Reflection

The GAME plan that we were introduced to at the beginning of this course has really been useful.  It is a great way to keep lessons organized and running more smoothly.  The GAME plan is an easy strategy to use and create.  When looking back at the GAME plan I created at the beginning of this course, I am happy to say that I was very successful in most aspects of it.  After implementing the plan, I do not feel like I need to change much about it.  I am excited to continue using the GAME plan strategy to help keep me organized in my lessons.  This will not only be beneficial to me, but also to my students.

The goal for my GAME plan was to introduce my students to more technology.  I do feel that I have done this to some extent.  Even though our time is limited in the computer lab, I introduced my students to a couple more things to do on the computer.  One thing we did was make concept maps.  We created a concept map that pertained to the life cycle of a butterfly.  I also introduced my students to podcasting.  We used podcasting to record ourselves reading nursery rhymes.  This was then turned into a workstation in the classroom, where the students could listen to the nursery rhymes.  The students really enjoyed doing this activity because it was something all students were capable of completing regardless of their ability level. 

I also wanted to start using a document camera, and I was partially successful with this.  While I did not actually get to use one this year, I was successful in my bid to get one installed in my classroom this summer. I am very excited about this and look forward to using it next year.  I am also thrilled with the fact that I took action and made it successful. 

Anyway, when monitoring the above-mentioned activities, I found it easiest to place the students in small groups. By observing the students doing the activities on a daily basis, I was able to give them proper feedback in a timely fashion. This also allowed me to have conferences with the students when appropriate. I used these conferences to provide aid when they were struggling or to push them more when they needed to move on.

            When I think about using technology in my classroom, my views have changed.  I know the importance of using technology in the classroom, but honestly I have not done the best job possible.  It is crucial to introduce students to technology, even at the young age I teach.  The students need to be prepared for the 21^st century working world and all the technology used in it.  When it comes to problem based learning, I am still a little skeptical about using it.  It is a very time consuming process.  I know that I need to put my opinion aside and introduce my students to it and see how it goes.  I will be doing this next school year. 

With regards to social networking/ online collaboration, I was nervous at first because I knew very little about it.  After learning more, however, I am now anxious to start the online collaboration in my room.  I know that the students will benefit so much from this.  I am also excited to start digital storytelling in my classroom.  I honestly thought that my students were too young for a lot of these programs.  I have since come to realize that they are capable of doing these things.  It may not be to the same degree as older students, but they can be introduced and start working with these mediums.

In short, this course has given me so many opportunities to further incorporate technology with my students. It has been a real eye opener. Previously, I did not believe my students were capable of all this, but they have proven me wrong.  I will definitely be using a lot more technology in my class and lessons next school year.

GAME Plan and Resources Road Block

As I move forward with my GAME plan I continue to struggle with getting the necessary resources.  One thing I needed was more time in the computer lab.  Our lab is completely booked all day every day. As a result, I am having troubles getting my students extra time in addition to the time we are already allotted.  As far as the document camera, I have been successful in locating this.  I will be one of five classrooms to have this installed over the summer.  I am very anxious to get my hands on it and start learning to use it with my students next year.  I have found out that there is one in our building already. So I am now attempting to get my hands on that so that I can try it out a bit before school lets out for the summer.

My action plan is to get my kindergarten students exposed to more technology and allow them to use things beyond interactive Web sites.  I still believe this action is reasonable — and with the assistance of my colleagues, this will be successful.  I need to start off slow with my students and gradually build on their knowledge.

So far I have learned that kindergarten students are capable of using more technology than I anticipated in the beginning.  My students typically come to school with no computer (let alone Internet) experience. Having said that, they are still capable of learning different uses of technology.

I am still looking for more ideas that will allow my students to use more technology.

Moving on with the GAME Plan

In order to carry out my GAME plan I am going to need more computer time, increased access to computers and a document camera. I will also need the aid and cooperation of colleagues. By working together in groups, we can better assist the students in creating items like Wikis and pod casts.

In terms of additional information, I really need ideas on more types of technology that I can utilize in my kindergarten classroom. As I previously said, my lessons have mainly been limited to Internet usage as a result of the fact that I teach five- and six-year-olds.

Thus far I have gotten the ball rolling by having my students create a concept map. We focused on the life cycle of a butterfly and detailed the various developmental stages a butterfly goes through en route to transforming from a caterpillar to a winged creature. To study the butterfly, the students watched a virtual documentary online that explained the stages of transformation. Afterward, they used the Internet to create a concept map. 

A GAME Plan for Technology Integration

I teach Kindergarten in a school that has a low socio-economic status. Approximately 80 percent of the students in my school are on the free or reduced lunch program. Because my students are so young, and because they have typically received extremely limited exposure to most forms of technology at home (the exception being video games), it has been quite difficult for me to integrate technology into my classroom in a substantial manner. I have worked hard recently to introduce them to more technology, and formulating a GAME plan will represent a big step in my attempt at getting this done.

