Monitoring Your GAME Plan Progress

Monitoring Your GAME Plan Progress

 The knowledge I have gained in this course, “Integrating Technology Across the Content Areas (EDUC - 6713I - 2)” through the discussion threads and activities has made me fully aware that I will need to establish goals to (a) carry out my action plan, (b) keep track of my progress, and (c) enhance my professional growth (Cennamo, Ross, & Ertmer, 2009). The steps I have taken to meet the goals that I have set will be implementing technology literacy and employing technology resources. This encompasses a collection of a number of content related resources that I plan to utilize to teach Georgia common core (CC) 4th grade mathematics. Like every year, I am sure I will have to modify my action plan once I get back in to the classroom with my new students. Modification will be made based on students learning style and demands. According to Engstrom (2005) essentially teachers must be cognizant of or recognize how to assess students' knowledge and skills in research technology to facilitate their technology literacy. Thus far, I have discovered that teaching with innovative technology resources or any available technology will require research, organization, planning and concrete instructional practice. Through combining innovative principles and practices of the Universal Design for Learning (UDL), differentiating my instructional style will open up multiple ways to apply new pedagogy coupled with theory to enhance the needs of the different learners within my classroom effectively (Center for Applied Special Technology [CAST], 2009). Therefore, I have two essential questions in mind presented below.

Essential Question 1:

How can available technology be applied to promote self-directed learning?
Employing open-ended response format can help with moving students forward using innovative technology resources such as online videos. For example, to teach my 4th grade students how to respond to open ended mathematics questions I plan to use a YouTube video entitled “Number Patterns (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sKPDKcmlg4I&feature=related). This video presents open ended questions using an illustrative story. This resource will be used to teach the common core (CC) standard 4.OA.5, (produce a number or shape pattern using a presented rule). Recognize obvious features of the presented pattern that were not explicit to the presented rule (e.g., adding the number 3 and the starting number 1 produces terms in the resulting sequence and examining that the terms emerge to rotate between odd and even numbers, and provide details informally about why the numbers will carry on to alternate in this form). The use of videos creates a visual representation which students can revisit and learn in an innovative and resourceful way (Cennamo et al., 2009).

Essential Question 2:

How can students be empowered with 21st century skills to function beyond the classroom?
The Technology for Forced Option will enable me to use the Georgia Online Assessment System (GOAS) (https://www.georgiaoas.org/servlet/a2l). I will use this resource as a tool to create practice content related assessment to enhance my 4th grade students' mathematics skills both in and out the classroom. The GOAS will enable me to select content and standard related multiple choice items from assessment modules customized to prepare students for the state mandated assessment. Further, the GOAS provide the results as soon as the practice assessment is completed with constructive feedback. This will enable me to see what my students have mastered and what my students have yet to master. Further, I will be able to create individualized assessment to meet the needs of my diverse learners. Students will be able to access their assessment from any location and at any time. Their results will be stored in an electronic portfolio. This will enable me to use students' assessment results to analyze their strengths and weaknesses. I will use the information to customize practice assessments to address their learning styles and demands. My main objective is to do what it takes to turn my students into skilled learners. Learners who (a) have the understanding of how to acquire knowledge, (b) desire to learn and (c) are independently equipped to learning agents for life (CAST, 2009).


References:

Center for Applied Special Technology [CAST]. (2009). UDL guidelines, version 1.0. Retrieved from http://www.udlcenter.org/aboutudl/udlguidelines



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.



Engstrom, D.E. (2005). Assessing for technological literacy. Technology Teacher, 65 (4), 30-
32.