Reflecting on My GAME Plan

I believe my original GAME plan was good, but much too ambitious for me at this point in my personal and professional life. My original goals focused on finding real world scenarios with which to incorporate technology into my classroom. I would like to continue with these same goals, but I will modify my plan to achieve them. Originally, I planned to keep a list of strategies I wanted to use, ans write a reflection each time I tried one. This was far too time consuming, as I had too broad of a focus. Although I was able to find many programs and applications I would like to use, figuring out how to implement them into my classroom, and then reflecting on them proved to be more work than I originally thought.

            I also suffered a setback when I was informed that I am not permitted to have my students register for Google accounts, which are required for most Google applications. Up to that point, I had focused solely on these applications. I did, however, come up with a few lesson ideas using Google forms, which I can create and use with my own Google account. I have already started using Google forms for one class of my students to respond to a critical thinking question each class period. So far, this has worked out beautifully, especially because the problem of lost papers has been eliminated.

            My immediate adjustment to my GAME plan has to do with time management of my plan. I plan on setting aside about fifteen minutes a few times a week to learn about new technologies. I will select a content standard to focus on, and look for technologies to use for that particular standard. This way, I will not get so overwhelmed, and I will already have an idea of the lesson I will create using this technology.

            I plan to introduce all of my students to the GAME plan. At the start of the new semester, I plan on starting a self-directed learning unit for my students. I will teach them how to create their own GAME plans. I foresee this taking quite a bit of effort on my part to monitor progress and help students achieve their goals, but I believe that once I show them how to be more self sufficient, this will carry over to other academic areas, and to their lives in general.

            I am excited to start using digital storytelling with my students. Many of them are anxious about speaking in front of the class, so I think pre-recording their digital stories will make this process more painless for them. 

Continuing with my GAME plan

I have found several resources to help me incorporate digital tools into my classroom. I have focused on the use of Google docs and Google forms. My original plan was to start searching for resources on the site http://www.teacherspayteachers.com. My original search did not turn up much. I did find a few documents about creating a quiz using Google forms, but my Walden colleagues had already suggested resources for doing just that. I was able to locate a video that explains Google docs that I can use to introduce the program to my students. This video can be found here. I am excited to show my students how they can work together using this program and how they can give each other feedback on their own time.

I have inquired about making Google accounts for each of my students. So far, I have not been given permission to do this. I am trying to adapt my plans so that they are still workable even if my request is denied. I hope that I am able to create Google accounts, so that I can show my students the applications available for use with the Google Chrome browser, in addition to Google Docs.