GAME Plan Reflection

     Using technology effectively in the classroom was something that I believed I did pretty well.  It seems as though everyday I assigned some sort of activity or provided an experience that used a technological tool  Looking back now, I see that what I was doing before was not providing the most comprehensive and engaging methods, I was simply using technology to use technology.  It was a matter of lack of effort or passion for what I was doing.  It was the fact that I was ignorant to the spectrum of options available.  This is rather difficult to admit seeing as I hold a degree in computer science.  Maybe that was my problem... I thought I knew it all.  This class has, in a sense, opened my eyes to the true power of technology and the vast   variety of engaging and meaningful strategies that it can offer.

     My GAME plan was to focus on widening my repertoire of technology-involved instructional strategies.  Part of this involved challenging conventional notions that in possessed.  Those notions involved not just teaching strategies, but also things that I haven't considered before in association with technology, such as assessment.  I began implementing my GAME plan by talking to and observing other teachers in my system. My School Improvement Specialist was able to give me the names of those teachers who were effective at using technology.  After observing them, I was able to have a better understanding of strategies that would and would not work i  my classroom.

     While I haven't been able to execute all of the changes that I wanted to, I have been able to draw on some of the things that I have learned and implement a few.  One of the first changes I made was in the area of assessment.  I have tried to break away from traditional methods and concentrate more on using technology to evaluate student understanding.  We have taken online tests and started using quizzes and games online to in order to test student understanding.  My plan is for a class blog to begin in the next week or so to be used as a trial in order to see what does and doesn't work so that I can have one up and running at the beginning of the school year.  My students have been very receptive to the increased use of technology.  They have become much more engaged and look forward to being able to contribute to a blog.  

     

Furthering the GAME plan

As I develop my GAME plan for implementing new technology in all forms throughout the classroom, I come to new understandings of both how this technology will work and where it is best suited.  Through discussions and resources discovered this week I have learned that we must replace conventional methods of teaching and assessment with technological  methods (Centammo, Ross and Ertmer, 2009). Because of the facts and ideas published this week, I am creating a goal to seek out the many options that may be available for using technology to access curriculum.  
Part of this goal involves talking with other teachers throughout the system to see 2 things: what type of technology they use and how they use it to advance student learning.  I am specifically looking for ways the technology is used to enhance and diversify the student learning experience.  After talking with colleagues, I will talk to my curriculum director in order to set up possibly observing teachers that are effective at using technology in diverse and productive ways.  When I observe these teachers, I hope to be able to use some of their strengths, combined with mine, in order to bring instructional variety to my classroom that utilizes technology in ways that are not just supplemental, but built in to the core of the learning experience.



Resources:
Cennamo, K., Ross, J. & Ertmer, P. (2009). Technology integration for meaningful classroom use: A standards-based approach. (Laureate Education, Inc., Custom ed.)