Week 8 Reflection

This course has taught me an abundant amount of information that I can use in my profession to benefit both my students and me.  As I reflect on the past 8 weeks, I have grown professionally more than I ever thought I could in such a short period.  Reaching the goals that I have set for myself in my GAME plan has given me tremendous confidence to continue to set goals so that I can continue to grow.  I must incorporate technology into my lessons to engage the technology craving students in my classroom.

I have learned a great deal more about incorporating technology into my classroom to enhance the learning experiences of my students.  Using technology enhances activities and allows for more creativity along with content knowledge.  I have learned the benefits of problem-based learning, online collaboration, and digital storytelling in the classroom.  Incorporating technology into my classroom helps prepare students for the society that they will enter as working citizens and engages them in authentic learning activities.  When using technology the possibilities are endless because students can consult the advice of professionals or other students from anywhere in the world.  When technology is brought into the classroom activities are more meaningful and mastery of content can be achieved.

I plan to continue my GAME plan by setting more goals for myself.  I also want to collaborate more with others to share ideas of using technology in the classroom, and possibly even work with a class from somewhere around the globe with my students.  I want to share my knowledge with my colleagues and encourage them to start making their own GAME plans.  I want my students to start making their own GAME plans also where they can set their own goals and strive to reach them.  I want them to feel the sense of accomplishment that I have had the chance to feel.

I thoroughly enjoyed this class.  Thank you Dr. Xu for helping me to grow professionally.    

Using the GAME Plan Process with Students

Using the GAME plan process is an excellent way for students to become self-directed learners!  Setting goals, taking action, monitoring progress, and evaluating progress is a great way for students to evaluate their own learning and see how they can improve.  For students to develop proficiency in the technology standards and indicators outlines in the NETS-S, they need to be aware of what they are.  In my classroom I can show them the ISTE website (http://www.iste.org/standards/nets-for-students/nets-student-standards-2007.aspx) so that they are aware of the standards.  They can pick out some of the standards that they feel they need to work on, and then make their own GAME plan.  I think that it would be good for them to record their progress in a blog or journal, which would serve as a good way to keep track of everything.  It would also be easy for students to look at their work and then reflect on what they have done and learned.  I would have different projects for students to complete that incorporate technology so that they can work on becoming proficient in the NETS-S.  They could also post links to their projects on their blogs to show their progress of their GAME plan. 

Making a GAME plan will help students see the value in learning new information and strengthening their skills.  They need to be self-directed learners throughout life, so they need to be taught how to do that.  Creating their own GAME plans makes it individual and more meaningful to them because it is up to them to reach their goals.  Of course students could consult me for assistance and I would provide multiple opportunities for them to complete activities to meet their goals, but they would have a large control of their learning, which teaches them a very valuable skill:  to become self-directed learners.

Revising my GAME plan

I believe that I am making good progress with my GAME plan.  I have learned a lot as I have been working towards achieving my goals.  There are many news tools that I have found that can make my lessons more engaging.  The most recent tool that I have learned about is social networking within the classroom.  I have never thought much using of social networking in the classroom.  I have done a little of it in my classroom, but I have learned many other ways that I can use it.  Having students collaborate in class has always been important for me, but with online collaboration, it can extend beyond the classroom.  Although I have found more tools to use in my classroom, I would like to continue researching and finding even more resources to use and more ways to use them.  I am currently working on a wiki with my colleagues. which is a great way to collaborate with other educators to gain insight from them. 

One new learning goal that I would like to set for myself according to NETS-T is to do a better job of modeling digital age work and learning.  I believe that if I took more time to create good examples of what I have done using the tools that I want students to use, then they would be even more engaged in the activities.  I like to show them how to use the technology, but I would like to also show them what I did with it.  I am finding that I learn a lot from other people.  Even just listening to their suggestions and hearing about the tools that they use in the classroom gives me ideas of incorporating more technology into my classroom.  I am excited about the progress that I have made with my GAME plan and I am excited to continue learning.  

Evaluating my GAME plan progress

I believe that I am on track with meeting my GAME plan goals.  I have been implementing more technology into my lessons and into the activities that the students are completing.  My actions have been effective in helping me meet my goals because I have been taking more time to research and use tools that I have never used before.  My students have also showed me some tools that they use and I have been planning activities that will utilize those tools that they enjoy using.  I was hesitant to use some tools at first because I have never used them in my classroom, but my students have been positive and enjoy learning new tools and teaching me things that I didn't know.  They have been more engaged in classroom activities lately because we have been using new tools.  I have learned that bringing technology into my classroom is relatively easy and it does engage the students more in my lessons.  They enjoy working on their own and being creative with the tools that they are using. 

I still have to learn to let the students have more freedom and free reign with some of the technology.  I find myself a little apprehensive when it comes to letting them go and work.  Once I see how well they are doing, I feel better about letting them go because it is helping them learn to be self-directed learners.  I have learned that some students still need lots of guidance using the technology.  They sometimes get frustrated when they don't know how to do something, but they feel better once I show them how easy it is and they are more likely to try it on their own before asking me.  This is teaching them a great skill that they need to be successful.  I want them to be able to be self-sufficient and not want to rely on my assistance on everything that they have questions about.  I encourage them to explore on their own and try the tools on their own after I give them the basics. 

I do not feel that I need to adjust my plan at this time, but I would like to spend more time researching ideas for engaging lessons using technology, especially with my sophomores now because they are not very excited about reading Shakespeare.  I plan on presenting them with a project where they will work in groups to create a newspaper on Julius Caesar when we are finished reading.  I think that this will engage them more in the reading and activities that we do while we are reading the play.  I would also like to find technology to use during my lessons while we are reading the play that will engage them more in the reading.  If anyone has any suggestions on cool ways to bring technology into Julius Caesar, please share!