Currently, my GAME plan is to strive to improve upon two indicators. “The GAME plan enables you to customize your approach to a learning task, to develop relevant skills that are important to you, and prepares you for lifelong learning” (Cennamo, Ross, & Ertmer, 2009, p.3-4). I would like to meet the National Standards by improving to collaborate with parents, students, peers and community members using digital tools and resources to support student success and innovation. The actions I want to take to reach my goal would be to produce a monthly newsletter. This newsletter would consist of all the areas of study we have studied the past few weeks along with all different projects we accomplished or completed. When reviewing my GAME plan it will be very important to work with my technology director to ensure that I completely understand what the school website offers and the features I can use to make my newsletter worthwhile for the parents. I would also want to meet with colleagues from my school or from other schools that currently produce a monthly newsletter for their parents. I would want to review their newsletter to get an idea of the setup of the newsletter and the type of information they put in the newsletter. Currently, I have been able to research newsletters on the Internet and speak with some teachers in my school. They were kind enough to share with me their newsletters so I am currently in the process of reviewing examples and beginning to determine the format I want my newsletters to follow. I will not be able to meet with my technology director however until September to review all the features of the school website.
My second indicator I am focusing on is the participation in local and global learning communities to explore creative applications of technology to improve student learning. My goal here would be to continue to open up opportunities for my students to become active learners. The actions needed for this improvement are to continue to take classes like this to learn more about technology and the tools available to teachers to make this possible. Over the last few weeks I have been able to use my free time exploring wikis, blogs, podcasts which allow my classrooms walls to be expanded (Cennamo et. al, 2009). Resources need to carry out my plan are very similar to my first indicator. Working with my colleagues who have experience with these technology tools is very important. The more I learn from them, the more comfortable I will feel with the technology. I have begun to do that as well as using these technology tools on my own. I have started to create sample virtual maps, created Microsoft Excel spreadsheet templates to name a few to prepare for the upcoming school year. I need to continue to learn more about technology, especially the newer types because technology changes every day. I want to make myself advanced in technology so I can open the doors to my students.
While technology is a great tool in the classroom, you must you technology to help you reach your objective. You cannot just use technology to use technology. “Although there are many ways that technology can be used to promote creative thinking skills among students in your classroom, it should be fairly clear from our discussion that simply using technology will not accomplish this goal” (Cennamo et. al, 2009, p. 79).
References
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.
Kennie,
ReplyDeleteI would like to know how you plan to involve the students with helping with the newsletter. I believe that will be an authentic lesson to have them in the planning and creating stage of the newsletter. I know you are a Physicla Education teacher, but I believe the newsletter will be so much more authentic if it comes from you and your students. I think a newsletter is a super idea and I think we all should figure out a way to produce something the parents, administrators can see as proof of the kind of hard work we do and are doing with our students to prepare tehm for the 21st century and beyond. I believe involving your students in the creation of the newsletter will further assist you with indicator #2 you are working on. Cennamo, Ross & Ertmer (2009) suid it best when they said learning to teach generally, and to teach with technology specifically, are lifelong journeys (p.1). I have a feeling we are just beginning. I really am getting some great ideas from everyone.
Reference
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.
Tonya
July 13, 2012
ReplyDelete“Deduction is an important part of any educational program. But misusage and/or overemphasis of deduction as the primary route to problem solving can stifle the type of thinking necessary for inventive resourceful thinking, engendering adaptations to new circumstances” (Glassman & Min Ju, 2011, p. 95). Your use of wikis, blogs, and technology allows for students to engage in the type of thinking necessary for inventiveness and resourcefulness.
I really like your idea of creating a newsletter to engage parents. When reading your plan, I was reminded of an article I read recently. This article provided numerous ways to engage parents. The article states that first you should develop a philosophy of parent involvement. The second step is to make sure you have a personable and attractive letter head that invites parents to read your correspondence. Next, is to keep a parent contact log to see who you reach out to and who responds. In addition, technology components could be used to create a weekly reporting form. This form could be sent to parents through email to update them on citizenship or academic progress. In your correspondence, including Internet or other resources are important and helpful along with providing invitations for parents to come into the classroom or help within the classroom. The last component is to insure that the newsletter or correspondence includes positive reinforcement (The McClurg Monthly Magazine, 2005).
Great insights! Keep working towards implementing your newsletter! I think it is a great way to involve parents.
-Jenn Schreiner
Resources
The McClurg Monthly Magazine and 14 More Practical Ways to Involve Parents. (2005). Teaching Exceptional Children, 38(2), 46-51.
Kennie,
ReplyDeleteIn our class discussion, you chose to relate UDL to Andrew’s situation. Andrew is a quadriplegic that would be unable to physically participate in your class; therefore you chose to have him develop a new game for the students. You stated that your “goal would be for the students to understand the importance of team work and completing tasks while being physically active” (McPeek, 2012). I think it would be great if you implemented this into your second goal for your GAME plan. Have you considered having your students work in groups to create a wiki in which they design a new game? They could focus on the importance of team work as they strive to meet their goal. These wiki links could then be included in your newsletter in order for parents or other students to learn about the invented games. It would also be great for the creators to be able to get feedback from others. After the students receive feedback and revise these games, you might consider creating a physical education website. An example I found was, http://mrgym.com/CooperativeGames.htm. This website shares many different activities. A website you created would be a great resource for not only other physical educators, but even for someone like me, an elementary teacher who would like to engage students and integrate movement into the curriculum.
References:
McPeek, K. (2012, July 8). Kennie McPeek – Initial Post. [Discussion group comment]. Retrieved from Walden University EDUC-6713D-2 Discussion Board: https://class.waldenu.edu/ webapps/portal/frameset.jsp?tab_tab_group_id=_2_1&url=%2Fwebapps%2Fblackboard%2Fexecute%2Flauncher%3Ftype%3DCourse%26id%3D_1342386_1%26url%3D