Reflection

I have been successful in reaching the goals I set for myself and have had digital-age learning experiences and assessments that I already started implementing with my students. As suggested by the Universal Design for Learning (UDL) teachers should allow individual students to access active learning:
• Use out of several media formats to access information; I have started using
some of the tools I have learned in this course with my students in order to successfully reach the NETS-T goals I set out for myself which were:
1. Design and Develop Digital-Age Learning Experiences and Assessments;
2. Engaging in Professional Growth and Leadership;

I feel that this course has had the snowball effect on me, as it started rolling it became bigger until it turned into an avalanche; As I learn more I discover many more tools and procedures to learn. I have already started preparing my personal eportfolio and have started working with tools, such as o lesson builder, unit builder, rubrics, standards and target sets, which are in our Taskstream portfolio.

The immediate adjustments I will make to my instructional practice regarding technology integration in my content areas as a result of my learning from this course are:
• Provide students with more choices in the media , tools and context in which learning will take place;
• Have students demonstrate concepts and skills through the use of varied models of expert performance to allow students to identify with preferred mode;
• Provide multiple examples for multiple intelligences(visual, auditory, kinesthetic)using varied digital tools;
• Provide opportunities to practice skills with various levels of support, and provide ongoing, relevant feedback using digital rubrics and lesson builders;
• Include activities with varied levels of difficulty to challenge students at all levels of ability with a variety of tools.

Maria

GAME Plan Process with my Students

The technology standards and indicators outlined in the NETS-T are necessary for us as teachers to develop for ourselves before we are capable of effectively developing the NETS-S in our students, and as ours is a never-ending process, so is that of our students. We need to be motivated, and need to motivate our students to become self directed lifelong learners.

I will use the GAME plan process with my students to help them develop proficiency in the technology standards and indicators outlined in the NETS-S, which are:
1. Creativity and innovation.
2. Communication and collaboration.
3. Research and information fluency.
4. Critical thinking, problem solving and decision making.
5. Digital citizenship.
6. Technology operations and concepts.

Setting out GOALS:
• Such as use of models and simulations to explore complex systems and issues.
• Incentivize the use of digital learning environments so that students may interact, and collaborate with peers.
• Develop cultural understanding and global awareness by engaging with learners from other cultures and countries.
• Learn how to plan strategies to guide inquiry.
• Learn how to locate, organize, analyze, evaluate, synthesize, and ethically use information from a variety of sources and media.
• Collect and analyze data to identify solutions and/or make informed decisions.
• Advocate and practice safe, legal, and responsible use of information and technology.
• Demonstrate personal responsibility for lifelong learning.
• Understand and use technology systems.

APPLYING:
• Create a social networking site for the students to interact collaboratively. I created a site for a lesson in Ning.com.
• In the future I plan to have them interact in the “flatclassrooms” program with students from other countries, starting off with the topic of global warming and natural resources.
• Have them develop a project, promoting research using the QUEST model.
• Have them use different digital tools to present their final projects.

MONITORING:
• Monitor the development of their work throughout the process in order to readapt if some student is having difficulty.

EVALUATING:
• Formative evaluation throughout.
• Summative evaluation of the final project using a rubric.

Maria

Revising my GAME Plan

The two NETS-T goals I set out to reach were:

1. Design and Develop Digital-Age Learning Experiences and Assessments;
I intended to incorporate digital tools and resources to maximize content learning and develop knowledge skills and self development attitudes in my students.

2. Engaging in Professional Growth and Leadership;
I intended to keep myself informed as to current research and professional practice on a regular basis to make effective use of existing and emerging digital tools and resources in support of students learning as well as teachers learning.

So far I have learned about the existence of different social networking tools that I had never heard about. Wiggio is a tool that I loved because as with the other social networking tools, with this one we are able to have videoconferences with our students when it may be necessary, for example before an important event such as the proton acceleration at the CERN. I was warned by mail that I could link into a certain site to see the collision. With Wiggio I would be able to be with my students to view this event and discuss it with them on the spur of the moment.

I also enjoyed working with Ning which is very much like a wiki although it seems to have greater facility in uploading different types of media. It is also easier to personalize. We are also able to twitter or publish on facebook using this tool.

I am still trying to prepare the e-portfolios for my students. I thought of being able to complete that during this break but I have had to complete the schools security and evacuation plan for evaluation, as we have had many changes because of the optical fibers that had to be installed throughout the school and as the school needed control rooms we had various modifications which affect the overall security of the school. All these excuses to say: I have not reached this goal yet.

When I look at the NETS-T goals I feel that I need to meet all these goals because they are all very important. I cannot meet some and then stop to go off to meet others, they are all linked to one another, therefore I have started off slowly getting myself accustomed to the process and then just have to join in more and more goals. This is a never-ending process.

Next goals:

Model Digital-Age Work and Learning
I want to demonstrate fluency in technology systems and transfer my current knowledge to new technologies and situations. I want to collaborate with students, peers, parents, and community members using digital tools and resources to support student success and innovation. I also want to model and facilitate effective use of current and emerging digital tools to be able to locate, evaluate and use information resources to support research and learning.

Promote and Model Digital Citizenship and Responsibilities
I need to advocate, model, and teach safe, legal and ethical use of digital information and technology. Promote and model digital etiquette and responsible social interactions related to the use of technology and information. I also need to develop and model global awareness engaging with colleagues and students from other cultures, using digital age communication and collaboration tools.

Maria

Laureate Education, Inc. (Producer). (2009). Program ten. Spotlight on Technology: Social Networking and Online Colaboration, Part 1 [Motion picture]. Integrating technology across the content areas. Baltimore: Author
Laureate Education, Inc. (Producer). (2009). Program ten. Spotlight on Technology: Social Networking and Online Colaboration, Part 2 [Motion picture]. Integrating technology across the content areas. Baltimore: Author

Evaluating my GAME Plan Progress

Evaluating my GAME Plan Progress
1. Design and Develop Digital-Age Learning Experiences and Assessments
• How effective were my actions in helping me meet my goals?
I feel that the students are corresponding very well to these digital age learning experiences. I have already started getting work that I have started uploading, with the students´ authorization, to our adult education site. I have still not completed learning how to create a e-portfolio, I am expecting to have time this following week to get into this.

• What have I learned so far that I can apply in your instructional practice?
I have learned that there are some problem based learning strategies I would like to include.

• What do I still have to learn? What new questions have arisen?
I have still to learn about many new digital age tools to be able to implement them in the learning experiences.
I have heard of Rubistar and have seen the site, although I need to experiment, preparing a rubric using this software.

• How will I adjust my plan to fit my current needs?
The plan does not need adjusting, it needs constant updating.

2. Engaging in Professional Growth and Leadership
• How effective were my actions in helping me meet my goals?
I have been learning, but as I get to know more, I realize that I still need to carry on because this process does not end.

• What have I learned so far that I can apply in your instructional practice?
I have learned some more information about Problem Based Learning that may be of utmost importance to my colleagues that are involved in the adult education program with me.

• What do I still have to learn? What new questions have arisen?
I can only say what I need to learn based on what I know now, yet tomorrow I will need more because when I learned what I thought I needed to learn I just discovered that behind that there is so much more. I have to keep an open mind and realize that the more I know in this field the less I feel I know, so I will just have to try to keep up (this is the phrase I could use to be kind on myself).

• How will I adjust my plan to fit my current needs?
My plan is open ended, so I just need to monitor and evaluate periodically to see if I maintain my goal and just carry on engaging in my professional growth as well as leading my peers in the same direction.


Maria