Revising Your GAME Plan for NETS-T

My first goal is still to become more “proficient and confident in promoting and modeling digital etiquette and responsible social interactions related to the use of technology and information,” (NETS-T, 2008). After engaging in the resources throughout this Walden class I have learned that I will not only need to become proficient in how to use these tools, but also in how to creatively incorporate them into my already existing curriculum. I am convinced that by doing so I can create experiences where regardless of the content or subject area being taught in a classroom, my students can work collaboratively in small groups, learn more, and retain it because they are satisfied with the experience, (Hargis, & Wilcox, 2008). Online collaboration allows for this social group work and improves the amount or frequency of feedback that a student receives. I plan to incorporate a number of Problem Based Learning Lessons that reflect the use on online collaboration and promote in-depth understanding of subject-area content while simultaneously developing student’s higher-order thinking skills (Ertmer & Simons, 2006). I am looking forward to my students becoming more comfortable with this process and therefore being self-directed learners.


Additionally, I have learned that student participation can easily be assessed using a checklist to record when students shared data, analyzed data, and completed writing tasks, (Trundle, Willmore, & Smith, 2006); and plan to enlist the help of my colleagues to develop such checklists and assessments for the projects that we create. I really do believe that, together we can overcome some of the challenges we face when deviating from traditional instruction and standards for which students are tested at the end of the year. A new goal that I am now working towards is to “use my knowledge of subject matter, teaching and learning, and technology to facilitate experiences that advance student learning, creativity, and innovation in both face-to-face and virtual environments,” (NETS-T, 2008). When engaged in online learning, the primary means of communication is to read and write to interact with others on the same network. This, in itself, promotes the strengthening of reading and writing skills, the participation in authentic experiences with others, and the idea that we can learn from one another,” (Laureate Education, Inc., 2008). Creativity and asynchronous teamwork will need to be a large part of achieving this goal, as well as the continued revision of already created lessons.


References:

Ertmer, P., & Simons, K. (Spring 2006). Jumping the PBL implementation hurdle: Supporting the efforts of K-12 teachers. The Interdisciplinary Journal of Problem-Based Learning, 1(1), 40-54. Retrieved from http://docs.lib.purdue.edu/cgi/viewcontent.cgi?article=1005&context=ijpbl.

Hargis, J., & Wilcox, S. M. (2008, October). Ubiquitous, free, and efficient online collaboration tools for teaching and learning. Turkish Online Journal of Distance Education, 9(4), 9–17.

Laureate Education, Inc. (Producer). (2008). Program Ten. Spotlight on Technology: Social Networking and Online Collaboration , Part One [Motion picture]. Integrating technology across the content areas. Baltimore: Author.

Trundle, K. C., Willmore, S., & Smith, W. S. (2006, March). The MOON project. Science and Children, 43(6), 52–55.

National Education Standards for Teachers (NETS-T) located at http://www.iste.org/Content/NavigationMenu/NETS/ForTeachers/2008Standards/NETS_T_Standards_Final.pdf.