GAME Plan: Application 2

Erin Schilling: Blog Application 2

Goals
I have two areas in which I would like to become more proficient. The first is the NETS standard that states that teachers should “Design and Develop Digital-Age Learning Experiences and Assessments” (http://www.iste.org/standards/nets-for-teachers). There is always more that I feel I can do to prepare my students for their future which will undoubtedly be technology-rich. There are many factors that sometimes prohibit my motivation to design technology-rich lessons, including things like potential computer glitches, limited lab space, and diverse student experiences and needs. However, as I am learning, these things should not stand in the way of learning opportunities for my students. Second, I want to become a stronger leader in my school and district, following the NETS standard that states that teachers need to, “Engage in Professional Growth and Leadership” (http://www.iste.org/standards/nets-for-teachers). I am excited about the potential in networking with my colleagues and others in order to change the way we present instruction, track student achievement, and communicate with families.

Actions
For my first goal, I plan to look at all of my large “end of the unit” type projects to see how I can integrate technology to enhance the learning experience for my students. I believe that this will give me a focused place to start and will allow me to try new things in several content areas. I would like to include multi-media, data, and graphing applications, and save student work in a portfolio on our school’s shared network drive. In the spring, I hope to use the student portfolios to lead parent-student-teacher conferences. I plan to try many of the applications I have learned through my work at Walden University with my students.

For my second goal, which pertains to professional growth and leadership, I will take an active role in my school’s technology committee. In the past, we have met only to discuss the use of three interactive white-boards that were purchased for our school. I believe that we need to change our focus to see how we can all use technology to impact our student achievement. I will work with others to set agendas and plan for discussions around goal-setting, logistics, and student impact.

Monitor Progress
I will monitor the progress of each of my goals by documenting my observations regarding the specific action and the impact on my students. For instance, if I modify my “American Revolution” project to include the use of technology, I will reflect upon my steps and the benefit, if any, it had on my students’ learning. Further, I will monitor my progress on my second goal by keeping track of meeting agendas and action plans to determine if our committee is making progress that will impact student achievement.

Evaluate and Extend Learning
As Mr. Best said in this week’s video segment, if the technology can do something to help someone understand something, or to do something better, it is worth doing (Laureate, Inc., 2009). If it does not really change anything, then it is not necessary. It will be important to evaluate my progress in these areas throughout the process. I think my primary focus for evaluation will be the impact on my students; I will compare achievement and motivation from technology-rich lessons with past achievement and motivation. I believe that one of the biggest assets to networking with others in my school and in other learning communities will be to extend my own learning of applications and strategies that may help my students to more deeply understand the content. I will continue to seek out my own digital learning experiences in order to create valuable opportunities for my students.

Laureate Education, Inc. (Executive Producer). (2009). Integrating Technology Across the Content Areas. Baltimore: Author.

National Education Standards for Teachers (NETS-T) located at http://www.iste.org/Content/NavigationMenu/NETS/ForTeachers/2008Standards/NETS_T_Standards_Final.pdf.