveal and clarify students’ conceptual understanding and thinking, planning, and creative processes” (ISTE, 2008).

Action Plan: The only way to learn about how to teach collaboration is to collaborate myself.  As I am not currently teaching, this poses a small problem.  The solution is to become a part of an online community.  As Pitler, Hubbell, Kuhn, and Malenoski (2007) explain, the web is exceptional resource for teacher collaboration.  To reach my goal of learning how to incorporate collaborative technology in my classroom, I am going to have to branch out and find (or start) an online community that is focused on that.  My goal is to find at least one online community that I can participate in and contribute to with the goal of learning how to better incorporate collaborative technologies into our classrooms.   I will also be looking for other resources such as blogs, current articles, and YouTube videos on the topic. I am going to avoid printed books, as they seem to date themselves quickly with the speed at which technology is moving.

Additional Info/Monitoring:  As I find resources and groups to help me achieve my goal I need to have a place to compile my findings for further research and ease of use.  Originally, I was thinking that a word document would suffice.  However, I am now thinking that would be selfish as my findings would only be for my eyes.  I am now thinking of using a form of Google Docs (now Google Drive) that I can make public and link to my blog or teaching website.  This would allow others to view and modify what I have found, which fits the spirit of collaboration I am looking for in the first place.  

Standard 2b) “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” (ISTE, 2008).

Action Plan:  As I look at this standard, the first thing that pops into my mind is how closely it relates to the Universal Design for Learning (UDL) that we have looked at through this week’s resources.  Cennamo, Ross, and Ertmer (2009) discus the benefits of UDL when they explain: “the more flexible the teaching strategies, materials, and assessments you use in a classroom, the more accessible they will be to the diverse needs and preferences of all the students” (p 117).  (For more information on UDL check out http://www.cast.org/udl)  In my opinion, UDL mimics the goals of Standard 2b, in that it is encouraging flexibility in how students learn and what they use to demonstrate that learning, and flexibility translates into more student autonomy over time.

In terms of resources, I am still going to look for online resources where teachers demonstrate this flexibility within their classes.  Much like the first standard I am looking at (1c), I will also be looking for online communities, blogs, articles, and videos demonstrating just that.  However, I will now be searching through the lens of UDL.

Additional Info/Monitoring:  I would like to create an online “diary” of my applications using a blog.  In this way, I will keep track of what I am doing while encouraging input and support from a global community. Additionally, I will create a living document, like the one described in the first standard, where I can keep track of and share the resources I find. 

Resources:

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.

ISTE (2008). NETS-T. Retrieved from http://www.iste.org/standards/nets-for-teachers

 

Pitler, H., Hubbel, E., Kuhn, M., & Malenoski, K. (2007). Using technology with classroom instruction that works. Denver, CO: McREL.