Walden University--EDUC 6713--Week 2 Application

Week Two Application— Developing Your Personal GAME Plan

Developing a GAME plan is an essential step towards pursuing my own personal need to become an effective and efficient self-directed learner.  While learning how to use technology is generally a self-directed task; an appropriately designed and purposely implemented GAME plan can help increase the amount of learning that can ensue from that task.  Furthermore, this plan encourages the learner to take on the role of being a metacognitive thinker and apply their learning to the context.  In fact, the components of the GAME plan align almost perfectly with the mindset of metacognitive learner as they think about their own thinking and process the implications of their own ideas and thoughts.

            The first step in the GAME plan is to set goals for learning (Cennamo, Ross, & Ertmer, 2009).  In the case I have decided to set my own personal goals that will help me to increase my awareness and capabilities to meet the National Education Standards for Teachers which have been determined by the International Society for Technology in Education (2008).  These standards and indicators have been created to help educators to engage students and improve learning by enriching their professional practice and the learning environments of their students.  All of these standards personally hold much potential to strengthen my professional traits.  However, there are some in which I feel more comfortable and some in which I feel the need for personal growth.

            The indicators in which I have decided to focus on for the developments of my GAME plan fall under two different standards.  The first falls under the standard of facilitating and inspiring student learning and creativity.  The following indicator encourages the teacher to promote student reflection using collaborative tools to reveal and clarify students’ conceptual understanding and thinking, planning, and creative processes (International Society for Technology in Education, 2008).  Student reflection is not something I find myself pushing for too often at the Kindergarten level.  However, I think I forget that even at a young age children are still capable of reflecting upon their own learning.  This reflection may need to be modified to meet the capacity and extent to which a younger student can complete this process.  Therefore, my first goal is to determine how technology can help me to provide meaningful reflection time for my young learners.  Furthermore, I would like to indentify the correlation between this reflection and the content standards in which I must focus upon within the guaranteed and viable curriculum of my district (Laramie County School District 1, 2011).

            The second indicator which I have decided to focus on within my GAME plan falls under the standard of engaging in my own professional growth and leadership (ISTE, 2008).  I decided to focus upon this goal due to the difficulty I have had in the past with fellow educators who just seem so stuck in their own ways with little to no willingness to change and be open to new and different possibilities.  While I wish to be a leader within my profession and pave the path for others, this job is definitely easier said than done.  However, by focusing on the following indicator within my GAME plan I am hopeful that I will be able to ease this difficulty.  The following indicator prompts the educator to contribute to the effectiveness, vitality, and self-renewal of the teaching profession and of their school and community.  Therefore, my second goal is to identify means for encouraging and promoting the growth of others as well as myself within the area of technology integration within the classroom.  More specifically, I am hopeful that I will be able to make others take note of what kind of learning is possible when you successfully include digital tools and resources within your classroom.

            The next step in the GAME plan is to plan a course of action that I will follow in order to meet these goals.  During this step of the plan it is essential to locate information by using a variety of methods (Cennamo, Ross, & Ertmer, 2009).  My first and most obvious source of information to achieve these goals will come from the time I spend interacting with my fellow classmates within this course.  My blog will provide me with a means for this communication.  However, I also plan on using outside resources, such as searching the web and looking for professional websites that may provide me with authentic information on this topic.  There may also be experts which I can locate and email in order to receive additional feedback on the topic.  Finally, I plan on talking with my colleagues and fellow teachers within my district.  I will meet with my instructional facilitator and ask for her insight as well as other teachers who may seem to have already effectively implemented technology within their own classroom.   

            While I am taking action I will also begin the next step in the GAME plan.  As I collect information I will also simultaneously monitor my learning.  Sample questions I may ask myself during the monitoring stage are provided by Cennamo, Ross, and Ertmer (2009); “Is my plan working?  Am I finding the information I need?  If I am unable to answer yes to either of these questions, then I may need to redesign or construct my mode for collecting information.  In fact, during this stage I must constantly reflect on my learning and how that learning relates to my current context and future.  During this time I plan on keeping a journal to organize my thoughts and learning as well as a concrete area for self-reflection.

            Finally, this self-reflection will lead me into the final stage of the GAME plan, evaluating my learning (Cennamo, Ross, & Ertmer, 2009).  If I have not successfully met my goals I will obviously need to restructure my plan and attempt a different plan of attack.  However, if I have met my goals or partially met my goals, then I will need to formulate a plan to extend my learning.  In other words, I will need to apply my learning within the context of my personal situation and circumstances.  Furthermore, I will need to plan for the extension of this learning into my future professional actions.  In fact, having this knowledge in the future is an aspect that many successful teachers posses as they integrate these digital tools within their own classrooms (Laureate Education, Inc., 2010).   Finally, it is essential to share my learning with others in hopes of not only helping myself, but also others who are interested in the application of technology within their own classroom.

References

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.

International Society for Technology in Education. (2008). National education standards for teachers (NETS-T). Retrieved from http://www.iste.org/Libraries/PDFs/NETS_for_Teachers_2008_EN.sflb.ashx

Laramie County School District 1.  (2011).  Grade kindergarten GVC 2011-2012.  Retrieved from http://gvc.www.laramie1.org/modules/locker/files/group_files.phtml?gid=1749089&parent=13847822&sessionid=b91b3fad577d9b89464d37148bb3ec21

Laureate Education, Inc.  (Executive Producer). (2010).  Program three.  Enriching content area learning experiences with technology [Webcast]. Integrating technology across the content areas.   Baltimore, MD: Author.