Hosey, Jen- Week 7 Reflection

The GAME continues-

Reflecting on the GAME plans that I initiated at the start of this course, I am proud of the progress I have made in my action plans, and I know that the problem based learning unit we planned in the past three weeks has provided a valuable resource in helping me continue to follow the steps in my GAME plans. While I still have a long way to go in fully meeting my original game plans, I know that I have started on the right foot and have been able to see the positive impact following a GAME plan has had on my instruction as well as my professional development. One thing I learned during the implementation of my GAME plans was that although I had the best intentions when I crafted each plan, relying on other people is central to the execution of any GAME plan. Even though both involved specific participation and reflection on my part, neither of them could find any success without the my students and colleagues "buying in" to the process as well. One other thing I learned during this process was that I need to make sure I am incorporating measurable and specific ways of monitoring and assessing achievement. Some of my original elements were somewhat broad, and I found them to be more difficult to measure accurately. Now that I have become comfortable with the GAME plan format, I know that it will be one I choose to use in creating lessons as well as professional goals in the future. I am confident that my experience with the GAME plan process will allow me to create more detailed and focused lesson plans that will allow me to more successfully reflect on student learning as well as my own teaching practices.

When considering how I might revise my original GAME plans, I honestly would not make too many changes because I am currently finding success in the plans as I am currently in the process of following each one. One major revision I would make to both is to revisit the monitoring and assessment sections and make sure I am considering differentiation with the student focused GAME plan and that I am revising to be more detailed with both plans. Finally, when considering the use of GAME plans more consistently, I know that they will be a wonderful tool in helping students become more self-directed learners. Now that I have used GAME plans in my unit planning and have become more familiar with their use, I would be more comfortable in modeling its use for students. This would be a great resource for students to use especially with collaborative learning as they would be able to set their own goals and monitor their own progress through the learning process. As problem based learning emphasizes self-directed learning, it is only natural that the GAME plan process would fit easily into the problem based learning process.

With an overwhelming new confidence in incorporating technology, social networking, and problem based learning into instruction, I know that this course has provided many tools I will need as I create lessons covering all of the elements we have practiced over the past seven weeks. While I was rather reluctant and admittedly nervous about these new forms of technology, I am now a firm believer in the positive impact they can have on student motivation and comprehension when they are connected to content learning. Just since week one of this course, I have already started integrating some of the technologies we have been introduced to, and I have no doubt that my immediate future will include the incorporation of as many of these technologies as possible. Even with limited technology resource in my school building, I am dedicated to utilizing at least some form of technology in all lessons to help motivate students or promote their critical and higher thinking. One immediate change I have already made is creating a class blog site for everything from small homework posts to check for understanding to bigger more formal threads and discussions, and I know that I will continue to expand this use of technology by creating a blog site for all three of my classes.

Finally, when considering how I might incorporate the specific types of technology we have worked with in this course, along with class blogs, I know that I will make every effort to include more problem based learning in my lessons. In creating the unit plan for this course, it became evident that connecting problem based learning to my curriculum is a much less complicated task then I first thought, so I know that I will be able to weave problem based learning into instruction more frequently. Especially in conjunction with the persuasive units and with specific writing projects. Social networking will be a part of regular instruction as students participate in blogging, and I can include digital story-telling more frequently into the background learning for authors and texts as well as using it as a sharing tool for writing pieces or smaller individual or group projects. Overall, I have to admit that my eyes have been opened to the possibilities for connecting technology to the curriculum, and whether it is just having student visit an interactive grammar website or having them construct a digital story on an author we have read, there is not technology that does not have the potential to impact student learning, and I am excited to see how I can become the model for technology use in my own building!

Hosey, Jen Week 4- The best laid GAME plans....

As I just finished reading Of Mice and Men with my 10th graders this week, I can't help but think about the famous quote that inspired the title."The best laid plans of mice and men often go awry" (Robert Burns, "To a Mouse"). How appropriate this quote can be when considering how we are following through in our GAME plans. I know that I must be flexible within the realm of my game plans and be prepared for some things not to go the way I had planned. This is just part of be an educator, right?

