It is that time again to revisit the progress of my GAME Plan. The comments I received from my posting from last week has helped me to better understand how to rework, rethink, and better my GAME Plan.
How effective were your actions in helping you meet your goals?
The comments that were posted to last week's blog have given me a since of some of the frustrations that other teachers face while working with and implementing technology into his/her classroom. It seems that a reoccurring theme was the fact that organizing technology, resources, tools, etc., is challenging especially when the resources are web-based. I look forward to looking into different ways of creating organizational methods in both Twitter and Diigo to share with my blog group.
I am also looking at other options to aid in the organizational process of websites and technology resources. One web page I found that some educators may find useful is WebList (http://weblist.me/). As I previewed the site, there weren't very many details regarding how the site works, FAQs, etc. WebList appears to be a newer site, but definitely one to look into for those educators that do not feel that Twitter or Diigo fit their organizational styles.
What have you learned so far that you can apply in your instructional practice?
Thus far, I have learned that there is an overwhelming amount of information available to educators regarding the use and application of learning tools of technology in the classroom. With that said, the fact that there are so many different types of technology available for teachers and students, lends itself to best reaching all learners in the classroom. Cennamo, Ross, and Ertmer (2009) emphasize the importance of accessing a multitude of learning resources by stating, " Providing students with choices in the media, tools, and context in which the learning will take placed (p. 123).
If I focus on a few learning tools (Twitter and Diigo), that students could apply while completing daily assignments, communicating with classmates, or looking for further information about a topic discussed in class, this would be less overwhelming for both the students and myself. Students would be able to mold these tools to their learning styles and as Cennamo et al. (2009) explains, "Networked communication tools offer greater flexibility in the methods and and settings in which students can communicate with one another as well as with teachers and outside experts" (p. 123).
What do you still have to learn? What new questions have arisen?
At this point in my GAME Plan, I still need to know what types of technology my classmates have used in their classrooms or have learned about from others through classes, seminars, etc. I plan on re-opening the poll I have created on my blog in hopes that people will begin answering my question. I also need to continue searching for new ways that educators can apply Twitter and Diigo as both learning and teaching tools in the classroom. I plan on adding new information to the Technology in Action Learning Tools wiki (http://technology-in-action-learning-tools.wikispaces.com/), that have created to aid with my GAME Plan.
As for any new questions that I might have, I mentioned above, that I wanted to do some further research into the uses of Twitter and Diigo as learning tools. I also have to figure out ways for students to utilize Twitter and Diigo as a "multimedia tool," in order to access, "...linked material [that] may incorporate text, audio, or visual information that helps students with diverse learning preferences find support in a mode [of learning] that they prefer" (Cennamo et al., 2009, p. 123).
How will you adjust your plan to fit your current needs?
As I have been working on my GAME Plan, I have come to realize that I need to modify the information I share with my blogging group to fit the needs and/or answer the questions of that are discussed each week. For example, this week I am focusing on ways to use Twitter and Diigo as organizational tools, because my group members have found that organizing multimedia resources can be challenging and time consuming. Thus, I am currently looking into different ways to utilize the different options both Twitter and Diigo offer their users in the area of lists, tagging, grouping topics, etc.
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.
Do you find that the amount of information available to teachers on technology and other topics makes it difficult, in some ways, for teachers to find information that is meaningful? Or do you think that they may get overwhelmed with the sheer amount of information and the many tools available?
ReplyDeleteAre you only interested in the four tools you identify in your poll? Perhaps people just haven't used those tools although they may have used others. You might want to broaden the poll.
Glad the ride was good.
Cheers!
Sean