GAME plan

According to the National Educational Technology Standards for Students (NETS-S), effective teachers model and imply several standards as they design, implement, and asses learning experiences through different measures such as engaging students to improve learning and enriching professional practices (ISTE, 2008).  As I read the five standards, I chose two standards to write my GAME plan.  My Goals include the first standard- Standard 1 Facilitate and Inspire Student Learning and Creativity emphasizing section (b) engage students in exploring real-world issues and solving authentic problems using digital tools and resources.  The second standard is Standard 5 Engage in Professional Growth and Leadership emphasizing section (a) participate in local and global learning communities to explore creative applications of technology to improve student learning.    

To achieve these goals, I plan on implementing blogs in my classroom the next school year.  It will take planning with the technology department to open firewalls so we can log on blog sites.  My personal blog will be filled with information to assist students and parents with their active learning experiences on the blog sites.  Students will communicate with the teacher as well as their peers through blogs.  The blogging experience will assist students with their writing skills, social skills, and using technology.  The students will use the blogs to create their own authentic products.   The blog is their “world” and can be personalized to their own standards. The students will be required to use standard writing procedures and internet etiquette while writing in their blogs.   The students will be required to blog based on their own ability.  Technology affords the opportunity to provide engaging and interesting material to students who read at different grade levels (Cenamo, Ross & Ertmer, 2009).

 During our summer break, I plan to participate in teacher blogging sites to help with implementing the blogging experience into my own classroom.  I would like to learn how other teachers began using blogs in their classroom and any feedback they would like to offer. 

When I monitor my progress, I will look at the response from my students and other students and colleagues participating in our blog sessions.  I will make sure the students are learning what is expected from them during writing assignments and writing their own creative ideas without plagiarizing.  I will revise the blogging assignments based on information gathered from the students.  The main goal would be if the students are learning how to use new technology and enjoying themselves.  I will evaluate the students based on their experiences and see how effective my own teaching style is with the blogging.

Technology gives students opportunity to gain an insight into their future.  Technology will have a huge impact on our students’ lives as they grow and enter the “real world.”  All students do not come from the same background (Laureate, 2009).  They need the opportunity to connect with classmates through technology at school.  Teachers should use as much technology as possible through daily instruction.  I have increased the use of technology in my classroom greatly since beginning the technology courses. 

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.

Laureate Education, Inc. (Producer). (2009). Program number two: Enriching Content Area

      learning Experiences with Technology Part 1 [DVD]. Integrating technology across the  

      content areas. Baltimore, MD: Author.

International Society for Technology in Education. (2008). National education standards for

       teachers (NETS-T). Retrieved from

       http://www.iste.org/Libraries/PDFs/NETS_for_Teachers_2008_EN.sflb.ashx