GAME PLAN PROGRESS

At the moment I am trying to research new and innovative technology that my students can use on a weekly basis for my GAME PLAN. I want my students to work with at least two forms of technology during each unit of study next year and I want to avoid repetition whenever possible. I was particular happy when I found a new technology called Glogster, which can be found here; http://www.glogster.com/ The basics of a Glogster appear to be that the students can create virtual posters that include links to websites, YouTube videos, Wikipedia, etc. I believe that this technology would work well in my classroom when we work on text presentations, independent novels, and thematic units. I would like to have at least 8-12 new forms of technology prepared for my students when the school year starts. This would allow me to make it through winter break with no repetition of technology choices for my students. ANY SUGGESTIONS WOULD BE GREAT! I have also contacted the district technology coordinator in hopes of finding more technology for my classroom. I discussed the necessary steps with him to obtain new technology for my classroom such as a Smartboard and more computers (I currently only have 4 computers in my classroom and I would like to have at least 8 so larger groups can work together.) I am also looking into grants that are available for improving technology in education in hopes that a colleague and myself can write one next year. DOES ANYONE KNOW ABOUT GRANTS FOR EDUCATIONAL TECHNOLOGY? I feel that I am doing well in starting my GAME PLAN and there is little at this point that I would change. I am moving forward with my goals and researching the technology that will help me stay relevant and my students reach a higher level of understanding. I wish to as Cennamo, Ross, & Ertmer said so well “…think about designing learning experiences that incorporate digital tools and resources to promote student learning and creativity” (2009, p.32). 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.

ACTION STEPS!

Hello everyone from beautiful West Port Canada! I have been vacationing here with my family for the last week and we have just decided to extend our trip through this week (one of the many perks of both my wife and I being teachers!) Needless to say it is difficult to get some of these class assignments in on time…which makes me understand my students’ positions a little better. There is no internet in the cabin we are staying in and no electricity either, so I have to travel to town and work in a small café when their internet is working which is sketchy at best! This week I have reflected on my personal GAME plan and how I can take action steps to implement it within my classroom. First, I selected two technology standards that I would like to improve upon from the list provided by the International Society for Technology in Education Standards for Teachers. The first standard is as follows; Develop technology-enriched learning environments that enable all students to pursue their individual curiosities and become active participants in setting their own educational goals, managing their own learning, and assessing their own progress. The second standard I selected is Collaborate with students, peers, parents, and community members using digital tools and resources to support student success and innovation. If you are interested in reading a detailed Game plan for implementing these two standards read my last post! Today I am going to discuss action steps for further implementation of my GAME plan. In order to further my instruction and offer the best possible classroom experience for my students is to continue to learn and grow in the area of technology. (Laureate Education, Inc., 2011). Resources: Some of the resources that I will need to implement my GAME plan include modern technology that students are interested in and enjoy using. I am interested in trying to use the following technology to facilitate a better understand of literary concepts and terminology; weblogs, podcasts, wiki sites, cell phones, PowerPoint, Prezi, etc. These various forms of technology will be incorporated with the daily lessons to help the students learn in new and innovative ways that they find interesting. Additional Information: I know that I will need to stay updated with the best and newest technology so I decided to get my graduate degree in educational technology at Walden University. I believe that this has prepared me to work with new and innovative technology very well, but I will still research technology online. Steps: A few of the steps that I have already taken to implement my action plan are my class blog site were all students are required to post weekly journals. I also run unit podcast that the student watch and respond to online. I hope to incorporate more technology this year. Conclusion- I feel that I am well on my way to achieving my GAME plan, but I still need to work on how well I incorporate technology with the common core. Any suggestions?

International Society for Technology in Education Standards for Teachers

Welcome back bloggers! Well, it has been awhile since my last post so I think I will start with some personal updates! This has been one of the most rewarding and interesting years of my life. As I sit and type this blog my wife and I are celebrating our first year of marriage, (don’t worry I am taking her out tonight I am not that lame) our first child, Jonathan Michael Ruark, was born a month ago, and we just closed on our first home! What a whirl-wind year it has been! Okay, back to business. This week I was asked to read over the International Society for Technology in Education Standards for Teachers and I was struck by how unfamiliar I am with them. I have copied a link to the site here if you would like to visit. http://www.iste.org/standards.aspx. I have selected two technology standards that I feel I could improve upon within my own classroom. The goal of this blog is to set up a GAME plan for how I would improve myself with integrating technology in my classroom. So let’s get started! Here is the first standard I struggle with and a GAME plan for how I am going to improve: 2. Design and Develop Digital Age Learning Experiences and Assessments b. Develop technology-enriched learning environments that enable all students to pursue their individual curiosities and become active participants in setting their own educational goals, managing their own learning, and assessing their own progress Action: I find this standard difficult mainly because I have to have the students set their own goals and then give them the freedom to reach them. This is not easy to accomplish as a teacher as most of us crave control and order. I would like to take the following action to improve in this area; students will complete at least two assignments using technology of their own choosing to enhance the overall experience of the assignment. Monitor: I will, as the standard dictates, leave the bulk of the monitoring to the students. I will require that students implement new technology into everyday assignments within the classroom and monitor their progress by conferences and random checks. Students could select to turn in a journal in the form of an online blog or visit my online classroom and post it there. Students could work with multi-media tools to aid in presentations…the possibilities are endless! Evaluate: I would evaluate the students and myself in this area at the end of each unit. After each unit I would conference with every student to make sure that they used at least two types of technology to enhance everyday type assignments. I would evaluate my own success in this standard by how my students work was improved creatively, their individual motivation, and the rate at which the students succeeded in meeting the standard goal. Here is the second standard that I struggle with and a GAME plan for improvement: 3. Model Digital Age Work and Learning b. Collaborate with students, peers, parents, and community members using digital tools and resources to support student success and innovation. Action: I will take the following actions over the course of the school year to meet this technology standard; first, I will require students to post journal responses on a class blog in a similar fashion to how online courses work. Students will be asked to visit the blog once a week to post or respond to a peer message. I will post weekly prompts that deal with current events or literary terminology that we are studying in class. Secondly, I will update and monitor my online classroom to better inform students and parents of upcoming events. This will help improve communication between myself and parents/students. Monitor: I will monitor the classroom blogs and online classroom every Monday and Friday during the school year to make sure that I am current with my classroom events and that the students are posting on the blogs. Evaluation: I will evaluate the effectiveness of my improvement in the area of this standard by reflecting at the end of each nine weeks. I will hold myself to checking the blogs twice a week and grading the students and I will update my online classroom weekly. I know that this standard can be improved by hard work and effort on my part. What do you think of my GAME plan to improve these two standards in my classroom? References: 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