Wanna Play a GAME?

This week, we were given four questions to make sure we are staying on top of our GAME plan. I will address the questions below.

•Are you finding the information and resources you need?
Yes, so far, so good! I was able to locate a citation generator and have even tried it out a couple of times! I wanted to make sure that if I was sharing it with my students (and others) that it was effective. I am also finding lots of helpful information about learning how to use the Promethean software, ActivInspire. There are a TON of videos in the ActivTips section of the Promethean Planet website, which are very helpful.

•Do you need to modify your action plan?
At this time, I do not feel that my action plan needs modification. However, after I attend the Train-the-Trainer series next week, I will need to reassess my plan to make sure I am staying on track.

•What have you learned so far?
Well, I did not know that citation generators existed, so that was a plus! I have also learned how to create containers, groups, and other neat tricks when making a flip chart.

•What new questions have arisen?
So far, I really haven't had any new questions. However, after next week's training, I'm sure I will have TONS of new questions! Hopefully, they will be answered as we go along during the workshops.

Resources:
Cennamo, K., Ross, J. & Ertmer, P. (2009). Technology Integration for Meaningful Classroom Use: A Standards-Based Approach. (Laureate Education, Inc., Custom ed.). Belmont, CA: Wadsworth, Cengage Learning.

Let's Get This Party Started!

This week, we were asked to continue our GAME plan by answering some simple questions that will better help focus our goals. Below you will find the questions and my replies:

•What resources will you need to carry out your plan (video, reading, experts or colleagues, etc)?
For my first goal - being more responsible with online citations - I plan to use a works cited generator such as Bibme.org, which automatically generates a reference in MLA, APA, Chicago, or Turabian formats. The ease of using this site will help me stay on track and remember to add citations to any online lesson I prepare.

The other goal I set for myself was to extend my professional development. As I said previously, I am attending Promethean's Train the Trainer series in a couple of weeks. A fellow teacher will be attending this with me, so we will be able to hold each other accountable. We have also begun to speak with our administrators about holding our own in-services at our school for next year. I will also remain up-to-date with all things Promethean by making use of Promethean Planet's forum where teachers from all over the world come together to help each other.

•What additional information do you need?
As far as being more responsible with my online citations, I do not believe I will need any additional information. With the professional development aspect, I will obviously need to attend the training to gain more information about training other teachers to use the Promethean boards with ease.

•What steps have you been able to take so far?
So far, I have searched the Internet to find an easy way to make sure I can be able to cite online sources correctly. There are several citation generators available, so I know that if I am not happy with the one I have chosen that I can change to another. I have also begun to plan in-service opportunities with the other teacher who is also attending the Promethean training with me. We are hoping to be able to offer monthly workshops in order to help teachers come up with new ideas and flipcharts to use.


References:
ISTE (International Society for Technology in Education) (2008). The ISTE National Educational Technology Standards (NETS-T) and PErformance Indicatiors for TEachers. retrieved from http://www.iste.o-Trg/Content/NavigationMenu/NETS/ForTeachers/2008Standards/NETS_T_Standards_Final.pdf

What's YOUR GAME Plan?

As any good athlete knows, you must develop a GAME plan. No matter which team or what position you play, there should always be a way to monitor your progress and anticipate your next step. Educators are no different. In my classroom, I am constantly setting goals and expectations for my students and monitoring their progress. As a teacher, I should model those actions as well.

After looking at the ISTE website and looking at the five NETS-T performance standards, I have chosen the following two on which to work: Promote and Model Digital Citizenship and Responsibility and Engage in Professional Growth and Leadership.

In order to strengthen my confidence to be able to Promote and Model Digital Citizenship and Responsibility I will be more aware of citing digital sources when I use a source from the Internet in a lesson. I will make sure to point this out to my students each time I use a source and explain how important it is to give proper credit where it is due. In order to evaluate my progress, I will look back at my digital presentations from time to time to ensure I have given the proper credit.

I also plan to set up a schedule for my students to use the computers. I will monitor this by keeping a record of scheduled days in the rotation of my students. Each student will sign in and out of their computer with a log that will be placed next to their station. I will evaluate the effectiveness of this by looking at the log and making modifications for time/effort spent with those students who I feel need it.

For my second standard, Engage in Professional Growth and Leadership, I am planning to attend Promethean's Train the Trainer five-part ActivInstruction series. During this week, I will be learning ways in which to teach other educators in my school as well as in my county to use Promethean's technology. I plan to hold and instruct professional development opportunities within the county and will monitor my progress by having the attendees provide feedback of the course through a survey. From the feedback I receive, I will then evaluate what needs to be changed or modified within my instruction in order to facilitate a better understanding of Promethean's technology. I will extend my learning by the use of Promethean's online forum in order to collaborate with other trainers and teachers using the software. This will connect me to others in different states and countries and provide me with the opportunity to correlate ideas in which I had not thought of before. This is probably the standard I most excited about and will have no problem staying on top of my GAME plan!

As I stated before, It is important for educators to create a GAME plan for their students as well as themselves. If we do not constantly set goals, take action, monitor, and evaluate the goals set forth, we cannot grow as teachers and therefore our students will not receive the best education possible.

Resources:

Cennamo, K., Ross, J. & Ertmer, P. (2009). Technology Integration for Meaningful Classroom Use: A Standards-Based Approach. (Laureate Education, Inc., Custom ed.). Belmont, CA: Wadsworth, Cengage Learning.

ISTE (International Society for Technology in Education) (2008). The ISTE National Educational Technology Standards (NETS-T) and PErformance Indicatiors for TEachers. retrieved from http://www.iste.o-Trg/Content/NavigationMenu/NETS/For Teachers/2008Standards/NETS_T_Standards_Final.pdf