Developing my Personal GAME Plan

My students deserve a teacher who has a desire to be a continual learner. The GAME plan as outlined by Cennamo, Ross, and Ertmer (2009) provides easy steps for self-directed learning. After reviewing the NETS-T standards, I feel that focusing on two areas will directly influence my effectiveness as a teacher and a proponent of technology integration in the classroom.

Set Goals:
My goals fall under the Model Digital-Age Work and Engage in Professional Growth and Leadership categories. My first goal is to become more knowledgeable about my soon to come Interactive Whiteboard and how to effectively integrate it into my Kindergarten classroom. My second goal is to become an active member of the school technology committee to ensure that technology integration in the classroom is being recognized as an issue of importance.

Take Action to meet those goals:
To become more knowledgeable about my Interactive Whiteboard, I plan to attend any offered trainings and communicate with those that have already successfully integrated its use in their classroom via educator technology forums and online discussions. There are also many websites available that have Interactive Whiteboard resources. Frequently reviewing websites such as www.ilearntechnology.com will ensure that my newfound practices never become mundane. Becoming a member of the school technology committee is the first step to achieving my second goal. Since the committee sets goals for itself, I plan to actively participate in helping the technology committee achieve such goals.

Monitor progress toward achieving goal:
I plan on keeping a journal to document the outcome of various lessons involving the Interactive Whiteboard. What went well? What should I change? Were the students engaged? Was it an effective use of technology? Answering these questions will better prepare me for discussions with my colleagues about technology integration and how to best use an Interactive Whiteboard. Monitoring my progress for my second goal may prove to be more difficult; however, if I can expand the conversations about technology to include how to use technology to inform instruction and engage students in learning then I feel that I will be making progress in achieving my goal.

Evaluate whether the goals were achieved:
Achieving my first goal will undoubtedly take years as it requires much trial and error; however, I will feel satisfied when I can foresee the success of a future lesson involving my Interactive Whiteboard. Only then will I know that I am on the path to truly utilizing this technology tool to promote student learning and engagement. Achieving my second goal can be determined by what goals the school technology committee chooses to create for the following school year. These goals should contain a focus of technology integration in the classroom if I truly was an active participant in discussions with my colleagues.

Self-directed learning is not only meaningful but it is also critical to being an effective teacher. “As a self-directed lifelong learner, you’ll be able to respond to the rapid and continuous technological changes that inevitably will occur during your professional career, keep your skills up-to-date, and better meet the needs of your students today and in the future” (Cennamo et al., 2009, p. )

References:
Cennamo, K., Ross, J. & Ertmer, P. (2009). Technology Integration for Meaningful Classroom Use: A Standards-Based Approach. (Laureate Education, Inc., Custom ed.). Belmont, CA: Wadsworth, Cengage Learning.

International Society for Technology in Education. (2008). National Educational Technology Standards (NETS•T) and Performance Indicators for Teachers. Retrieved September 14, 2010, from http://www.iste.org/Content/NavigationMenu/NETS/ForTeachers/2008Standards/NETS_T_Standards_Final.pdf