Moitoring my GAME plan progress

I have made significant progress toward learning about how other teachers in my school have used the wiki program provided by the school. Two of the teachers I spoke with told me that they have used it with great success. I had many questions about student grouping and assessment for wiki projects. I originally thought that each student or group would be assigned to a different wiki page, but it seems like a better idea to create just one wiki for the class. That way, all students can see everyone else’s work. Each student or group would create a different page, all on the same wiki.

My colleagues also shared some great ways to use the wiki once it is created. They have created projects in which each group is assigned one topic for their page. Once all the pages are created, students read other pages created by other groups. Then they add edits to the page with questions about information that they wanted to learn from the page but did not. The same students are responsible for finding the answers to those questions and posting them. Students are motivated to create thorough pages because they can then use the information on the wiki during an open-wiki quiz.

Discussing wikis with my colleagues was very helpful and sparked a lot of ideas on my part for how wikis can be used. I also feel more confident about using the school-provided program, and I know I can count on my fellow teachers for assistance when I need it.

In working toward the goals of my GAME plan, I have found many educational blogs geared toward technology in the classroom, many of which address wikis. This information is also helpful, as I can learn about how teachers outside of my school are using wikis and other technology. As I read more from teachers around the globe, it becomes clear to me just how large of a gap there is between teachers who use technology and those who do not. Teachers who use technology are very passionate about how keeping abreast of the newest technologies and about thinking of new ways to incorporate technology into instruction. I have found many teachers through educational blogs who can see instructional uses for cell phones and even Facebook! Yet many teachers do not incorporate any technology into teaching and learning at all. It may be hard to believe, but some teachers who still use an overhead projector! While I am not yet at the level of technology gurus like David Warlick, I do have a desire to incorporate technology into instruction. The more I read in the global educational community, the more obvious it is that technology integration is key to student success.

I still have work to do in my action plan. I would like to communicate with more teachers about how they use wikis in their classrooms. I also plan to seek out more resources through online educational communities. At this point, I do not plan to modify my action plan, but rather to keep working with my current plan.

Resources for my GAME plan

The next step in following through with my GAME plan is to identify the resources and additional information that I will need as I work toward my goals. One of my biggest resources will be other teachers, both inside and outside of my school community. My colleagues will be important resources, as I can contact them easily to discuss my goals and actions. I will also contact the technology specialist for my school for information about the wiki software provided by the school. Additionally, I will search for online resources, such as educational technology blogs and learning communities. Therefore, personal contact and the Internet will be my main resources.
So far I have discussed the use of wikis in the classroom in with a few of my colleagues. None of the ones I spoke to have used wikis for instructional purposes, but I now have the names of a few colleagues who have, and I plan to speak with them next.

GAME Plan

After reviewing the National Education Standards for Teachers (NETS-T), I realized that I am not currently doing everything that I can to meet all of the standards and indicators identified in this document. One of the indicators that I feel I can improve upon as a teacher is in my ability to “design or adapt relevant learning experiences that incorporate digital tools and resources to promote student learning and creativity” (International Society for Technology in Education, 2008). While I have tried to incorporate new technologies into my instruction over the past year, I know that I need to continue working toward learning about new resources to use in the classroom. Another indicator that I would like to work on is to “participate in local and global learning communities to explore creative applications of technology to improve student learning” (International Society for Technology in Education, 2008). In order to improve my performance on these two indicators, I have developed a GAME plan, or a self-directed learning plan, according to the steps described by Cennamo, Ross, and Ertmer (2009). My single plan addresses both of the indicators that I am working to improve upon.

Goals:
Learn about how wikis are used to support student learning.
Determine what type of grouping works best when assigning a wiki project to students.
Learn how to assign students to groups within the wiki software provided by my school.
Identify other teachers in my school who have used the wiki software for student projects.
Identify other teachers throughout my county who use the wiki software in their classrooms.
Identify local and global learning communities where wiki and other technology use in the
classroom is discussed.

Action:
Ask other teachers in my school about their use of wikis in the classroom.
Subscribe to technology newsletters and blogs to participate in global learning communities.
Engage in discussions with global learning communities about the use of wikis in the classroom.
Network with other science teachers in my county at professional development events and ask about their use of wikis in the classroom.
Ask other teachers to share what they know about using the wiki software provided by my school.
Ask other teachers how they prefer to group students when assigning a wiki project.
Discuss best practices for assessing wiki projects with other teachers in my school, county, and the global learning community.

Monitor:
I will monitor my action plan weekly and assess my progress toward each of my goals. If necessary, I will make modifications to the action plan in order to meet all of my goals. I will keep a log of all the information that I gather as I carry out my action plan to facilitate the monitoring of my progress.

Evaluate and Extend:
I will evaluate whether or not I have achieved all of my goals as stated. If not, I will adjust my action plan in order to meet my goals. If I have met all of my goals, I will have evidence for each goal in my log. Once my goals are met, I will be able to seamlessly incorporate wiki projects into my curriculum using the software provided by my school. Most importantly, I will do so with confidence in my own abilities and with confidence that the project will lead to student success.

As I reflect on my GAME plan, I am concerned that my plan is too ambitious. My list of goals seems lengthy, but many are interconnected. Also, my action plan addresses each goal that listed, so I should be able to meet each goal successfully. I hope to see much success with my GAME plan, as I often feel overwhelmed by the number of technology tools that are available and the rate at which new technologies emerge. I want to incorporate them into my curriculum, but I get bogged down thinking about how much there is to learn. I developed my GAME plan around the use of wikis because my school provides a wiki tool through BlackBoard, a site that all teachers use to post updates and assignments. Since the software is provided, I do not need to take additional steps to get permission from the school and from parents to use the wiki. Once I master the wiki and use it in a way that enhances student learning, I will develop another GAME plan to determine if and how I can obtain permission to use tools outside of the BlackBoard program.


References:

Cennamo, K., Ross, J. & Ertmer, P. (2009). Technology Integration for Meaningful Classroom Use: A Standards-Based Approach. (Laureate Education, Inc., Custom ed.). Belmont, CA: Wadsworth, Cengage Learning.


International Society for Technology in Education. (2008). The ISTE National Educational Technology Standards and Performance Indicators for Teachers. Retrieved from http://www.iste.org/Content/NavigationMenu/NETS/ ForTeachers/2008Standards/NETS_T_Standards_Final.pdf