GAME Plan

The National Educational Technology Standards supplies teachers with six performance indicators to provide effective and meaningful learning experiences for their students. While looking over the standards I feel that in order to strengthen my students’ classroom experiences I need to focus on the first two goals (International Society for Technology in Education, 2008).

My first goal is to support student learning and encourage student creativity through the use of technology. Creative thinking can be described as “complex thinking that requires effort and produces valued outcomes. These outcomes are not predictable because the process of higher-order thinking is not mechanical” (Cennamo, Ross & Ertmer, p. 25, 2009). Inquiry-based learning embraces the concept of creative thinking as well as the integration of technology. Through inquiry-based instruction students develop questions about a given topic. They then come up with a plan to determine where they will find their answers. The students set out to collect data. From the data they are able to answer their questions and then share the information with the learning community. To implement this structure into my classroom I am interested in using it to teach my 2nd graders science. Given a unit on plants, as a class we will first come up with a list of questions. We will look at one question at a time and think about how we will find information about the topic. The sources can be from books, experiments, and online resources such as videos, pictures and websites. Students will conduct research and gather data. After we have finished the data collection we will come back as a group and discuss the finding and come to a realization and answer. Finally students will use podcasting, video making or digital art programs to share what they have learned. After each cycle of questioning, researching and sharing I will evaluate the process by seeing if all the students understand the concept, can explain what they have learned with or without the help of their finished project and see if students can make a connection to the world beyond the classroom. From the evaluation I will alter the next cycle.

My second goal is to use technology as an assessment tool. There are many different modalities of learning. Some students are visual learners while other could be audio learners or kinesthetic learners. Although it is not necessary to use technology to provide a varied learning experience to suit all types of learners, technology makes it easier. I am currently able to give all students in my class the teaching tools that are necessary for their understanding. I would now like to focus my attention towards the products that students create to demonstrate their understanding of the given content. There is an abundant number to computer based programs that help students share information in their preferred modality. Podcasting is great for students who like to share information orally. Video making helps students who are kinesthetic learners share what they have learned. Through concept maps other students can visually show what they have learned. The focus of these projects is that students are sharing their understandings while using a modality that they feel comfortable and confident in working with. To monitor the effectiveness of this practice I will view or listen to the final projects. From these projects I will be focusing on if students were able to clearly explain what they have learned. My focus will not be on the technology but rather on the learning process.

Technology is a great tool. When content and technology can be joined, students are given an engaging, active and insightful experience into the world around them.

References:

Cennamo, K., Ross, J., & Ertmer, P. (2009).Technology integration for meaningful classroom use. A standards-based approach. Mason, OH: Cengage Learning.
International Society for Technology in Education (2008). National Educational Technology Standards (NETS•T) and performance indicators for teachers. Retrieved May 12, 2010 from http://www.iste.org/Content/NavigationMenu/NETS/ForTeachers/2008Standards/NETS_T_Standards_Final.pdf