To recap my GAME Plan, I have created two goals for myself that are in accordance to the NETS-T standards. To meet the Model Digital-Age Work and Learning standard, I am creating a class website that will increase my ability to communicate relevant information to my students’ families. Concurrently, I am taking steps toward becoming more knowledgeable about Interactive Whiteboards through professional discourse and my own research.

My class website is a work in progress but I am planning on making it available to parents at the end of the week. Having looked at other teacher’s websites, I had a good idea as to what components I wanted to included on mine; however, I look forward to gaining the parents’ insight into its effectiveness in communicating classroom information. In conjunction with the website (which is actually a wiki), I have an attached blog where I plan to include updates about the classroom happenings. While the wiki will be more informational, I hope that the blog will provide the families with a better understanding of what is actually happening within the four walls of our classroom through pictures and conversational text.
This week, I met with the school technology committee to discuss the upcoming installation of our Promethean Boards. With deadlines in place, it is all the more critical to have a tentative plan as to how I would like to integrate this piece of technology into my already functioning without Kindergarten classroom. Fortunately, one visit to Promethean Planet is all it takes to provide me with plenty of ideas, as it contains numerous flip charts that are relevant and applicable in meeting the standards in our core curriculum.

This week’s learning resources has left me thinking more about using technology as assessment tools and assessments in general. Cennamo, Ross, and Ertmer (2009) emphasize the importance of jointly planning lessons and assessments. They also remind educators to only use technology as an assessment tool when it facilitates learning, and is “not simply a novelty” (p. 146). I think this is an important idea to reflect upon. As new technology infiltrates our classrooms (some more quickly than others), much thought must be given to how it should be best incorporated to ensure that teachers are still using best practices as instructional strategies. Technology such as wireless responders fulfills these guidelines as they allow teachers to receive immediate feedback about specific concepts assessed through a forced-choice assessment. Students, in turn, also benefit as they receive the same feedback in an engaging manner. I look forward to having access to this tool in the near future.

Reference:
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