Monitoring My GAME Plan Progress

I am pleased to say that I have made good progress in my GAME Plan since last week. In reference to the SMARTboard in my classroom, I now understand how to reorient the screen, scroll through documents, write on it, highlight words, erase information, view films, and utilize the notepad feature. I am also happy to say that I did not learn any of this from an online tutorial or a colleague...I learned everything from my students, just as one of my classmates suggested! It started during my first freshman class of the day. I was using the SMARTboard to provide them with notes regarding grammar and spelling, and I began asking questions about how to use it properly. They showed me the basics and, I must say, they took great joy in actually teaching their teacher for once! During each of my subsequent freshman classes that day, I asked them to show me more and more until I felt confident. While I may use a tutorial or ask a colleague for help with additional features in the near future, I realized that I just needed to jump right in and being using it on my own in order to understand its basic functions. The next thing I would like to learn is how to create templates, such as a JEOPARDY template for a review game.

This year, I am off to a good start regarding the inclusion of nonfiction and real-world scenarios in the classroom. My sophomores have been learning about American culture, the American Dream, and life in the 1920s in order to prepare them for The Great Gastsby unit. They read a recently published online article about the redefining of the American Dream, an article about how "American Idol" and other televised  competitions for fame have ruined the American Dream, and various webpages about interesting aspects of the Jazz Age. My academic level freshmen are reading Speak, so we have been tackling such issues as teenage depression, rape, and harassment. Students worked on a group activity for which they had to come up with solutions for a specific high school harassment scenario. In my lower level freshman classes, my students have been working on writing a series of newspaper articles that correspond with the realistic events in the text. So far, they have written an obituary and advice letter. Soon, they will be working on a major news article, police blotter, sports article, and editorial. As each article is assigned, we read an actual newspaper example together, so there has been plenty of incorporation of nonfiction pieces. Locating the resources I need has been easy; I just hope to continue the path I am on when it comes to integrating nonfiction into the curriculum. My goal is to introduce at least 2-3 nonfiction pieces into each unit. I would also like to modify my action plan by bringing more poetry into my lessons, as well.

Carrying Out My GAME Plan

 Last week, I established two goals that would help me to cover more of the the National Education Standards for Teachers (NETS-T)  in my classroom. First, I chose to learn how to use the SmartBoard that is now in my classroom. Resources that I will need to begin using my SmartBoard include viewing online tutorials, perusing the SmartBoard website that was recommended to me by a classmate, and seeking the expertise of a particular colleague. Once I am comfortable using this technology tool, I can search for additional information regarding specific ways to incorporate the SmartBoard into my lessons. To be completely honest, I have not been able to carry out my action plan just yet. Because the school year just started, I am very busy creating lesson plans and working on my Student Growth Objectives (SGOs). Aside from watching a few tutorials I found on YouTube, I have not had enough time to begin experimenting with my SmartBoard. Within the next few days, I hope to stay after school to spend some hands-on time with my SmartBoard and begin acclimating myself to its presence.

My second goal is in reference to the addition of nonfiction literature, the exploration of real-world issues, and the solving of authentic problems using technology. In order to achieve this goal, I must spend a good amount of time brainstorming while lesson planning in addition to researching relevant nonfiction articles to share with my students. I will also search the Internet for various ideas regarding authentic learning activities. Resources that I will need include the Internet and colleagues' suggestions for texts to share with my classes.
In my freshman class, I have begun to take steps to accomplish my goal. Since my students are currently reading a fictional book that involves the serious subject of child abuse, I had them research statistics concerning child abuse in our local area. On Friday, when we begin the corresponding newspaper project, students will write a variety of newspaper articles pertaining to the events found in the book. In preparation, together we will read a major news article, obituary, sports article, and more. Although we will be reading nonfiction pieces and exploring real-world issues, I have yet to create an authentic problem for this unit. Suggestions are appreciated!

My GAME Plan

During my examination of the National Education Standards for Teachers (NETS-T), I realized that I have many strengths regarding the use of technology in my profession. For example, I design learning activities that incorporate digital resources, communicate with my students and their parents through my blog and PowerSchool, model lifelong learning through my quest for my master’s degree, engage in professional development opportunities, and “use information resources to support research and learning” in my classroom (International Society for Technology in Education , 2012). While I would consider myself to be proficient in this area, I know that I have more to learn and could be integrating technology in other ways.

It is important to me to have the ability to use all of the technology that is available to me in my school. This year, I finally received a SmartBoard in my classroom. Aside from a computer, television, DVD player, and a computer projector, I do not have any other technology in my classroom. My students are quite familiar with the SmartBoard because they grew up using them in their elementary school classrooms. However, I have never used one before and would like to learn about everything it has to offer. Therefore, my first goal is to learn how to use the SmartBoard so that I can incorporate it into my lessons; doing so would exhibit “fluency in technology systems and the transfer of current knowledge to new technologies and situations” (ISTE, 2012). The actions I will take to achieve this goal include consulting my colleagues for help and suggestions in addition to locating a tutorial on the Internet. These actions should show me both how to use the SmartBoard and how to incorporate it into my existing lessons. I will monitor my progress through the use of a timeline. First, I will give myself several weeks to learn how to use the SmartBoard. Ordinarily, I do not think it would take this long, but because the school year has just started, I am quite busy preparing lessons and planning for a course that I have not taught in four years. Then, I will begin including it in my plans by designing a lesson that incorporates the SmartBoard at least once a week. My students can also help me monitor my progress by giving me feedback about our utilization of this technology tool. Once I feel comfortable using it, it will be time to evaluate my learning and decide how it could be advanced. For example, I might choose to research more ways that the SmartBoard could be utilized in class. If anyone has any suggestions for me, please let me know!

Next, a second weakness I have is in relation to the addition of nonfiction texts in the curriculum. Often, my students and I are so focused on the text at hand that I forget how I should be providing students with nonfiction articles and encouraging them to research related events taking place in the world today. This year, I am willing to work harder to “engage students in exploring real-world issues and solving authentic problems using digital tools and resources” (ISTE, 2012). I know that it is essential to create authentic learning activities that are relevant and interesting for students; therefore, my goal is to help my students tackle current topics with my help. In order to accomplish this, I will introduce more nonfiction into the curriculum and ensure that I have included at least one authentic learning activity in each unit. I will help my students to discover important and relevant real-word issues through the utilization of technology, such as Internet research and blogs. I will monitor my progress by taking notes and reflecting upon my notes and lesson plans as I design or review my plans each week. Again, I could seek advice from my colleagues about authentic learning activities with which they have provided their students. It is difficult to determine how I will evaluate and extend my learning at this time. If the exploration of real-world issues during one unit does not go as planned, I will reflect on my lessons and decided how to approach the topic in the future.

References

Nets for teachers. (2012). Retrieved September 11, 2013, from International

     Society for Technology in Education website: https://www.iste.org/standards/nets-for-

     teachers