Week 7: NETS-T + NETS-S = GAME Plan Reflection

As week 7 wraps-up, it is time to visit my GAME Plan and reflect upon my progress. This week I will also have the opportunity to connect the National Educational Technology Standards (NETS-T) and Performance Indicators for Teachers to its counterpart, the National Educational Technology Standards (NETS-S) and Performance Indicators for Students.


Take a moment to think about the GAME plan process and the progress you have made over the last several weeks toward meeting the goals you established for learning about technology and technology resources. 


Over the course of this class, I have been exploring different ways to both educate myself and others in the use of social networking, or as Vicki Davis calls them, "educational networking tools," Twitter and Diigo and share my findings with my classmates. Although I tried to make the information I have found applicable and user-friendly to other teachers, it is unclear whether or not my wiki, "Technology in Action Learning Tools," (http://technology-in-action-learning-tools.wikispaces.com/) has been useful to people in my learning community (Laureate Education, Inc., 2009). 


I realize that I am at fault for perpetually posting my blog entries late. Whether or not my learning community was commenting on my blog and/or wiki, I should have been more diligent in posting my weekly blogs on time. I wish I would have been able to work more with my learning group in helping them apply Twitter and/or Diigo to lessons that they hope to implement in their classrooms. It would have been wonderful to collaborate and brainstorm with other teachers regarding the usage of these tools in a school with limited resources or accessibility to technology.


Reviewing my goals for my GAME Plan I am not sure if I failed at meeting the goals I set for myself or if I succeeded in ways that I do not realize at this point. Once the school year starts and I begin implementing and using some of the learning/teaching tools I have been working with in my GAME Plan, I will have a better handle on my "success" or "needs improvement" on each of my goals. I have listed my GAME Plan goals and I have included the steps I have taken to help me reach these goals in order to see if I am on the right path.

• Model Digital-Age Work and Learning 
• demonstrate fluency in technology systems and the transfer of current knowledge to new technologies and situation
• Created a wiki explaining both Twitter and Diigo
• Supported the information shared with material from class resources
• Explained and modeled ways that these learning/teaching tools can be applied in the classroom in a  practical manner
• collaborate with students, peers, parents, and community members using digital tools and resources to support student success 
• Addressed issues mentioned by classmates such as security, student privacy etc. to insure the students safety when using these tools
•  An on-going conversation about the uses of Twitter, Diigo, and other educational networking tools is currently going on with another of my classmates
•  communicate relevant information and ideas effectively to students, parents, and peers using a variety of digital-age media and formats
• Through the creation of my wiki, I presented information that was clear, accurate, and applicable to the classroom
• Presented several ideas and modeled these suggestions to my classmates through screen captures, video-clips, etc. 

• Engage in Professional Growth and Leadership

• participate in local and global learning communities to explore creative applications of technology to improve student learning 
• Participated in on-going conversations with classmates via my blog when questions or comments were made
• Commented and asked questions on the blogs of the learning community members in my group
• Read articles and explored links that appeared on Twitter and educator websites and shared the information with my group members 
• exhibit leadership by demonstrating a vision of technology infusion, participating in shared decision making making and community building, and developing the leadership and technology skills of others
•  Actively shared ideas that can be integrated across different curriculum areas and/or used to form professional learning communities
• Suggested different ways to encourage educational networking as both a learning and a teaching tool
• Opened a line of communication for my learning community to discuss and/or ask questions about technology that directly related to the learning that is/was taking place throughout this course (The ISTE National Educational Technology Standards (NETS-T) and Performance Indicators for Teachers, 2008).

Based on my experience with the GAME plan process and the NETS-T, how might I use the GAME plan process with my students to help them develop proficiency in the NETS-S? 
There are some key components of the National Educational Technology Standards (NETS-S) and Performance Indicators for Students that align with the standards that I have been exploring while working with the NETS-T throughout my game plan. Words and phrases which appear in both sets of standards include: 

• collaboration
• "apply existing knowledge"
• communicate
•  "develop cultural understanding"
• "advocate and practice safe, legal, and responsible use"
• "transfer current knowledge" (The ISTE National Educational Technology Standards (NETS-S) and Performance Indicators for Student, 2007).

