So GAME PLAN, How We Doin?

In monitoring my plan, we have come through my second week and my second Friday reflection on my progress.
My first assessment realization: In a world where technology can get student instant results, spending time to learn to apply technology they already own is unappealing.
In my Contemporary Issues in Science classes this week, students took a tour of our school. Some of it has been newly renovated with updated lighting and energy conservation features, while some of it is twenty years old or more. Students brought along their cell phones to take pictures of features to inclued and discuss in their persuasive essay on the need or the challenges of conserving electricity in our high school. Not entirely sure how we'd get each student access to the images on their phones, I was able to rely on the fact that many students knew how to email themselves the photos. Others asked tech savvy students to take photos for them and gave them email addresses to use while easily a third of the class had no idea how to access the images stored on their phone and would rather lose the points in the assignment the photo would earn them than bother with the technology. This surprised me. "Couldn't I just get an image from the internet of a CF lightbulb?"
Second realization: web 2.0 tools are developed so rapidly that tech savvy teachers move on quickly. Needing to get on-the-job-training on the Blackboard Academy blog features, I found out that the district is moving away from that platform. My time and efforts would be better spent designing wiki spaces from free hosts on the web. So back to the drawing board with that goal.
Questions to follow up: Which wiki space will allow me the most free features, but still give me security for student privacy - a requirement fo my district?

Moving Forward with my GAME Plan

Its nearly Friday and time for my first week's Game Plan reflection. Happy with my goals? Yes, and excited as well to bring 21st century techniques to my 21st century learners.

I realize that, in order to improve the quality of my teaching through technology tools, I will need support and the shared expertise of my colleagues and peers. For example, my goal to implement the use of student blogging as a learning and reflecting tool has required me to seek out training in the discussion features on Blackboard Academy - the web page program our school district subscribes to. I have found a colleague in the Social studies department of our high school who has used student discussion boards for two years now and she is guiding me through the steps to moderate student postings. I'm slow at manipulating the program, but getting better. I'll certainly appreciate the mentoring of any colleagues out there using this feature on Blackboard Academy.

I have also run into challenges implementing my students' cell phone use for class projects. Many do not know how to upload photos they've take with their own camera/cell phone. I am having to learn the features of many different phones to guide them. I'll be searching for additional information online about two different phone models in order to assist students unless I can find one program online to coordinate this featue for the students. I am open to suggestions...

My Technology GAME Plan

My GAME PLAN:

There is an organization known as the International Society for Technology in Education. Their National Education Standards provide a guideline for teachers to become proficient in educating students with and through technology. For reference, please follow the link to the standards: http://www.iste.org/Content/NavigationMenu/NETS/ForTeachers/2008Standards/NETS_T_Standards_Final.pdf. This year I have spent a great deal of time in class modeling the use of technology tools and promoting digital citizenship. I both teach and expect the ethical use of online material in student work. I have also made a serious commitment to engage in professional growth in this area by focusing my free time on earning a master’s degree in Instructional Technology. My use of technology to facilitate learning, however, still needs improvement. I have set myself two goals to strengthen my proficiency. The first is to facilitate and inspire student learning and the second is to design and develop digital age learning experiences for my students.

In order to achieve these goals I plan to promote innovative thinking daily in class and develop an online place for student reflection and sharing. I have begun by setting up an online classroom with assignments and handouts posted but will expand, now, and use the discussion features of the software. My high school students come to class loaded down with technology and I plan to use their cell phones and cell phone cameras to full advantage when planning homework assignments and sharing learning. Imagine photographing and uploading your own home’s electricity meter when studying energy conservation. Podcasting from a cell phone when a student is standing by an idling bus or sharing a ride in a carpool is a great way to make understanding greenhouse gas emissions real.

In order to evaluate my progress I will invite colleagues in for peer observation and keep a weekly log --a Friday reflection—about my goals. What I’ve tried and what I feel was successful will inform my teaching practice in years to come.