Evaluating My GAME Plan Progress

By James Matthews

Let me take a moment to evaluate my progress toward meeting my goals for learning about technology and technology resources. I will do it by answering the following familiar questions.

1. How effective were my actions in helping me meet my goals?
I must admit that (since I have fallen behind in my coursework) I have done work fpr completion and not so much to really glean anything from it. Now, by default, the exercises have forced me to focus on new ideas and perspectives, but I have not truly taken advantage of the information. That will change, however.

2. What have I learned so far that I can apply in my instructional practice?
I continue to gain confidence in the role and potential effectiveness of technology even in the developmental math class I teach. There really seems to be a place for it there.

3. What do I still have to learn? What new questions have arisen?
I still need to learn better ways to incorporate technology into the lessons given the massive amounts of content we have to cover in such a short period of time.

4. How will I adjust my plan to fit my current needs?
I should focus on some of the easier topics I teach when I think of material to which I should try to apply more technology. Instead of focusing solely on the least interesting topics, maybe I should start with the ones that are more conducive to fun technological applications.

We will see where the rest of the class takes me.

James

Developing My Personal GAME Plan

By James Matthews

The National Educational Technology Standards for Students (NETS•S) lists important technological indicators for the 21st century learner. If I am to be a relevant instructor, I absolutely need to be more dialed into technology in general.

The two NETS-S indicators on which I really want to work:
1. Indicator #1 - Facilitate and Inspire Student Learning and Creativity
2. Indicator #3 - Model Digital-Age Work and Learning

Here are my Goals for strengthening my confidence in the above indicators:
1. To introduce and familiarize my class and myself with various technological tools for the classroom.
2. To learn more about technological tools that exist that may be transformed into classroom learning tools (quantitative goal).
3. To incorporate more technology into my daily living.

Here are the Actions I will take to strengthen my and my students’ proficiency in the above indicators:
1. Use problem-based projects to introduce and/or as summative assessment.
2. Include current technologies like iPods, iPads, smart readers (Kindle, etc…), and smart phones (iPhone, etc…) in the design and implementation of assignments.
3. Subscribe to technology eJournals and blogs and participate in technological events.

I will Monitor my success by:
1. Monitoring my students’ growth (understanding, creativity, initiative).
2. Comparing my actions against the quantitative goal (goal #2 above).

I will Evaluate and Extend my learning:
1. Through continued education.
2. By requesting ideas from my students on possible projects (and the tools we might use for those projects).
3. By reflecting on the relevance and overall value of the tools we used in learning the material.
4. Ask myself the following questions to evaluate and extend my approaches (Cennamo, Ross, & Ertmer, 2009).
a. Have I met my learning goals? That is, do I feel comfortable enough with my understanding to teach it effectively?
b. Should I modify my goals or learning strategies? Have I uncovered other, more pressing weaknesses that must be addressed first?
c. What will I do differently in the future? How can I learn more efficiently and completely?

I do believe that at least focusing on incorporating the NETS-T standards will enlighten me and my educational expectations. It may even make me a better-liked and more respected instructor.