To update about my GAME plans:

Am I finding the information and resources I need?
For my process of integrating blogging into my 11th grade classes, I am having great success finding everything I need. I have had no problem locating a wealth of potential blogging sites as well as some tutorial pages on how to use blogs successfully. In addition, I also have received a great deal of information from my colleagues and fellow bloggers who have had experience with classroom blogs. I have also polled students to make sure all have Internet access outside of school. As for my other GAME plan involving becoming the technology advocate for my building, I am not struggling to find online resources regarding technology fads in education, but I have run into a bit of a road block with observing how other teachers and schools use technology. Although my principal has been very supportive in working with me, I have met some resistance with other schools and teachers not believing it to be important enough to respond to my emails about arranging time to observe.

Do I need to modify my action plan?
As of right now, I really only need to modify the action plan related to my observation and report of technology. Since I am running into some road blocks scheduling time to observe teachers in other buildings, I will need to modify my action plan to only include observations in my own building for right now. This will make it easier for me to track down and solidify plans for observations as opposed to sending repeated emails until I heard something. Given that I am scheduled to start presenting my findings to the faculty, this action plan would also have to change. Since I have not yet observed any other classrooms, the first presentation would have to be limited to the resources I have located online.

What have I learned so far?
So far, I have learned that blogging will be a natural transition for students in the classroom. Since they are so engulfed in texting, tweeting, and facebooking already, I have found that blogging is really only an elaborated version of this, and I am hearing positive feedback regarding the idea of classroom blogging. I believe that I will be presently surprised by how easily students will jump right into blogging. In contrast to my students' positive reactions and my optimism about blogs, I have unfortunately learned that not all educators value ongoing education and the importance of keeping up to date on technology. With the frustrations I have experienced this week with trying to schedule observations, I have really seen some true colors regarding opinions of technology in education. I believe that many teachers are dragging their feet because they recognize they do not take advantage of technology in instruction and do not want to be reminded of this shortcoming by a visit from me. I have really seen how many educators in my building have given up on technology when they get frustrated with our lack of resources or with their own lack of knowledge.

What new questions have arisen?
Overall, I have developed a few new questions relating to my GAME plans-
1) How do I get my students to treat blogging as a respected extension of the classroom and not just a glorified social circle?
2) How do I get the staff in my building to really buy-in to the importance of technology?
3) What happens to my GAME plan if I cannot get others to open their classrooms to me?

I am anxious to see how things continue to play out with my GAME plans and I am truly hoping things do not go awry. Any input you have regarding my questions, please let me know!

Happy Thanksgiving!
-Jen

Hosey, Jen- Week 3: Let the GAME Plans Begin....

It is always interesting when something from these master's classes directly corresponds to a professional goal I had created long before I knew what course I would be taking next. For the past two years, I have been focusing on professional development that is technology centered, so it is very exciting to have created and to have started to execute GAME plans that support my professional development goals.

What resources will I  need to carry out my plan?

In carrying out the action plan of implementing a class blog in order to teach students appropriate digital etiquette and social interactions, I will of course need the resource of a blogging site and computer and internet access for students. Additionally, I will need to create or find a list of blogging rules/tips to help remind students of what is defined as appropriate use. Finally, I would create a screencast presentation (screencast.com) that would model successful blogging for students, and then would provide a fake/practice blogging page for students to apply their understanding before they officially begin blogging.

In completing the action plan of becoming a technology advocate in my own building, the first resource I will need is time. I will need time to research current trends in classroom technology as well as time to visit other schools and classroom to observe how technology is being incorporated into instruction. In addition to time, I will also need the support of administration and other colleagues in being allowed to take time to travel and observe as well as being given the permission to present my findings to the faculty in my own building. Finally, to present to my faculty, I will need the resource of presentation software and data software to be able to successfully express my findings and suggestions for technology use.

What additional information do I need?

