GAME Plan

• Goals for confidence and proficiency in at least two indicators in the NETS-T.
• The two indicators that I want to work toward confidence and proficiency in would be Indicator Two: Design and Develop Digital Age Learning Experiences and Assessments and Indicator Four: Promote and Model Digital Citizenship and Responsibility. I do not necessarily lack the knowledge in these areas but I definitely could build my confidence levels, especially with Indicator Two. I struggle when it comes to effective assessment. I find it difficult to know what to assess, how much to assess, and how to change my assessments to fit the needs of my students at times. I am the kind of person that always puts in too much rather than too little. I want to be able to hone my ability of choosing what to assess as well as how to assess it. I also want to look into the technologies available to me for assessment as well as learning experiences. I also feel that I need to become more proficient in modeling digital citizenship. I need to take more time to cite where I find pictures for my presentations. Modeling is a good way to show our students the correct way to do things. When they see the teacher modeling what is appropriate, they are more apt to take it upon themselves and do the same with their resources.
• Actions I will take to achieve those goals.
• I want to spend more time finding authentic assessments on the web as well as researching ideas on assessment. I want to explore the realm of technology when it comes to implementing different ways of bringing the outside world into the classroom. One action I would like to achieve for the coming year is a digital field trip. I want my students to experience something in the science realm that they would not normally experience and I want to do it through technology. I would also like to work on a collaborative project with another classroom in the local area. I have a few friends that are teachers at different districts and I would like to link up with one of them through a wiki and do a collaborative project. I feel that these digital age learning experiences and assessments will help me achieve confidence in Indicator Two. With regards to Indicator Four, my actions would be to start citing all pictures, video, and information I gather from other sources in my PowerPoint presentations. It is not enough to cite them, however. I want to bring attention to my students where I gathered this information and how important it is to cite something.
• How I will monitor my progress.
• One way that I can monitor my progress is to keep a small journal and write down what things worked and what didn’t work in the classroom. If an experience with technology did not work the way that I expected then I need to write that down so I remember for the next time. I can then tweak the experience to fit the needs of my students. Teaching is a trial and error kind of profession. If we do not keep track of what works and what doesn’t, however, it makes it hard to adjust our lessons. I also will pay attention to if my students start citing websites on their own. Even if they write down the name of the book, author, and page number or just list the website where they found their information, I will know that they are taking what I am modeling into consideration.
• How I will evaluate and extend my learning.
• I will have the journal to look back on with what worked and what didn’t work. I will also have my students write down what they enjoyed and what could have been done better. I do this at the end of each school year with my students as a rule because as a beginning teacher I want to know what is working and what isn’t working. One has to be objective in reading the responses because sometimes students just don’t like school and very little you do will get them to change their mind. I know that my PowerPoint notes need adjusted and that is the first thing that I am going to work on. I can also evaluate my learning by how much the students are retaining and if they are enjoying the process of learning. I can go to my peers for help or even offer some advice when they have issues with technology in their classroom. I can also keep researching on the latest technologies that can be utilized in the classroom. Keeping up with the times is a good way to extend my learning.