As this course comes to a close, I took the time
to look back at my personal GAME plan that I had developed at the beginning of
the course. The personal goals that I had set for myself were:
1.)
engage
students in exploring real-world issues and solving authentic problems using
digital tools and resource
2.)
collaborate
with students, peers, parents, and community members using digital tools and
resources to support student success and innovation.
As result of creating a personal GAME plan I
think about the new learning that has occurred. I have gained more of an understanding
about what I can do to strengthen my students technology and communication
skills. With each week’s new topics and time spent reviewing my GAME plan, I
gained knowledge and many new ideas and resources to help me accomplish the
personal goals that I had set out. Through
the course, I have learned more about problem-based learning, online collaboration,
and digital storytelling. I realized how well these fit into my second goal
listed above. Incorporating these forms of learning into my curriculum will
provide students with engaging and meaningful learning experiences. Creating a
GAME plan has forced me to look at lessons in a different way. Before I thought
about how time consuming and long it would be to try and incorporate this into
my own lesson plans. But after completing this course, I can now see the
benefits. My new learning will definitely have a positive impact on my
instructional practice. It will remind me to look deeper and more carefully at
the way I teach. It will also be a constant reminder to add technology,
real-world examples, and collaboration into my lessons. The GAME plan that I
have developed for myself and my students is still a work in progress. Like I
had mentioned in a previous post, I do not know that I will ever meet my goal
as I will continue to strive to do better with each new implementation.
Additionally, this has been one of my favorite
classes that I have taken thus far. Each week there has been something new that
I have learned about incorporating technology into the classroom. The best
thing about this course was the idea that everything learned is applicable to
any age group. One of the immediate adjustments that I plan to make in my
instructional practice is the idea of adding more digital storytelling into my
lessons. As Dr. Abrams (2010) discussed in Spotlight
on Technology, it can be integrated into any subject area. Seeing how it
can be used across the curriculum encouraged me search different ways I can use
it in my 3rd grade classroom.
Another change that I see taking place is the
implementation of a classroom blog. The blog will allow my students, parents,
and I to communicate events and document learning that is taking place at
school. Adding this online collaboration tool into my classroom will increase
communication and collaboration amongst the students. It will serve as a great
space for parents to keep up on their child’s learning as well as provide us
with the opportunity to collaborate with students outside of our classroom. The
last change that will take place in my goes along with my first personal goal
previously mentioned. Because I plan to engage my students in more real-world
and authentic learning experiences, I will need to add more project-based
learning activities into my teaching. Therefore, in conjunction with my
teaching team, I would like to create more opportunities for my students to
participate in authentic learning experiences. Together, we will brainstorm
ideas that will align with our common core standards.
In the end, technology is becoming more
pervasive in our students lives. Because students are using technology on a
daily basis it only seems natural to combine it with the rest of their
learning. Adding technology into my lessons will stimulate critical thinking
and creative thinking skills. I realize that this will not all happen overnight.
It will take time, research, and dedication to be sure it is meeting the needs
of my students. Most importantly, I cannot do this alone. I will be looking to
my peers, students, and parents for support throughout this process as well.
Sure it will take time, but the end result is what matters most. Through all of
this, I want my students to be able to see that learning can be fun, engaging, meaningful,
and powerful all at the same time. By adding various forms technology into classroom
I know this goal can be met.
Resources:
Laureate
Education, Inc. (Executive Producer). (2010). Spotlight on technology:
Digital storytelling, part one. Baltimore, MD: Author.