Outside of the resources I will need to carry out my GAME plans, I will also need information regarding how many of my students have internet access at home. If I am going to require them to blog, then I must be aware of any challenges with lack of availability so that I can modify the blogging requirements if necessary.
Along with student data, I will also need a list of available technology in my school building as well as in the other schools I plan to visit to observe technology in the classroom. Knowing these things will allow me to getter a better grasp of what I can encourage my own colleagues to take advantage of as well as provide me with a list of technology "wants" that I can work to have brought to our school building.

What steps have I been able to take so far?

With teaching two new classes and having to learn brand new curriculum, I unfortunately have not had as much time as I would have liked to begin implementing my GAME plans. So far, one step I have taken is to begin researching blogging sites and determining which may be best suited to use as a class blog. Thanks to this course, I have been getting quite a bit of good introduction to the blogging world, so I am looking forward to beginning one in my own classroom.
Some steps I have taken in my second GAME plan are that I have already met with my administrator and discussed the possibility of taking time to visit other classrooms and schools to observe technology use, and we are developing an initial plan for this process. Additionally, I have started to research and have started a file of information regarding current educational technology trends, and I am slowly sifting through my finding.

Feel free to help me fill in any blanks with your suggestions, recommendations, or questions. Thanks!
-Jen

Hosey, Jen- Week 2: The GAME Plan

In general, I believe that I am a pretty technologically savvy person and a technologically driven teacher. I even recently purchased an Ipad because I wanted to add an additional resource to my classroom repertoire. Reading over the ISTE NETS and Performance Indicators for Teachers, I realized that I still have a long way to go before I can confidently say that I am focused on digital-age education. I am looking forward to strengthening my technology focus by creating and executing GAME plans for specific indicators that I know I need to work on.

One of the The ISTE NETS and Performance Indicators for Teachers (NETS•T) that I want to create growth in is "4) Promote and Model Digital Citizenship and Responsibility." Focusing on college readiness with my 11th grade students, I believe it is crucial to focus on indicator "c) promote and model digital etiquette and responsible social interactions related to the use of technology and information."

My GAME plan for this is:

Goal: To model for and educate students in how to responsibly and appropriately interact online in an educational setting.

Action: I will implement a class blog where students will be required to participate in online discussion at least twice a week on a given topic related to classroom learning. Additionally, students will participate in a practice blog where appropriate practices will be modeled and discussed.

Monitor: I will monitor the blog and check in weekly. I will respond to individual student posts as well as leave comments for the whole class to consider and respond. I will also monitor the posts for student interest and evidence of creative and independent thinking.  

Evaluate: At the end of each week/month, I will evaluate my own ability to facilitate the blog discussions and will also review the depth and breadth of student posts. I will take time to incorporate students posts and comments into classroom discussion to further measure student understanding of proper use of the technology as well as their understanding of content.

The second ISTE NETS and Performance Indicator for Teachers (NETS•T) that I want to further develop is: "5) Engage in Professional Growth and Leadership." In understanding the importance of integrating technology into teaching, I believe it is vitally important to educate myself and my colleagues regarding the technology available to enrich our own teaching and our students' learning.

My GAME plan for this indicator is as follows:

Goal: to develop my own understanding of available technology resources and become a technology advocate in my own educational community.

Action: I will increase my own understanding of technology in the classroom by visiting other classrooms and schools to witness the different types of technology being used in classrooms for all purposes. I will build advocacy for technology use in my own school by presenting an overview of a new technology resource during our monthly embedded professional development sessions.

Monitor: I will monitor my progress by keeping an observation log during my classroom and school visits. I will also keep a personal journal of the technology resources I implemented in my own classroom and the results of incorporating something new. Additionally, I will send out a monthly survey to staff polling them on the types of technologies they are using in their own classes and if they have implemented any of the techniques/resources I have presented.

Evaluate: At the end of the school year, I will evaluate what worked and what did not work by reflecting back on my technology journal. I will also create a final staff evaluation sheet where staff can provide feedback regarding my technology presentations and what they did/did not implement.

I am truly looking forward to seeing the result of these implemented GAME plans. Any feedback from my fellow classmates would be greatly appreciated!

-Jen

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.

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