In reference to my original GAME plan that I created for this course, I believe that I have done a good job carrying out a variety of actions in order to achieve my technological goals in my classroom. My first goal was to learn how to utilize my SmartBoard. Not only have I learned how to use it, I have been comfortable using it almost every day. I have used it to show a film, give students notes, and present a PowerPoint. Next week, my students will use it for the first time when they become the teachers for a day and teach the rest of the class about their assigned myth. I plan to use my SmartBoard much more and for different purposes throughout the year. In the future, I plan to have my students use it for demonstrative purposes and to use it as a template for review games. I am happy knowing that I am comfortable using all of the technology that I have available to me in my classroom.
The second aspect of my GAME plan concerned the addition of more nonfiction texts in my curriculum. Thus far in the school year, I have provided all of my students with nonfiction articles that connect to the literature we have been reading together. First, during my American literature class's reading of Gordon Korman's Jake, Reinvented and viewing of The Great Gatsby, my students read several newspaper and online articles about the pursuit of the American dream. My freshman class that started the year with Laurie Halse Anderson's Speak read a newspaper article about surviving 9th grade. My other freshman class that read Sharon M. Draper's Forged by Fire read many authentic examples of newspaper articles in preparation for their creation of a newspaper based on the events that take place in the book. I have been very successful in this particular goal so far, and I plan to continue on this path. Similarly, I have designed several authentic learning tasks for this course, and I am excited to implement when we begin those units. I am confident that my students will enjoy my lessons and have excellent learning experiences.
While the GAME plan process can be a very helpful experience for teachers, it can also be used by students. I have already started using it with my 9th Grade Academy students. My academy students were enrolled in this transitional program to help them achieve success during their first year of high school. In order for them to become successful, I thought that it would be a good idea to have them write down their academic, extracurricular, social, and physical goals for the school year. They also wrote down a plan of action for each of these goals. Throughout the school year, the other academy teachers and I will meet with our students to discuss their progress and whether any changes need to be made in their plans. I am eager to see how the GAME plan idea works for my students by the end of the school year. By June, I hope that my students will have accomplished most, if not all, of their goals.
In addition to the GAME plan, I have learned about a few new ways of incorporating technology into my classes. First, I have learned about digital storytelling and plan to use it very soon during my vocabulary lessons. Also, while my students are using PowerPoint for their very first presentation, they will use a different type of digital storytelling technology, such as Photo Story or Prezi, for their next presentation. Next, this class gave me more experience with the utilization of social networking and online collaboration in the classroom. One of my classes has already create their own blogs, and I will be doing the same with my other classes in the near future. Furthermore, I would like to use a wiki in my classroom for the first time this year. I just haven't figured out within which unit I would like to use a wiki yet. Third, I learned more about problem-based learning. I am pleased with the PBL project that I created for this course, and I am excited to implement it during my To Kill a Mockingbird and Of Mice and Men unit later this year.
Overall, I believe that, with the knowledge gained in this course, I have the ability to strengthen my instructional practices and improve my units and daily lessons. I am eager to begin using everything I have learned this year!