While the teaching standards state "to model" the students' standards asks that the students learn through both observing the modeling process and putting into practice the NETS-S skills. By comparing these two sets of standards, I have a better understanding of how to help my students be successful in developing proficiency in the NETS-S through the implementation of the GAME Plan model.


If I were to have my students apply the GAME Plan model to their learning, I would definitely make it a point to stress the importance of collaboration, communication, participation, and reflection. Although it should be a given that students would need to collaborate and participate with the members of their groups, I have found that unless there is some sort of accountability piece (formative and/or summative) involved within the assessment process, an individual's non participation may l hinder other students' progress (Cennamo, Ross, & Ertmer, 2009).


The GAME Plan model can be implemented in many ways within a classroom, but here I would like to concentrate on using the GAME Plan in conjunction with a self-directed learning project example. If a teacher were to choose content information, decide what section of NETS-S may work well in learning/teaching this type of information, and then have the students utilize the GAME Plan model when planing research or inquiry based learning he/she would be achieving three goals within one unit. For example, students that are assigned a project that deals with the historical investigation of the Watergate Scandal, may be asked to focus on the skills in NETS-S standard "4. Critical Thinking, Problem Solving, and Decision Making, Students use critical thinking skills to plan and conduct research, manage projects, solve problems, and make informed decisions using appropriate digital tools and resources" (The ISTE National Educational Technology Standards (NETS-S) and Performance Indicators for Student, 2007).


Once the students have been given the assignment and made aware of the skills that they will need to focus on, they can then go about creating a GAME Plan to help them succeed in meeting their goals, beginning an investigation on the happenings of the Nixon Administration. The investigative process uses skills including creative thinking, problem-solving, reflection, and a plethora of other 21st century skills . The GAME Plan lends itself to this type of self-directed learning process because it systematically walks the students through the steps of creating a plan, deciding what actions to take, monitoring one's progress, evaluating the outcomes of specific choices, and then moving the plan forward and/or revising one's ideas. All of these skills are key components of not only the GAME Plan, but also historical investigation (Cennamo et al., 2009). Thus, the students are using the GAME Plan as a framework to learn the content information while putting into practice and strengthening the skills within the NETS-S.

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.

Laureate Education, Inc. (Producer). (2009). [Motion picture]. Social Networking and Online Collaboration Tools. Baltimore: Author.

The ISTE National Educational Technology Standards (NETS-S) and Performance Indicators for Students [Electronic version]. (2007). International Society for Technology in Education. Retrieved August 15, 2010, from http://www.iste.org/Content/NavigationMenu/NETS/ForStudents/2007Standards/NETS_for_Students_2007.htm


The ISTE National Educational Technology Standards (NETS-T) and Performance Indicators for Teachers [Electronic version]. (2008). International Society for Technology in Education. Retrieved July 8, 2010, from http://www.iste.org/Content/NavigationMenu/NETS/ForTeachers/2008Standards/NETS_T_Standards_Final.pdf

Week 8: Reflection

Assignment:

• Describe the most striking revelation you had about the teaching of new literacy skills to your students as a result of this course.
• Describe how the knowledge and experience gained in this course will influence your teaching practices going forward.
• Identify at least one professional development goal you would like to pursue that builds upon your learning in this course and develops your own information literacy or technology skills. Describe the steps you will take to accomplish this goal

The QUEST for New Literacies

Throughout this course I have learned and been reminded of many teaching methods that would help me to guide my students’ learning of the new literacies of inquiry-based learning, content information, and many 21st century skills. As I progressed through this course, I began to realize that I have become so used to completing “everyday tasks,” such as searching for things using Google, evaluating resources, synthesizing my findings, etc., I tend to forget that my students may not have the knowledge and/or skills needed to effectively complete these tasks.

