The goal of my GAME plan is to integrate
technology tools that allow students to demonstrate their creativity and to incorporate
various methods of assessments incorporating both content and technology
standards. When considering my goal, I
recognize that I will need assistance and access to resource in order to
effectively carry out my plan.
First and foremost, I will need
to work with the Media Specialist to determine times that are appropriate to
utilize the computer lab as well as the various technology programs that are
available for student use. Additionally,
I will need to work the Special Education Teachers and the Gifted and Talented
Teacher at my school and make a determination of which programs work the most
effectively in addressing specific learning needs. All of these individuals will serve as great
resources as I am aware of the content standards associated with my curriculum
in addition to the technology standards, but I am seeking ways to assist
students in being creative, connecting to our content and producing something
that is meaningful for them as their “take away” from a particular lesson. For example, my third grade students have to
be able to describe a balanced diet. In
the past I would have taught this by introducing and reviewing the food groups
and then having students complete a paper pencil type of assessment where they
would put in writing what they viewed to be a balanced meal that is part of a
balanced diet. Cennamo, Ross &
Ertmer (2009) state “… digital media promises to provide the greatest flexibility
in terms of planning, implementing, and assessing learning activities”
(p.117). With this knowledge, students
will be utilizing the computer lab and working on the Choose My Plate website
to play the blast off game where they choose foods to put together a balanced meal
utilizing the Choose My Plate guidelines.
After they have spent some time working with the blast off game, they
will then begin working on putting together their description of a balanced meal
that they would eat. They will have the
choice of putting it together in a format of their choice, such as: concept map,
placemat design using Pixie 3, word document, powerpoint presentation or photo
story. The objective is for students to
be able to demonstrate their knowledge of a balanced diet and create something
that they would have in their own lives.
With my example, I will also be in need of other various resources such
as video clips discussing the Choose My Plate guidelines, children discussing a
balanced diet and a visual representation of what a sample plate would look
like based on the Choose My Plate guidelines.
At this point in time, I have
been able to schedule a time in the computer lab where students will have the
opportunity to interact with the Choose My Plate website, the Blast off Game
and to begin work on their final products for describing a balanced meal in
their lives. I have also had the
opportunity to consult with the Special Education Teachers and the Gifted and
Talented Teacher to discuss my plan and the specific learning needs of students
in my third grade class. I am excited to
engage in this process with my students and to see how much they learn about a
balanced diet through their exploration.
References
Cennamo,
K., Ross, J. & Ertmer, P. (2009). Technology integration for meaningful
classroom use: Astandards-based
approach.
(Laureate Education, Inc., Custom ed.). Belmont, CA: Wadsworth,Cengage
Learning.
Kristin,
ReplyDeleteWhen I was in elementary school, physical education was all about stretching, running, and trying new sports. I value that the educational system is now incorporating diet and nutrition into the curriculum. I think your idea of incorporating the Choose My Plate activity into the lesson is a great tool that will not only teach the students but they will be engaged at the same time. When we can make learning fun for the students, they tend to learn and remember the material. According to Cennamo, Ross, and Ertmer (2009), "Digital tools offer several opportunities for embedding assessment strategies within the learning process" (p. 126). It is also important that you are giving the students a choice in how to present what they have learned. As stated by Cennamo, et al., (2009),"Universal design for learning suggests following similar practices for assessment of student progress as for setting goals and providing learning activities... by incorporating a variety of media that allows students some flexibility in demonstrating mastery of the instructional goals" (p. 125). As for your GAME plan, I think you are off to a great start and what you have implemented so far will be beneficial to your students. I think I would have looked forward to gym class more if we had been given the opportunity to be more creative in the way you describe versus doing the same routine every time we entered the class.
Kristin,
ReplyDeleteYou seem to be very creative and effective when it comes to the usage of your technology. I agree with Rachel's comment that diet and nutrition was not always in the curriculum, and it is commendable that you are allowing this as a part of their learning. I will also add that as students, we were not exposed to technology that would help emphasize some learning strategies. A colleague and I were recently speaking about how blessed our students are to have as many resources available. However many are not using the maximum level of resources because there are some teachers that are not taking advantage of the opportunity to help students grow (Laureate, 2011). By allowing students to use the resources you listed, students may remember many of the valuable lessons that they will need to stay healthy. On a personal note, what exactly is pixie-3? I am also searching for more meaningful strategies to help students improve in the classroom. Though I teach High School students, I find that there are many instances in which students must utilize graphic organizers to help organize their thoughts. These graphic organizers are often implemented to access students' formal knowledge so that I will have a better indicator of how prepared they are for the topic of study. You seem to be well on your way towards providing the best learning environment by implementing more technology.
Kristin,
ReplyDeleteI noticed that you already have your GAME plan headed in the right direction. Kudos to you! One group that I would keep in mind when asking about effective programs is your fellow teachers. I am always amazed at the amount of experience and willingness to share when I need help from my colleagues. You are right that your gifted and special ed teachers will work with those programs more often, but your general curriculum teachers may surprise with their suggestions. I always believe in tapping every resource.
I also like the varying technology resources that you are allowing them to choose from. Your reference to Cennamo, Ross & Ertmer (2009) about the flexibility in planning that we get from digital media can also be used to describe the flexibility that it gives your students. This is a case where that the more resources that you allow them t choose from, the more positive responses that you will get.
You are definitely on the right track. I am curious to how it works out for you.
Kristen,
ReplyDeleteYou seem to have a good start on you GAME plan (Cennamo, Ross & Ertmer, 2009). I think that collaborating with the media specialists, special education teacher, and the gifted and talented teacher is a perfect way of finding out what will be the best programs to use for your activity. Giving the students the choice to program such as concepts maps, placemat design using pixie 3, word document, power point presentation or photo story are a great example of Diana Laufenberg form this week's video Meeting Students' Needs with Technology (laureate Education, 2010) statement that the students are most comfortable when they can choose the tool that is familiar to them.
Again I think that you are on the right track, good luck with the activity.
Cennamo, K., Ross , J., & Ertmer, P. (2009). Technology integration for meaningful classroom use. Mason: Cengage Learning.
Laureate Education. (2011). Meeting students needs with technology, part 1 [Web]. Retrieved from