Monitoring my GAME Plan

            So far, I feel that I have been very lucky. Both of my plans seem to be moving along smoothly. I have been able to find the information and resources that I need to move forward. I have started to include my sources of information in my lesson plans and have exposed my students to two lessons about citing sources of information. I feel that my students have responded positively and understand the importance of citing sources. I have also been able to use an EBook with one class of 4^th graders. The students enjoyed it and are excited to be able to access them at home as well. I have not needed to modify my plans thus far and hope that it continues that way.

            I feel that I have learned a lot through my progress. I have found that having a colleague look over lesson plans to help monitor my progress has been very valuable. It is great to get someone else’s perspective on how I plan. Also, I have noticed that it does take a bit longer when writing/planning my lessons when I include the sources. It is a good thing though, because I keep my lesson plans on a data drive and that means I will always have those sources documented to refer to. There have been many times that I have used web sites for lessons and have forgotten where to find them.

            Finally, I have thoroughly enjoyed documenting my progress in my journal. It is all too often that I come home after a long day and see nothing but a blur. I have formed a routine to write in my journal after lunch and right before I leave school. Then, I have something to look back at when I am at home. At home, I can write new ideas and responses to things I wrote earlier. It is kind of like having conversation with myself and it really does help!

           

            I will need several resources to carry out my GAME plans. I will need the assistance of my peers, my computer, the smart board, my lesson plans, and a personal journal. I will need to enlist the help of a peer to help monitor my progress of siting sources and to observe my teaching and modeling. I plan to use a personal journal to document my progress of learning how to use EBooks and to graph my use of siting sources. My lesson plans will be used for viewing my progress of documenting the sources for my lessons. Finally, the computer and Smart Board will be used of carrying out lessons and modeling techniques for my students.

            Some additional information that I will need to complete my GAME plans is to learn more about the use of EBooks. I will be sitting down next week with several of my peers to help each other through the process of accessing and use of the EBooks. Through this meeting of the minds, I will be able to continue to assist other colleagues on how to use the EBooks.  

            So far I have been able to site the resources I have used on three different sets of lesson plans. I have begun to graph the amount of times that I have documented my sources. I have also started to write in my journal about the progress of learning how to use EBooks. I have planned a lesson for next week that will show my students examples of how to document sources and explain why it is important to cite the sources.

My GAME plan

I feel pretty confident with technology use on a daily basis in my classroom. There are a few areas that I would like to become more proficient in. I feel that these areas are very important because they will have a strong impact on my students learning and my way of teaching. The two NETS-T standards and performance indicators are as follows:

Promote and Model Digital Citizenship and Responsibility (a. 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)

G – My goal for this is to do exactly what the indicator says, model, model, and model some more. I think if my students see me using digital information properly which means citing copyright, intellectual property, and sources, they will catch on to the necessity. When I use digital information in my lessons and planning, I will be sure to point out where I have documented my sources.

A – The action that I plan to take here is to document. I will be documenting all of my sources right into my lesson plans. I do this already, when I can remember. Now, I will be sure to include sources in all of my plans. Also, when I use the smart board, I will add a page or some sort of notification of my sources and reference them when teaching.  

M – I can monitor my progress by creating a graph that will display the number of lesson plans I write per month and the number of lesson plans that I add sources to. I am sure that I will forget to add sources at first, but as time goes on I will get better.

E – I will enlist a peer teacher to help with my evaluation. I would like to have a peer come in to watch at least one lesson and help me monitor my graphing. Having someone to monitor my graph might just help.

Model Digital-Age Work and Learning (b. collaborate with students, peers, parents, and community members using digital tools and resources to support student success

and innovation)

G – My goal is to work with our public library, my colleagues, and parents to gain access to eBooks for students to use in the classroom and at home. Then, I would like to learn how to use the eBooks to the fullest potential.

A – I am planning to attend a meeting with my administrator and a peer at our local library to discuss the purchase and acquisition of several eBooks to use with students. These books will be on several grade levels and can be used by the entire school.

M – My way of monitoring this process is through a personal journal. I will document the outcome of the meeting. I will also document my progress of learning to use the eBooks.

E – My evaluation here will also be a part of the journal. I will be documenting how effectively I have been able to use the eBooks in my classroom and if I was able to pass on my knowledge to my colleagues as well.