Reflecting on my GAME Plan Achievement

Participating in the course Integrating and Technology Across Content Areas at Walden University has immersed me the GAME plan framework as a structured means of planning for both my own new knowledge endeavors as well as those of my students.  This course challenged me to begin my GAME plan with the ISTE standards in order to create specific and attainable goals for my learning and then created learning experiences that would seamlessly and successfully facilitate my movement through the remaining steps of the GAME plan. 

            Beginning my GAME plan with the standards was an indispensable first step that allowed for an extremely focused goal that I could break down into more specific and manageable subtopics.  For my goals I decided on standard 1b “engage students in exploring real-world issues and solving authentic problems using digital tools and resources” and standard 1c “promote student reflection using collaborative tools to reveal and clarify students’ conceptual understanding and thinking, planning, and creative processes” (ISTE, 2008).  This course at Walden required that I develop a problem-based learning unit that indeed linked directly to the first standard I decided to take action on.  I learned a variety of techniques for the development of project-based learning units that are tied to real-world problems such as the consideration of situational dilemmas, community issues, puzzling matters, and looking for improvements (Laureate Education Inc., 2009).  Authentic problems are the catalyst for authentic student motivation and so it is important that my problem-based units begin with real-world problems.  As I move forward in my instructional practice, I have learned through my experiences with the GAME plan to begin with my standards and then technology can be used to research real-world problems that would allow my students an opportunity to practice the standards in an authentic manner.

            My second GAME plan goal was comprised of both reflective and collaborative opportunities smoothly integrated into Week 6 of this course.  By designing a Social Networking lesson plan, I was forced to consider both the benefits and challenges of a collaborative approach to learning.  The lesson plan that I designed focused primarily on the use of a collaborative tool (Blog) as a means of clarifying understanding and thinking while engaged in the discussion of literature.  In the future, I plan to immerse myself and my students in the online networking sites, in order to engage them in the more authentic aspects of online learning where they will experience diversity outside of our classroom members.  Throughout the course, the act of blogging facilitated all parts of the game plan from the setting of goals through the process of monitoring my progress.  Similarly, in my lesson plan development, I was asked to consider how I would be monitoring/assessing my students progress.  Assessment is not simply an act reserved for the end of a unit but should instead be an integral part of the process throughout.  I have learned that collaborative technology tools such as Google Docs and Socrative.com can allow for more monitoring opportunities.  Additionally, I came to understand the importance of ensuring that the activities a student engages in throughout a unit should match up to the method of evaluation at the end of the unit.  For this reason, I feel it is extremely important whenever possible to include students in the development of the summative rubric as well as providing an opportunity for students to use the rubric for self or peer assessment. 

            Many adjustments to my instructional practice will take place as a result of my learning in this course.  First and foremost, I plan to integrate more opportunities for Digital Storytelling into my practice.  I have always been intrigued by Digital Storytelling but wasn’t quite sure how I could work it into my curriculum outside of the most traditional storytelling lessons.  This course has challenged me to consider more ways that this technological tool could be widely used at several points in the learning process.  Once again, by reflecting on my content standards first, I can then move towards using this technology tool to help students practice necessary skills.  I can see allowing my students to practice the GAME plan protocol for learning using Digital Storytelling in their own unique way.  For example, if the standard we are practicing is persuasive writing, I could challenge my students to select a controversial issue and then use digital storytelling to practice persuasive skills in their own unique way (advertisement, PSA, commercial, etc).  The students could create the goal for learning and then I could walk them through the remainder of the GAME plan steps for the goals they have set using technology as a tool throughout. 

            The Walden University course Integrating Technology Across Content Areas has immersed me in the learning experiences that I should be offering my students more regularly.  The world they will be charged with in the future demands that students know how to world on solving problems, networking, collaborating, and conveying messages using technology in the most efficient and effective manner possible.  Therefore, it is my responsibility to provide students with the learning experiences that will allow them to practice the skills and knowledge they will need for tomorrow.

References: 

Laureate Education, Inc. (Executive Producer). (2009). Integrating technology across the

content areas: Spotlight on technology: Problem-based learning, part 1.

Baltimore, MD: Author.

Standards for Teachers. (2008). Retrieved July 8, 2015, from

http://www.iste.org/standards/ISTE-standards/standards-for-teachers