Integrating
Technology Across the Curriculum has been one of the classes where I feel like
I finally see it all coming together.
This class has been challenging in a variety of ways, but most
importantly, I realized some attitudes I needed to change about myself and
teaching. I have found myself being much
more comfortable with technology and the way it is used in the classroom. Being in a very limited technology classroom,
I have discovered ways to push what little I do have to the limits and stretch
it for the benefit of the children in my classroom. I discovered a way to do so by using the GAME
plan for self directed learning. GAME
stands for developing goals, actions or steps to take in achieving those goals,
a system for monitoring the achievement of those goals, and evaluating results
or whether or not the goals have been reached or changes that need to be made
(Laureate Education, Inc. 2009). Utilizing
the GAME plan, I was able to research and make changes that helped my teaching,
although there are many areas I still need to improve.
At the beginning
of this course, I evaluated my strengths and weaknesses against the ISTE NETS-T
Standards to determine areas for improvement.
The first standard I saw room for improvement in is Standard 3c:
Communicate relevant information and ideas effectively to students, parents,
and peers using a variety of digital age media and formats (ISTE, 2008). The second standard I attempted to address
through my GAME plan is Standard 1c: Promoting student reflection using
collaborative tools to reveal and clarify students’ conception understanding
and thinking, planning, and creative processes (ISTE, 2008). Both standards proved overwhelming in the
amount of options to go about improving.
I chose the area I wanted to focus on was improving communication with
my parents by using a classroom newsletter in which students would collaborate
to create. Although I started pursuing
each standard separately, they both merged into one GAME plan through the
creation of a student newsletter blog.
However, as I moved out of the action phase into monitoring and
evaluating, I discovered that one of the biggest challenges was getting my
students to be excited about the blog.
They started out pretty excited about sharing about what they had been
learning, but I think I may have burned them out by asking them to update it
weekly. After Christmas break, I plan to
make it either biweekly or monthly so my students do not get burned out on and
feel like they are not repeating themselves on the blog. I also plan to begin incorporating different
tech tools to create the newsletter and embed on the blog.
The
GAME plan has impacted my instruction in that it is really a model for lifelong
learning to my students. I have shared
with them about this process and encouraged them to apply to something they
want to learn, maybe not even school related, although on a simpler level since
they are only in fourth grade. I admit,
I was skeptical about implementing this process into the lesson plans created
as part of this course, but after doing so I am finding that it was much easier
than I thought. I am used to lesson
planning being time consuming, but this actually simplified the process by
having a structure to the lessons that was consistent. Although I am not sure I could apply the GAME
plan in every situation, it did push me to try implementing new technology,
such as digital storytelling. Above all,
lessons designed using the GAME plan are engaging my students in new ways that
forces them to build important twenty-first century skills such as working
collaboratively, problem solving, and self-directed learning. I am also addressing standards in authentic
learning experiences.
This
class has taught me the importance of using technology as a way to
differentiate instruction. I teach in a
very unique situation in that I have only a few kids at a time. However, those kids deserve to have the same
experiences as they would in a regular classroom by engaging with classmates
and projects that spark their interests.
In addition, I am working with the parents to help them understand why
online collaboration and project based learning is important. Right now, they have allowed me to create
anonymous accounts for their students and have asked that I keep everything
private online, but I am hoping with a little discussion about the merits of
some of the Web 2.0 tools out there, they will come around and open up to
interacting with classrooms across the nation and around the world. One of my short term goals is to include a
problem-based learning, collaborative learning, and/or digital storytelling
lesson in each grading period. Although
I did manage to do all three with the unit created in this class, I think
realistically I need to start small and work my way up to incorporating them
all of the time in every lesson.
Above all, I feel
that I have gained a better understanding of how to infuse technology in
content to act as a support in developing both creative and critical thinking
(Laureate Education, Inc., 2009). Gone
are the days when students should go to “computer class” but instead be
actively using the technology in the classroom to support content. It can also be a valuable tool for assessment
by not only allowing students to create in different ways, but also by
gathering data that is needed to inform instruction (Cennamo, Ross, &
Ertmer, 2009). Learning objectives and
teaching methods must first be determined, and then technology chosen based
upon what will support the learning objectives (Laureate Education, Inc., 2010). I often have to remind myself to respect the
data collected. It is a way to see not
only the growth of my students, but also the effectiveness of my instruction.
As I look forward
to the last semester of this program, it amazing to see how far I have come in
just a year. At times it has been a test
of endurance and patience, but I feel those are lessons from the classroom as
well. With anything, it will take time
to implement all of the important practices I have learned, and even then I am
not sure that I will ever consider myself to be a master teacher. After all, if there is nothing else to learn,
what kind of example am I setting to my students? I want to continue to model that learning
does not stop when they finish school, but is a lifelong adventure.
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).
National education standards for teachers (NETS-T). Retrieved
from http://www.iste.org/Libraries/PDFs/NETS_for_Teachers_2008_EN.sflb.ashx
Laureate Education, Inc. (Executive Producer). (2009). Integrating
technology across the content areas. Baltimore, MD:
Author.
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