GAME
Planning: Process, Actions and Outcomes
Effectively and
appropriately integrating technology in the content areas I teach is the impetus
behind this course, in fact the whole reason I decided to take this Master’s
degree in the first place. This
particular course, focusing as it does on applying what we have learned to
specific lessons, was of great value to me. Cennamo, Ross and Ertmer’s (2009, p. 3)
GAME plan, originally developed to spur and guide self-directed learning, was especially
useful as a framework for lesson planning in this context. In fact, I plan to
show it to my principal as an alternative to the current template we use for
planning.
There were two parts
to my original GAME plan. In my “A” GAME, I planned to look for ways to match
technologies to the specific diversities of my students, using the technology
to both engage them and motivate them while supporting their differences. This was based on NETS-T 2.c. Design and Develop Digital Age
Learning (International Society for Technology in Education,
2012) .
In order to accomplish this, I decided that I needed to explore more of the
technology that is available, both through consulting experts within my system
and also through investigating more possibilities online. Monitoring both the
time this took, and the feasibility of each resource, was critical to this
plan. I then considered which of those resources to implement, finally
evaluating the success of each. One thing that made this particular plan much
easier was the implementation of the “daily tech-out” posted by our professor,
Dr. Lebeau. In fact, I will be suggesting a similar activity (maybe once a
week) for our IT coordinator next year, and plan on trying something similar
for Science myself. I feel I have become
much more knowledgeable about the possibilities – while at the same time realizing
just how far I still have to go! This is truly a never-ending process.
My “B” GAME plan was
connected to the above; based on NETS-T 5.a. Engage in Professional Growth and
Leadership (International Society for Technology in Education,
2012) ,
I planned on participating more in “global learning communities” such as the
NCTM (National Council of Teachers of Mathematics). Using these resources to
help locate activities was extremely helpful to me as I tried to connect the
various components we zeroed in on in this course. From digital storytelling to
problem-based learning, from collaboration online to authentic assessment, each
puzzle piece needed its own level of understanding as well as its own
resources. November (2008, p. 2) states our learners “deserve
our thoughtful and balanced approach to tapping the Web for their learning.
They need us to be role models.” This is critical to the success of my
instruction using technology.
With increased participation
as my plan B evaluation, and increased student motivation and retention of
content as my plan A evaluation, it is clear to me that I have made progress in
my ability to effectively and appropriately integrate technology in the classes
I teach. In addition, use of the GAME plan aided my ability to monitor the
lessons I taught using it; the reflection piece being an invaluable component
of this. As Cennamo et al remind us, “you
should critically evaluate lessons that incorporate digital technologies in
order to make them more effective in the future” (2009, p. 104) . Dr. Abrams also
reminds us not to “mistake activity for achievement” (Laureate Education,
Inc., 2009).
I can see myself using the GAME plan
with my students in order to help them manage larger projects. For example,
creating a digital story as I planned for Lesson Three of my Unit could easily
turn into, as Abrams puts it, “a black hole of time” (Laureate Education,
Inc., 2009). Using the GAME plan may help my learners to better manage the
components of the activity and to stay focused not only on the goal, but on how
they are going to get there.
As for my instructional practice, I
have certainly added to my repertoire in terms of the kinds of technology I
have tried with my class. In this course, I wove together some
science content standards along with some of the I.T. standards. This was a
perfect end-of-year activity as it marked the start of our hurricane season and
brought in some weather-related concepts that, while not part of our
curriculum, are important for life in Bermuda. I also was able to build on some
of the inquiry-based learning we carried out earlier in the year. I did all of
this using activities I found using my GAME plan, all brand-new to me. While I have certainly used problem-based
learning, digital storytelling, and blog posts before, using them all as part
of one unit was new to me, as was expanding to include online collaboration as
part of the process. I have, in particular, great plans for the kidlinks site I
joined for the new school year.
I
have enjoyed not only the process of working through this GAME plan process,
but doing it with my colleagues at Walden. Between our weekly discussion posts
and the helpful comments that were added to my GAME plan posts, I feel that the
support of this group of colleagues definitely added to my experience. Among
other things, Jennifer (thanks, Jennifer!) gave me a great idea for developing
my final lesson, the digital storytelling one, into a piece where my learners
take the interview information, melding it with story-type features to create a
story telling about that family’s hurricane experience. That would add a whole
other level to the interview I’d imagined.
References.
Cennamo, K., Ross, J., & Ertmer, P. (2009). Technology
Integration for Meaningful Classroom Use. Mason: Centage Learning.
Fisher, J. (2013) Multi-Cultural
Calendar. Retrieved from Kidlink June 2013: http://www.kidlink.org/drupal/MCC
International Society for Technology in Education. (2012). Nets
for Teachers. Retrieved from Nets:
http://www.iste.org/standards/nets-for-teachers
Laureate
Education, Inc. (Executive Producer). (2009). Integrating technology across the
content areas. Baltimore, MD: Author.
November,
A. (2008). Web Literacy for Educators. Thousand Oaks: Corwin Press.
