Last week I opened this blog by describing two goals I have set for myself within the ISTE
National Education Standards for Teachers (2008). Now it is time to start planning out the implementation of
these goals according to my GAME plan.
Following is a brief summary outlining the first steps of my action
plan. I feel it is a work in
progress; therefore, all aspects are flexible at this time. I am also looking forward to receiving
feedback from my Walden colleagues, after which I will continue to make
adjustments and changes as the plan unfolds.
Goal One: Engaging students in real-world issues and solving authentic
problems using digital tools and resources:
1. Resources I will need to carry out my
plan:
·
I
will find and utilize valuable Website sources that pertain to creating
authentic learning scenarios and projects for my students. These may include such websites as:
Edutopia.org
Thinkfinity.org
·
Colleagues
from other subject areas to help create cross-curricular authentic lessons
·
Input
from my language arts colleagues.
I have been utilizing the knowledge and experience of my fellow English
teachers throughout my master’s program, and will continue to do so with this
GAME plan as well.
·
Workshops
and/classes as they occur.
2. Additional information I will need:
·
I
need to get creative (or find ideas) for topics to create the opportunities for
students to explore real-world problems and have authentic learning
experiences. This has probably
been the biggest challenge for me –the mind shift from more traditional lesson
design to allowing the students to be self-directed learners who are the
sources of their own questions.
3. Steps I have taken so far:
·
I
feel I have already found and /or tried various digital tools and resources
with which my students can experience authentic learning. I am gaining confidence in utilizing
these online tools, and have already used some with existing lessons, including
Edmodo, VoiceThread, GoogleDocs, and Wikispaces.
Goal Two: Advocate, model, and teach
safe, legal, and ethical use of digital information and technology, including
respect for copyright, intellectual property, and the appropriate documentation
of sources
1. Resources I will need to carry out my
plan:
·
I
will continue to work with my fellow 10th grade language arts
teacher to plan and implement meaningful lessons on safe and ethical use of the
Internet.
·
I
will continue to search for solid websites as online resources that will
provide current examples, multi-media information, and exercises for students
to practice the concepts of safe, legal, and ethical use of digital
information, as well as appropriate documentation of web sources.
2. Additional information I will need:
·
I
need to get creative (or find ideas) for topics to create the opportunities for
students to explore real-world problems and have authentic learning
experiences. This has probably
been the biggest challenge for me –the mind shift from more traditional lesson
design to allowing the students to be self-directed learners who are the
sources of their own questions.
·
I
know the subject matter, but want to implement a more step-by-step procedure
for students to better learn how to document and cite web sources. I need to start smaller, and teach more
deliberately, as it has become clear that most students do not have a thorough
understanding of documentation of web sources.
3. Steps I have taken so far:
·
I have
always tried to model ethical use of the Internet and digital technology, as
well as appropriate documentation of sources.
·
The Media
Literacy Unit I have now implemented into the 10th grade language
arts classes is currently covering a number of topics relevant to this goal,
including:
1. Cyber bullying
2. Ethical use of social media as well as proper
etiquette
3. Cyber security
4. Digital Literacy and Citizenship
I would welcome
any input and/or suggestions from my colleagues as I start putting my plan into
action.
References
International Society for Technology in Education. (2008). National education standards for teachers (NETS-T). Retrieved from http://www.iste.org/standards/nets-for-teachers
International Society for Technology in Education. (2008). National education standards for teachers (NETS-T). Retrieved from http://www.iste.org/standards/nets-for-teachers
The knowledge and experience of peers, colleagues, and other teachers around the world is in my opinion invaluable. Who knows the classroom better then people with the same passion and career as you. Websites like Edutopia.org often have articles posted by teachers, which also makes this a wonderful resource. If you do a quick google search of teacher blogs, the possibilities of your research are infinite. Just make sure you evaluate the websites, just like you would want your students to do. Once you find good websites, I feel like creativity will come with ease. I just started using GoogleDocs in my classes. My students are quickly getting the hang of it and working through their weaknesses with the technology. The first day was a little rough, but by day three they were navigating the tools with ease. They found it amazing that they could type and add to a document at the same time. They beg me to use the ipads every day now!
ReplyDeleteStacey,
ReplyDeleteThank you for the suggestion of finding good teacher blogs. That is something I have thought about throughout our courses, but didn't mention in my GAME plan. I agree it will be a great tool for getting more 'creative,' as I am hoping to be. I find that if I gain a small idea somewhere, I can adapt it and make it my own.
I have been using GoogleDocs with my students for a few weeks, and it has gotten easier every time my students have logged in. Our biggest challenge was gaining access to the different areas of GoogleDocs without continuously being blocked. Once we got going, we are now using Google Groups, as well as sharing documents. I have a lot more I want to do with students as the year goes on.
Thank you for your post!