At this point in time, with regards to technology standards, my biggest deficiencies are in Standard 2c and Standard 2b. Customizing and personalizing learning activities to address students' diverse learning styles, working strategies, and abilities using digital tools and resources (2c) is difficult with children in the age group I teach. While their learning styles are in fact quite diverse, their abilities with digital tools and resources are quite limited. As a result of this, I have struggled to come up with ways to adequately cover this standard. Additionally, developing technology enriched learning environments that enable all students to pursue their individual curiosities and become active participants in setting their own educational goals, managing their own learning, and assessing their own progress is difficult when I have such limited access to technology in my school. To date, my use of technology has primarily been limited to 40 minutes per week in the computer lab. This is the only access to the lab my class is permitted. We do not have much of a budget to work with, so our supplies are scarce. As you might imagine, getting new and expensive technology in individual classrooms in my district rarely happens without the help of a grant. Unfortunately, those are hard to come by in my area due to the high level of need.

My goal with regards to each of these standards is to use more diverse learning activities that incorporate technology. When we do get lab time, we mainly visit interactive websites. The children enjoy this, but I feel like I need to include other forms of technology. My action plan would be to begin using a document camera to increase the level of interactivity in my classroom. I also intend to begin introducing the students to different mediums such as podcasts and wikis, etc. At first glance, this seems a bit above their learning levels. However, I have discovered that with the right guidance these kids are capable of understanding the basics of these mediums.

I will monitor their progress in these areas by personally overseeing the instruction and interactive time granted to them. I have an full-time assistant in my room to help me with projects such as this. Because I can dedicate a portion of our learning time each week to these subjects, I will be able to immerse myself in overseeing the work of the kids when we work on these programs. By placing them in small groups, that allows me and my assistant to move from group to group to monitor their work.

As for evaluation, I will be able to know whether these methods are working by simply observing the students as they work in groups and by reflecting afterwards on what worked and what did not. I will have real-time knowledge of what areas they struggle with, which will help me determine what should be changed in the plan the next time we work on these types of assignments.

Reference:
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

Reflection

My personal theory of learning has been based on the different learning styles I have encountered.  I believe that all students learn differently.  After completing this course and thinking back about my personal theory of learning, I have come to realize that my theory was not entirely incorrect.  During this course we learned about different theories and strategies that can be used in each lesson to teach every student.  There are nine different learning strategies to choose from that can be incorporated into lessons.  Using technology is a great way to help incorporate more strategies and to get the students more involved in learning.  I never realized how many different options there were to incorporate technology.  I also thought a lot of what I would learn would prove to be too hard for my kindergarten students.  I have come to realize that every technology tool we learned about in this class can be adapted so that my young students can utilize them.  I have no fear of letting my students use technology; I was just not up on it myself.  As a result of this course, I will definitely be making changes in terms of how I use technology in my classroom.

One immediate adjustment that I will make to my instructional practice regarding technology tools is this: I am going to let my students get more involved.  I am going to focus more on learning tools rather than instructional tools.  I am definitely going to introduce and continue using concept maps to my students.  This is going to help my students process and organize an assignment better.  Also, using visual representations will help kindergarten students make connections and enable them to store the learned information in their long-term memory. 

Another technology tool I would like to use in my classroom is virtual field trips.  Due to budget cuts, our school district has slashed all field trips.  Using virtual field trips will allow me to give my students the opportunity to experience things outside of the school. 

One long-term goal I have is to use technology as a learning tool instead of an instructional tool.  I want to get my students using technology more and get them more involved in learning.  I am going to start creating lesson plans that are designed to get the students involved.  Another long-term goal is to make sure I stay more up to date with all the technology available.  I always thought I knew a lot about technology, but after taking the last two courses I really did not know how much was out there for students to use. That being said, I am so excited to find new technology to incorporate into my lessons.  I know I still have a lot more to learn, but I feel more confident in using different types of technology now.

Voicethread

This is the link to my voicethread.  I chose to use documents based on large class sizes and with limited technology.  I have never done this before, so I hope you enjoy.

www.voicethread.com/share/1701154

Social Learning Theory

According to Dr. Orey, a social learning theory occurs when students actively engage in constructing artifacts and conversing with each other.  It is said that conversation helps students understand.  For my part, I do believe that students work better when they are placed in groups and are encouraged to communicate with more knowledgeable others (MKO).  Teaching others helps the learner develop a deeper understanding of the content.

The cooperative learning strategy goes hand in hand with the social learning theory.  According to Pitler, Hubbell, Kuhn and Malenoski, cooperative learning focuses on having students interact with each other in groups in ways that enhance their learning.  The use of technology is huge in cooperative learning, because it allows groups to work together even when they cannot make face-to-face contact.  It can also help facilitate group collaboration and provide structure for group tasks.  Examples of use of technology for cooperative learning groups include: multimedia, web resources, keypals, webquests and web site creation.

I do incorporate a lot of cooperative learning in my classroom on a daily basis. In fact, I believe that it is a very important component.  However, I honestly have not done it with the use of technology.  I teach Kindergarten, which means I have to spend a lot of time on the fundamental building blocks of education.  However, I do believe my young students could do a cooperative group learning project with technology if they were given the proper guidance.

References:

Laureate Education, Inc. (Social learning theory). (2011). Bridging learning theory, instruction and technology. Baltimore: Orey M.

Pitler, H., Hubbell, E., Kuhn, M., & Malenoski, K. (2007). Using technology with classroom instruction that works. Alexandria, VA: ASCD.