While I am not an avid sports fan, I do know the difference between offensive and defensive. I have opted to take the offensive approach to the GAME. The ball is in my court, after all. With my GAME plan in place, I am ready to begin "gearing up" to win. It's high time to start taking action to meet my goals. First, I must answer a few essential questions, if I am to be prepared.1. What resources will I need to carry out my plan?
Resources are an essential component to any GAME plan. Without them, it would be like heading out to the football field without a helmet or padding. (That would be me, by the way.) Due to the fact that I have several goals, the resources may and should differ for each.
Goal 1: Engage students in authentic learning experiences using
technology.
- local businesses and agencies such as MSU (Michigan State University) Extension, LSSU (Lake Superior State University) Aquatic Research Lab, Waste Management, Chippewa County Recycling Center, Habitat for Humanity, Mary Murray Culture Camp, Circle K Buffalo Ranch, Karls' Cuisine (local foods restaurant), A Cut Above (hair salon)
- student survey results as to learning styles and personal interests and experiences
- blogs dedicated to reporting on web 2.0 tools for education
- examples of students work published on the Internet to be used as anchors and exemplars
- webmixes customized with web 2.0 tools appropriate to the learning experience
- SymbalooEdu accounts
- interactive GAME plan flipchart (Promethean Board)
- technology teacher support and input as to technology skills already mastered by students
Goal 3:
Communicate with the school community using a variety of digital
media.
- parent and colleague e-mail invite to join the JKL Middle School Science Facebook page
- web resources supporting classroom goals and initiatives to share with parents and colleagues
- digital camera to document classroom activities to share with parents and colleagues
- schedule of EUPISD ScCRT (Eastern Upper Peninsula Intermediate School District Science Curriculum Review Team) monthly meetings to attend to network with local science teachers
- quality blogs dedicated to integrating technology in education
- professional development request to attend 2010 MACUL Conference
- application for the district MiChampion team
2. What additional information do I need?
Additional information will be gained by locating the necessary resources listed above. It seems pretty redundant to re-list the information that will be gained from those resources. I believe that if I diligently pursue all of the identified resources, I will have acquired all of the additional information necessary to successfully take action.
3. What steps have I taken so far?
Let's just say I'm driving the ball full speed down court. (OK, I know. Enough with the sports analogies, already. I just can't help it.) There's simply no stopping me. I have taken several actions that have me well on my way to achieving my goals. The following steps have been successfully completed:
- all students have Symbaloo accounts
- all students have create Personal Learning Environments using Symbaloo
- teacher-created Symbaloo webmixes have been shared with students
- students have begun to create their own webmixes bases on needs and interests
- TodaysMeet is now being used as a means for students to communicate on "workdays" by the link being posted daily in Edmodo and the discussion being displayed on the Promethean board
- created "Personal Interests and Experiences Survey" using PollDaddy
- students have complete "Personal Interests and Experiences Survey" via PollDaddy
- JKL Middle School Science Facebook fan page has been created and is up and running
- educational resources have been shared on the JKL Science Facebook fan page
- Edmodo is being used to communicate surveys, links, news, etc. with students on a daily basis
- research as to "best fit" blogs and websites regarding web 2.0 tools and the integration of technology has begun
- profession development request for 2012 MACUL conference has been completed and approved
- selected as a member of our district's MiChampion team
My most recent blog discovery lists the Top 25 Web 2.0 Sites for Education. Thanks, David Kapuler. There goes my night -but here comes my GAME!
Heather- if our class were a team you would be on your way to MVP just because you seem to really being at the head of things, taking them to a new and stronger position. I'm sure others, myself included, are looking closely at your list of completed tasks and asking when and how we might do the same. Good job!
ReplyDeleteI feel as if I should be getting advice from you, rather than giving you advice, but we both know the more heads you have around a topic, the better it will be.
I wanted to ask a question about your resources. This comes from the video that you showed us.
As I watched the video I became covetous of those schools with more technology than I. I've also noticed that many of the videos we have depict schools where they have access to classroom laptops. So of course my question to you is what are your resources? Are they as mine are, with the traditional computer lab where you have to sign up for access? I would be curious to know who in our class has what kind of technology. I asked you those questions because in another article of yours, you talked about getting your GAME plan going. Then you showed the video. I'm wondering how the actual hardware part of this whole GAME plan is going. Does that make sense? I guess that was the long way around.
But I'm also asking and thinking out loud for myself. I have two ideas. One is if I am really serious about integrating technology in the manner I'm learning, I really need laptops for my kids. Second, I want to know more about teacher who are in the same boat as me in terms of technology availability. Are they doing more with less? How?
The TodayMeet sounds awesome! I think I've picked up on more useful websites from you than anyone else. Anyhooo-
It seems as if you are very interested in authentic learning and community building because of your first goal. I have this goal as well. Isn't that the whole point of living? Community. Communication. Sharing life. I recommend you start small with these ideas. I also recommend, as it was suggested in the video your included in your blog, that you allow the students to choose the project for themselves. I recently did a unit on science fiction and fantasy. I would also suggest that you continue to grow your bag of technology tools by visiting http://www.cast.org/learningtools/index.html for further websites and suggestions on universal design The learning tools tab includes all variety of resources including things such as making your own book. The The hyperlink, Thinking reader providers a way to help students with comprehension skills.
References for published response post of Heather Shores
ReplyDeleteCennamo, 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.
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
National Center on Universal Design for Learning, 1984, Center for Applied Special Technology (CAST), http://www.cast.org/about/index.html
First of all, thank you so much for your kind words. I am very passionate (as you can probably tell) about preparing my students for the twenty first century. And that, of course involves integrating technology whenever and wherever possible.
ReplyDeleteI am fortunate to work at a school in which finances are not the issue as they are in many schools. The school I work at is a Native American charter school was grandfathered in to receiving monies from both the tribe and state. Our students have one to one lap top computing as well as a computer lab. Nothing like we saw in the video I posted, but ample technology to say the least. Every classroom has a Promethean board and a document reader. We are rarely, if ever, turned down for a technology purchase as long as it is research based and we provide ample evidence for how it will be used to enhance education. I do not take this for granted and am humbly aware of my position. I would be doing my students and community a gross injustice if I did not make every effort to take full advantage of what we have.
That being said, I have worked in a school with a tight budget in which technology was not a priority. I was able to supply my classroom with computers and video technology through countless hours of grant writing. While insanely time consuming, one of the most rewarding endeavors I have ever undertaken. I suggest starting local and small. Many grants are "matching funds" so if you can get several small grants, they add up pretty fast. And they are easier to get.
I take heed to your advice of starting small. I have a tendency to think big without really thinking. I have learned the hard way and need to be reminded of this often:) Allowing students to choose their own projects seems to be the way to go. Although I am struggling with how to reach specific learning goals/standards while at the same time turning over the reigns. Any advice welcome:)
As for the CAST resources, great minds apparently think alike, I added that link to my blog on Friday and posted it in the class discussion. We are geniuses! Thanks for the support and ideas. Much appreciated.