When I think about the resources that I will need to assist me on my quest of tackling this game plan, the first thing that comes to my mind is time to read. I need to set aside time each week to be able to read and research on the internet to find lessons that integrate technology so that I can have my learners engage in 21st century skills. There are so many valuable resources on the web that I can access, but I need to be able to manage my time wisely so that I can do so. Another resource that I will need to help me reach my goals is the advice of my colleagues. In my building, there are several Master and Docturate level teachers that are utilize technology on a daily basis, that could serve as a mentor for me and assist me in this process. By collaborating with other teachers, I can obtain new and creative ideas for lessons, and share what I have learned throughout my own research.
Additional information that I will need to consider is the interests of my students. If I can create lesson plans that incorporate technology with things that motivate them then I will be able to meet their needs and get them to be highly engaged in my classroom. I also need to consider the socio-economic status and the demographics of my learning community, so that I can be flexible and adhere to the Universal design for learning, (Cennamo, Ross, & Ertmer, 2009).
So far, I have been reading and researching in my spare time to begin collecting resources and information that can assist me with my lesson plans and integrating technology. I found an interest inventory that I am going to administer with my students to investigate their interests and their learning styles so that I may differentiate my instruction. Lastly, I have had conversations with my colleagues during collaborative planning time to discover new ideas for lessons that will integrate technology into my learning community.
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.
I have had students complete interest inventories and learning style surveys in the past. Students enjoy learning more about themselves. I also based activities around the survey or inventory. I observed that students were more engaged in their activities but it was hard to make activities end at the same time.
ReplyDeleteThanks Jenee for your feedback! I know that I will have some difficulties I am sure, however, I am pretty flexible, hopefully I can find a way to make it work!
ReplyDeleteHi Stacy,
ReplyDeleteI admire you putting so much time on planning and carrying your GAME plan, I am sure it’ll be a successful endeavour. I wish I have the luxury of time to do reading and research at my leisure time for my students. I am sure you know how hectic school can be when it comes to administration. I like the idea that you’ll share and exchange ideas with your colleagues, I found that extremely efficient and effective, of course provided that your colleagues are willing to do that. I suggest you can extend the sharing among your colleagues to include the sharing of new technology tools or any tools that they have used before or anything they’ve heard. Then you can pull in all the human resources together to explore more new tools. Then during meeting, everybody can share and demonstrate how the tool works. This shall save you a lot of time in preparation.
Moreover, you talked about your students’ interest, this is another very important point that you’ve picked up to include in your plan. What’s the point of preparing all the learning tasks and experience when our students have no interest in them, right? ☺ Incorporating the Universal Design of Learning is another thing that teachers nowadays are all doing. With the help of technology, accommodating to students’ learning needs become lot easier and better supported!
Have a fruitful journey in carrying out your GAME plan Stacy!
Sarah