This
week’s blog post looks at monitoring my GAME plan which includes designing
learning activities/experiences that not only incorporate digital tools but
enable my students to become active and self-directed learners and the use of
more virtual environments in the delivery of my lessons as part of students’
collaboration and engagement in the learning environment (Green, 2013). As I take
the necessary actions to achieve my goals I must monitor my GAME plan to see whether
the strategies I have employed are helping me to accomplish these goals. Cennamo,
Ross & Ertmer (2009) stated that as the self-directed learner monitors
goals progression, they will need to reflect on how effective the implemented
strategies are working and whether modification is needed.
Along with working with the Information Technology teacher
with planning learning activities that incorporate digital tools I have located
resources that will assist me as well. These resources include webinars on Chrome As … Leveraging Chromebooks and
Chrome Browser to Support Student Learning and One Lesson – All Learners, Differentiating with Technology (EdTechTeacher
Inc., 2012). After unsuccessfully searching for virtual field trips that is in line
with my content area, I have now decided that I need to modify my action plan
to research information on how to create my own virtual field trips to be used
in my specialist area.
As I work with blogs and voicethread within my classroom,
I realized that the level of enthusiasm I had was not expressed by all my
students and in light of this I need to be more patience with the group as they
explore and adjust to using these digital tools. I know that with given time my
students will come to appreciate the use of these digital tools and thus, I must
exercise patience and tweak my plan as necessary.
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.
EdTechTeacher
Inc. (2012). Spring 2013 webinars. Retrieved
from http://edtechteacher.org/index.php/teaching-technology/webinars
Green,
L. (2013, March 13). Personal GAME plan.
[Blog post]. Retrieved from http://bracteacher.blogspot.com/2013/03/personal-game-plan.html
Hi Leonie,
ReplyDeleteI understand your disappointment with the level of engagement and enthusiasm with the voice thread. When I first tried it with my students, they were less than impressed. However, the project was to introduce the incoming fifth graders to the new building and my original plan was to have them show them around, like a virtual field trip. The students did get into it and wound up including video clips and pictures of the guidance counselors and where to find them, the "good" bathrooms and the important information to the students from the students. The funniest part was they reviewed the cafeteria lunch menus and gave them a rating, complete with alternative lunch options from the vending machine. They included things that I never would have thought to include. By the end of the project they were coming up with their own topics to do more VT's in the classroom. Although the project created excitement and was a success, it also occupied class time so they couldn't practice typing, which they hate! So in their eyes it was a win-win. Good luck, don't get too discouraged, maybe you could survey the class and see what interests them in order to create high interest in the next Vt.
Melissa A.
Melissa,
DeleteThanks for the encouragement. As a teacher I sometimes get lost and discourage when a technology rich lesson does not excite my students and tend to give up on the tool instead of trying it again. This reminds me of when my daughter was younger and I tried her with porridge. The first time she did not like it and I never tried her with it again. To this day, she does not like porridge and somewhere down the line I knew that if I had tried her again she might have liked it. Now I see that I need to test the waters again with the voice thread, and will get their opinions on topics of interest. I might get them to do a virtual field trip for the incoming year 7 students as a project.
~Leonie
Hi Leonie,
ReplyDeleteI can remember several lesson plans that I thought would just knock my student’s socks off, only to be humbled by their apathy. I think that you are on the right track about being more patience. Blogs and voicethread may be new to these students and they are just reacting cautiously to these technologies. As far as creating your own virtual field trip, I think that is a good idea. Once you have this experience you can pass it on to the students. A site that I found on virtual field trip that helped me was http://www.infotoday.com/mmschools/sep01/stevenson.htm. I like that your instructions are designed and implemented for students with diverse learning styles, preferences, abilities and motivation (Cennamo, Ross, & Ertmer, 2009).
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.
Dan thanks for your encouragement and I feel so much better knowing that other good teachers have gone down this road before. Thanks also for the site on virtual field trip. I am somewhat apprehensive in creating my own virtual field trip; but know it is something I will get better at with practice. This I will do knowing that my students will benefit from my persistence as well as show them example of what is means to be lifelong learner.
Delete~Leonie