The most striking revelation that I had about the teaching of the new literacy skills was the importance of modeling each skill incorporated into the QUEST model of inquiry-based learning, for the students (Eagleton & Dobler, 2007). I know that modeling skills and processes throughout the learning process is key to helping students better understand things, but having the teaching technique modeled for me throughout the textbook helped me to comprehend why this technique works. I find this to be rather ironic, learning about the importance and application of modeling in the classroom using the skill itself.

Eagleton and Dobler (2007) stated, “We strongly recommend that you conduct your own inquiry project alongside your students so that you can frequently model the process. Using think-alouds is a fabulous method for helping make explicit the in-the-head process that expert inquirers use” (p. 84). Showing the students how to work through the process of evaluating a webpage or finding the connections among research findings, shows the student how to apply the new literacies rather than just telling the students about the different skills and ideas that are involved.

Teachers are given new methods, tools, and frameworks to apply to their classrooms, but much of the time once the professional development session is completed, there remains the unanswered questions of, “How does this help the student?” or “Why should this method be used int he classroom?”. When reflecting upon my learning concerning the new literacies, I feel that have a firmer grasp on the “how” and the “why” of incorporating these skills into my teaching. As an educator I must remember to be reflective and purposeful in my teaching. The students, in turn, need to be able to articulate the different components of their learning processes using a framework such as the, “Extending KWL Questions for Guided Inquiry” (Eagleton & Dobler, 2007).

By placing a greater emphasis on the inquiry processes, I will be able to facilitate the students acquisition of content knowledge and 21st century skills rather than throwing content information at them. Incorporating the framework and thought processes of QUEST into my classroom would be really easy. In fact, the implementation of the extended KWL and the components of QEST will help to focus my instruction of the content material. Beginning each American history unit with an introduction of the unit’s topic/objectives and then giving students a mind-map of the extended KWL questions to establish the key ideas that the students already know and the content the students need to learn more about, thus, directly influencing the material that will be discussed (Eagleton & Dobler, 2007).

Reflecting back on the different topics and technology discussed in this course, the area that I would like to continue learning about through professional development opportunities is the process of synthesis in relationship to the QUEST model (Eagleton & Dobler, 2007). I need a better understanding of the concepts and strategies related to the process of synthesizing research, to be able to explain its importance to my students. I also need tools and/or teaching methods to help the students whose cognitive and/or developmental abilities do not lend themselves to, “...create[ing] a thread linking separate ideas from within a text or from multiple texts and then tie this thread to their own experiences by creating a new interpretation, or a way to view these ideas in a new light” (Eagleton & Dobler, 2007, 199). To accomplish this goal I will actual be able to use the components of QUEST during this professional development opportunity. Reading journal articles, blogs, and having discussions with my classmates and coworkers would also help me gain more tools to guide the process of synthesis in my classroom.

A second area that I would like to explore more in-depth is that of the technology and programs that connect and foster collaborative relationships among students and teachers on a global scale. One example that was discussed in our course resources that facilitates these types of learning environments is ePals (epals.com). Demski (2008) described how teachers and students are able to connect and collaborate internationally and learn a plethora of information.

Although ePals is only one of many resources that allows for global communication, after perusing other sites listed in the class resources and talking to fellow classmates, I want to learn how to best utilize ePals in my classroom. I will need to read about the different components of the web-based collaborative tool, decide what content classes would benefit the most from the experience of communicating with students both in the national and international, and work this component into my curriculum (Demski, 2008). This process will take time and energy, but the skills and knowledge that can be gleaned from the national and international interactions would be amazing.

References

Demski, J. (2008, November). E-palling around. THE Journal, 35(11), 18-19.

Eagleton, M. B., & Dobler, E. (2007). Reading the Web: Strategies for Internet inquiry. New York: The Guilford Press.

Kuhlthau, C. C., Maniotes, L. K., & Caspari, A. K. (2007). Guided inquiry: Learning in the 21st century. Westport: Libraries Unlimited.