Using
the GAME plan that I developed the first week has given me great insight. We as teachers tell our students all the time
to set goals and write them down because if you write them down, then you will
be more apt to take steps to accomplish them.
Requiring us to choose a goal and write it down has been very
beneficial. Because of this process, I
took the steps necessary to have technology in the form of laptops in my classroom. They were in the school and not being used,
but the GAME plan I developed led me to inquire about possibilities and now my
students have laptops at their disposal each day. The other goal I had set was to be more
active in participating in learning communities to share ideas. Through the process of sharing lessons with
my colleagues in discussion boards, I have realized that I do have wonderful
ideas to share with others myself. As a
modification to both goals, I will continue to monitor and continue participating
in learning communities and discovering technology projects that meet and
enhance our standards.
This
class has encouraged me to change my way of thinking on technology
integration. Before this class, I would
look at old lessons I had used in the past and think “how can I use this lesson
and add in technology?” Now, I can look
at the standards and ask myself, “what can technology do to enhance this
standard and make it more meaningful to my students?” Not every lesson needs to be
technology-based, but it is a strong consideration that technology increases
engagement and motivation which in turn increases learning. To keep the learning meaningful for students,
I think two keys are to make it relevant to them by making it about them, their
interests, or their community, and to give them the opportunity to share and
collaborate on a broader scale. This is
my new goal: to justify to my district why my students should be allowed to
safely share their work with other students in other places and even on safe
social networking sites. Students need
their work validated by someone other than their teachers and parents. Besides, how often do we as adults get
opinions and feedback from just one person?
Students need that opportunity to be part of a global community as well.
