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.