GAME Plan for Technology

When I was introduced to the GAME plan strategy (Goals, Actions, Monitor, Evaluate) it was given as a strategy a teacher could use to help students with self directed activities. Because many students rarely get the opportunity to be self directed in high school, without guidance students can often change self directed activities into do nothing activities. This often occurs, not because the student is lazy, but because the student does not have the tools to be self directed. Teaching students the GAME plan gives them steps to follow when they are engaged in a self directed activity so they will stay on task and succeed at enhancing their own learning.

Well, that was a longer introduction than I had planned on making but the point that I want to get at with this blog is that the GAME plan strategy can be used in all self directed activities, even those of a teacher. If you want to improve in an area of teaching, break out the GAME plan and determine a strategy to facilitate your improvement in that area.

I am going to look at my need to increase the integration of technology into my teaching. To help me I am going to use the National Educational Technology Standards for Teachers (NETS-T). You can view NETS-T at this website: http://www.iste.org/standards/nets-for-teachers.aspx.

First I want to design and develop digital-age learning experiences and assessments. I have spent a lot of time in classes and at workshops learning about different technologies and even creating lessons or units that integrate technology but I am still hesitant to use many of these technologies in my classroom because I am concerned about time restrictions and the possibility that students will not stay on task in these situations. My first goal is to create online inquiry activities that students can use to learn a topic on their own. To achieve this goal I recently set up a Moodle account within my district. I want to take small steps to get to a full inquiry lesson with a product as an assessment. The first step I will take is to make a very structured investigation lesson using Moodle and spend some time talking with my students about the importance of staying on task during the Moodle session so they can get the most out of it. I will have predetermined different websites and activities (such as a class forum) that students will be required to participate in. For each website or activity students will be given a few specific tasks they need to perform to show that they completed the assignment. Once I have had a very structured lesson I can start removing some of the structure. I could give students choices of websites and eventually as them to find a website on their own. I will monitor my progress by comparing each of my Moodle sessions to see if I am allowing students more freedom with each session to be self directed. At the end of the year I will see how far I have come and evaluate to see if the lessons are actually self driven online inquiry or if I am still controlling too much of the activities. Once I have determined where my lessons are at I will see what I need to change. I will also spend some time looking at how I should start the next school year when I introduce students to inquiry activities.

Second I want to facilitate and inspire student learning and creativity. This goal will go hand in hand with the first one. As students are becoming more independent in my lessons I want to increase the amount of flexibility students have to showcase what they learned. I am going to start by giving students specific media with which they are going to present their knowledge. For the first online inquiry students might be required to make a PowerPoint. With subsequent online inquiry lessons I could introduce students to other project options like screencasts, blogs, podcasts, or videos. To begin with each lesson will have a specific project requirement like ‘you must make a screencast’ and once students have been introduced to several media they will be given projects where they can choose their own way to share what they learned. The monitoring and evaluation of this goal will be done in conjunction with the monitoring and evaluation of the first goal. I will make sure throughout the year that I have students do many different projects. One students have been introduced to all of these different options I will then be ready to give my students more creative freedom. I will evaluate how the projects went at the end of the year and think of ways that I might have to adjust the projects.

That’s all for now,

Ryan