Monitoring My Game Plan

                Time has been my largest struggle in Pursuing my GAME plan.  As I have mentioned in previous posts,  working full time, being a husband/father full time, in grade school full time, and mix in holiday weekend and the end of a school year there is literally no free time in my day.   As much as I want to pursue my GAME plan and use the resources that I have found I simply cannot see where it will all fit.  Can anyone else relate to this?  I think I need to apply what one of the teachers from the week 1 resources suggested (Laureate Education, n.d.)  and set aside 15 minutes of my work day to read blogs or experiment with apps.  If it is structured into my day I will have more accountability in actually using the resources that I have found.

                At this time I do not need to make any major modifications to my GAME plan.  I believe that I have good goals in place it is more of a matter of disciplining me to more actively pursue them.  As my school year winds down there will be more time available to pursue my GAME plan goals.

                In my pursuit of getting more involved in what my district is doing with technology I have come to find that the districts technology committee has disbanded due to lack of participation.  After speaking with my districts technology director I informed her that in spite of there not being a technology committee any more that I would like to be involved as best I can.  She was pretty receptive and excited by my offer.  I have also learned that there are plenty of opportunities to receive professional development in my area.

                As I am looking for ways to integrate more technology into my teaching and trying to be better prepared, one of the questions that I am wrestling with is equitability.  I am unsure if all my students have the same access or comfort level with technology than others.  How can I accommodate this?  What if the technology is a hindrance for some students?  Should they be punished or held accountable for not being able to adequately use certain types of technology?  When I have more time, hopefully I will be able to dive deeper into these questions. 

References

Laureate Education, Inc. (Executive Producer). (n.d.). Integrating technology across the content areas: Promoting self-directed learning with technology. Baltimore, MD: Author.

GAME Plan Resources

Profession development is a large component of my GAME plan.  I want to get involved in what local educators are doing in regards to technology.  I also would like to play a more active role in my district when it comes to technology.   A great resource for professional development is getting involved in an organization called Computer Using Educator (CUE). The mission of CUE is to “CUE inspires innovative learners by fostering community, personalizing learning, infusing technology, developing leadership, and advocating educational opportunities for all. ” (Computer Using Educators, 2015).  CUE is a local affiliate group that is very close to me.   This could be an incredible resource for me.  Another resource to help me achieve my professional development goal is to familiarize myself  with my district’s technology plan and resources.  This will help me to get more involved and act as an anchor document when it comes to implementing change in my classroom and in my efforts to help improve this plan.

My second goal revolved around finding ways to implement digital technologies into my classroom.  A great resource to help my achieve this goal is the blog www.thewiredteacher.com.  This blog is created by educators using technology in their everyday classroom with the purpose of helping other educators do the same.  Their testimonials and examples of what they are doing is a great resource for me.  I will be able to take what they are doing and apply it to my classroom.  By being more active in this community, asking questions, and offering my own feedback it will help me to better implement technology.

References:

Computer Using Educators. (2015). Purpose and vision. Retrieved from www.cue.org.

Hermosa Beach City School District. (2015). 2011 Technology plan. Retrieved from www.hbcsd.org.

www.thewiredteacher.com

Stoking the Fire: Setting and Pursuing Goals Breathes Life Back Into Teaching

            I love teaching!  I feel like I am doing to exact thing that God created me to do.  After ten years in the classroom, the passion is still there, but the fire and drive is dwindling.  I am starting to rely on things I have done in the past rather than working to create new lessons and modes to deliver content.  I believe that the fire is dwindling because I am not pushing myself anymore.  It is like I have put my teaching on cruise control.  Cruise control is boring.  I need to create some goals that will cause myself to work, and hopefully through pushing for these goals I will be able to stoke the fire of my teaching.  The two areas that I would like to focus on come from the International Society for Technology in Education (ISTE) National Education Standards for Teachers (NETS-T). 

            The first goal is in the area of professional involvement.  Standard 5a focuses on getting involved in local learning communities with the goal of improving student engagement by using technology (International Society for Technology in Education).  Time has always been my excuse.  I work a very full work week, I am a father of two adorable young daughters that I want to spend time with, and I am a full time graduate student.  There is not a lot of margin in my day. It is hard for me to imagine finding time to get involved.  Luckily, while I have been in graduate school I have found a great community of colleagues that support and challenge me.  I am more concerned about what happens in October, when I am finished with graduate school.  I need to force myself to get involved in a learning community.  For starters, I should volunteer to be on the district technology committee.  By doing this I will be held accountable for being involved.  It will also force me into being part of the conversation.  Being involved in a community like this will also provide me with what Dr. Ertmer (Laureate Education, n.d.) described as a supportive culture.  If I am involved in a group with a shared goal we will be able to support each other. 

            The second goal is in the area of modeling digital age technology.  Standard 3a alludes to teachers integrating technological tools into their instruction and the ability to demonstrate a familiarity with the different learning tools that are available (International Society for Technology in Education).   I feel like I keep up on the new tools in technology that are available, but I struggle in finding ways to incorporate the technology into my teaching.  My goal is to do a better job planning my instruction so that I can purposefully incorporate technology into my teaching.  I would also like to do a better job modeling using technology to my students.  If I want my students to create a digital storybook, I need to show them an example of one first.  This goal can be accomplished by dedicating time to planning out my instruction and by collaborating with my peers in developing samples and exploring new ways to use technology.

            I feel that these goals will provide the spark that I need to get off the plateau.  I recognize that I cannot do this alone.  I need accountability and support.  Do you have any advice to help me achieve my goals?  

International Society for Technology in Education. (2008). National education standards for teachers (NETS-T). Retrieved fromhttp://www.iste.org/standards/nets-for-teachers

Laureate Education, Inc. (Executive Producer). (n.d.). Integrating technology across the content areas: Enriching content area learning experiences with technology, part 1. Baltimore, MD: Author.