Walden University – Course 6713: Week 8 Reflection

Reflection on my GAME plan:

I developed my GAME plan based on parts of the NETS for Teachers, 3C regarding effectively corresponding with parents through the use of current technologies, and 4A concerning teaching “legal and ethical use of” technology and online content (ISTE, 2008). During this course I discussed my thoughts and plans with my colleagues and came to a decision to create a class blog where I could add parent emails and manually sign them up to received emails anytime I posted an update regarding assignments, assessments, projects, etc. It was a bit difficult to collect parent email this late in the year, and therefore had to seek other means to obtain this information. Another obstacle presented itself once the blog was set up and the emails were added, which was manually changing each users’ settings to auto-receive these update emails. It basically came down to the parents “signing up” for this feature, which was a little disappointing to me. However, as one colleague pointed out, some parents would prefer to check the blog site themselves, than to receive these automatic emails. In the end, I believe I was successful in providing an open channel for relaying information to parents.

As for, teaching legal and ethical issues, I believe that having a quick MLA style guide for myself has made it easier and more convenient for me to check student work and therefore I have consistently been adding an assignment requirement for students to include in their projects the resources from their research. Additionally, I have witnessed my students voluntarily pulling out their MLA Style Guide reference cards to assist them during their assignments.

New learning that resulted from your following your GAME plan and impact it will have on your instructional practice

By using the GAME plan I was better able to focus on specific needs I had and goals I wanted to accomplish. Once I identified a goal, I had to plan ways to accomplish that goal. Through constant monitoring and evaluation, I was able to determine if my action plan was working or if it need to be modified my plan in any way. This has given me new insights into how I can integrate this learning strategy with the student-led method of learning in order to better help students form their own questions, come up with their own solutions, then monitor and decide if that solution is appropriate or if they need to think of another approach.

Are there any immediate instructional practice adjustments regarding technology integration in your content area(s) as a result of your learning from this course?

My main instructional practice adjustments would be to use more social media tools online, as allowed by our district. It’s a great way for the students to communicate, collaborate, share ideas, and explore new options…just like educators use in their “professional learning communities.”

Shanna Falgoust

Resources:
International Society for Technology in Education. (2008). NETS for teachers 2008. Retrieved January 13, 2011, from http://www.iste.org/standards/nets-for-teachers/nets-for-teachers-2008.aspx