Week 8: Reflection

As Integrating Technology Across the Curriculum comes to a close, I reflect on the last 8 weeks and notice how much I have learned from this class. I developed a personal GAME plan to accomplish two specific goals: to model collaborative knowledge construction by engaging in learning with students, colleagues, and others in face-to-face and virtual environments and to address the diverse needs of all learners by using learner-centered strategies and providing equitable access to appropriate digital tools and resources. Overall, I feel very accomplished in my first goal and very eager to act on and monitor my second goal.

For my first goal, I designed a unit plan in which students were to complete a problem-based assignment by developing a plan and presenting via a video social networking tool, Safari Live Montage. My students where to find ways to create a "skeeter-free" picnic. We used various internet sites and technological tools to develop background information of the characteristics of mosquitoes in which we presented our information with a live web-conference using Safari Live Montage. After presenting our information, we developed a GAME plan to eliminate anything in our picnic area that would promote the reproduction and survival of mosquitoes. My students developed and presented their plans using VoiceThread. In order to teach with these Web 2.0 tools, I had to master them myself first. By doing various tasks at home using both programs, I felt comfortable enough to teach my class how to use them. Overall, it was a huge success and I can't wait to do it again next year.

As for my second goal, now that it is summer time, I finally have time to sit down and reflect on all the lesson I taught throughout the year to see how I can use technology to create more learner-centered activities to improve my students' understanding of each concept I teach. Next year will be a huge year as I try many things for the first time and monitor their effectiveness compared to the original lesson's effectiveness. I have currently "teched-up" my first Math unit and my first two ILA units. I am very eager to try out everything next year,

The second goal will result considerable and immediate change to the way I teach my classroom. This being my second year teaching second grade, I am now familiar with the curriculum so it is time for me to take more risks in my lessons, something I was afraid to do my first year with the curriculum. Another change in my teaching will be the student use of a GAME plan. I really found the value of the GAME plan process and will start off my second graders with setting short term goals to accomplish long term achievements using the GAME plan process. Once again, last year I was really concentrating on learning the new curriculum and rarely had time to integrate things out of the standard lessons.

And to finish things off, personally, I've always been a very reflective teacher. The GAME plan process has given me another way to reflect on each lesson I teach and each decision I make, thus making me a stronger educator. As I go into my second year teaching second grade, I am excited about the possibility of it being my most productive and effective year yet!

NETS-S in my Classroom

After viewing the NETS-S at International Society for Technology in Education website, I see a direct correlation between the NETS-T (National Educational Technology Standards for Teachers) and the NETS-S (National Educational Technology Standards for Students). Just like teaching any subject or concept, teachers need to first understand the concept in its entirety in order to properly teach it in the classroom. The standards in the NETS-T basically align witht he numbered standards of the NETS-S.

As a second grade teacher, goal setting is a very important skill to develop, but also very difficult for second graders because they don't truly know what they are goal setting for. Although at this age, some of the standards may seem near impossible for such a young child to accomplish, Communication and Collaboration and Digital Citizenship are two standards they could really strive for using a GAME plan. First we would work as a class and discuss each standard and ways we could accomplish them, thus setting our Goal and moving into our Action plan. As they are carrying out their Action plan, careful Monitoring by both students and teacher need to occur to ensure proper monitoring. Finally, they may evaluate their GAME plan and change if needed. I feel that starting students setting goals at this age will be extremely beneficial in the future.

GAME Plan Progress

We are in the last two weeks of school in my county and I have a great sense of pride and accomplishment as a result of my class's performance with our Safari Montage Live lesson. With that being over, I promised myself I would work on my second goal: to address the diverse needs of all learners by using learner-centered strategies and providing equitable access to appropriate digital tools and resources.

This week, I began packing up my room and decided to snag the first two reading units and the first two math units to look at over the summer. With these learning guides, I will reflect upon each lesson I taught during these units and come up with at least one way to integrate technology in both subjects once per week. With the year coming to a close, I will finally have enough time to think beyond my set curriculum during the summer to really get the ball rolling with my second goal.

GAME Plan Update

As of Friday, I have made considerable progress in meeting my first goal: to become more proficient facilitatin the web conferencing tool Safari Montage Live. My class became expert entomologists on the physical characteristics of mosquitos, their life cycle, similarities and differnces between male and female, how they are harmful or helpful, and how to create an unfriendly schoolyard in preparation for Friday's web conference. They wrote a script to share with another class and we did a live we conference discussing each of their areas of study. The two classes involved took turns presenting their information via Safari Montage Live and we wrapped up our conference by completing a compare and contrasting venn diagram on our chalkboards that were visible through the webcam. Overall, it was a huge success, but next time, I would like to become more familiar with the interactive whiteboard feature in Safari Montage Live. Now that this is over and I have reevaluated my first goal, next week I plan on putting more concentration into my second goal.