Monitoring The Progress of My GAME Plan

This week I began to reflect on the actions I have taken to achieve my goals of incorporate technology based communication and collaboration students outside of the classroom and abroad. In order to do this I needed to become familiar with different technology tools that make this possible, as well as, proper netiquette procedures. Due to midterms and the end on the marking period nearing I have been very preoccupied and admittedly did not put as much effort as I would have liked towards implementing this new technology and activity. However, since we last spoke I have come across a plethora of useful knowledge. This week I feel that I have come a long way in my GAME plan.    

This week, I learned that my district would be providing all students with a personal school email which educators will be able to monitor. This helps me with the concerns I had about monitoring students’ discussions and posts on the net. After expressing my goal and concerns regarding using online communicative tools to the technology teacher at my school, he informed me of a book that they use called Net Cettera (OnGuardOnline, n.d.), to teach students proper netiquette. This book has been very informative for me and has helped overcome some of my fears and alleviate some of the concerns I had about using these Web 2.0 tools.  In continuing with the safety concerns that I had regarding these internet tools I communicated my goal with my school administrator and learned that there is a permission slip in place that students get signed in the beginning of the year in order to use these tools. This was relieving because I now know that the parents of my students already have approved them for these activities. I also asked the tech teacher and the administrator if they knew of any teachers in my schools currently using blogs, wikis, skype, or other online communication tools with there students to communicate with other students around the world. Although there were few I was able to begin collaboration efforts with some of them, as well.

Although I have gathered a great deal of information through research and colleagues at my school, my most insightful knowledge came from a friend of mine who teaches Italian at a high school in another district. I had not spoken to her in some time and was glad I did because she has proven to be an excellent resource for achieving my goal and enhancing my technology usage all around. Sue shared her strategies for using Skype with educators from abroad, finding real-life scenarios on YouTube and having students communicate about them on blogs, and using rubrics to assess their communications. I suggested using VoiceThread to upload different podcasts or scenes and having students collaborate with each other on different topics. We also decided that it would be a good idea for me to observe her class when she is using these tools. This will give me a first hand experience with how students react these activities and how to create effective and efficient guidelines and activities with these tools. I put in for a professional day this week to conduct this observation.  I will also be attending a workshop after school on using the iPads, which have different apps allowing for collaboration between students. I will also provide the parents with the account information so that they can follow there students collaboration and performance.

Based on research and continued collaboration with other colleagues within and outside of my district I have decided to start small and begin my first Web 2.0 collaborative activity with the other middle Italian class using VoiceThread. I originally wanted the students to Skype each other but the class times did not match. Rosa (Italian teacher at the other middle school) and I will collaborate weekly to create topics based on the on the learning content for our students.  Students will communicate in audio, visual, and text in the target language using prior knowledge and new knowledge. We will also provide the students with a rubric demonstrating the assessment guidelines. Students will begin by asking of other students based on the topics being learned. They will then have to reply to four questions of different peers from the other school.

This will serve as a formative performance assessment. Assessing students learning is a pertinent part in monitoring and evaluating that technology and learning goals are being met. Technology provides a plethora of options for assessing students learning. Through the use of this tool students are able to demonstrate their knowledge using methods that engage them most, communication with peers and graphics. For the most part students are also picking their own topics of communication, which in turn provides a sense of ownership over the task (Laureate Education, Inc., 2011).

Thus far I do not feel that I need to modify my GAME Plan. However, I do plan to do more research on finding other schools to communicate with abroad. There are so many resources available to educators at the click of a finger. Every time I begin to research I feel overwhelmed with information overload. There are so many areas of technology that I would like to improve on; I just need to keep reminding myself to take it one step at a time. I am confident that if I take my time and thoroughly evaluate and use my resources I will successfully accomplish my goals.

Although this week was full of breakthroughs I am still very curious about using Skype, blogs, or even VoiceThread. Is it better to assign each student to one other student in the corresponding class, like a pen pal program? What is and effective and efficient amount of time to require students to spend using this tool per week? Are there any good tips or suggestions for creating a general rubric for these activities?  Any suggestions or recommendations will be greatly appreciated. I look forward to continuing my journey through achieving my goal!

Daniela Petruzzella

Resourcses:

Laureate Education, Inc. (Executive Producer). (2011) Assessing Student Learning With Technology [Video webcast]. Retrieved from https://class.waldenu.edu/webapps/portal/frameset

OnGuardOnline. Stop Think Click. (n.d.). Net Cettera, Chatting with Kids About Being Online. Retrieved from: www.onguardonline.gov

VoiceThread. Retrieved from www.voicethread.com.

Carrying Out My Game Plan

            Last week I was able to customize my GAME Plan in improving my ability to integrate more communicative web tools that allow my students to collaborate on projects that they complete with other students around the world. In order to do this I also needed to enhance my background knowledge of how to monitor the students postings and ensure that they are demonstrating proper netiquette. This week I will begin to carry out my Game Plan by identifying, what resources I need, what additional information I will need, and monitoring what I have done so far.

My Game Plan became more important to me this week after learning about the Universal Design to learning (UDL), which helps educators to create lessons that meet the needs of diverse learners (Cennamo, Ross, & Ertmer, 2009). Technology happens to be a crucial component of UDL. Amongst the variety of tools applied in UDL are communication tools and multimedia tools. These tools tools help build communication skills and help support student learning in the mode that they prefer (Cennamo, et. al., 2009).

What resources will I need to carry out my plan?

In order to incorporate communicative multimedia tools and ensure that they are used properly, I need to research the various tools that I would like to work with. I have decided to begin with the use of VoiceThread and Skype. I will need to communicate with the technology educators at my school to learn more about these tools and how they can be used in the classroom. I will also need to obtain the school internet guidelines and collaborate with the administrators regarding any suggestions they may have for incorporating these tools and communicating with parents. Through regular internet research, research, professional collaboration with colleagues in and out of my district, my Walden courses, and professional development workshops I am sure to obtain the knowledge and resources necessary to carry out my plan.

What Additional Information is Needed?

           

            In order to begin implementing communicative multimedia tools, I need to conduct research and work with my colleague within the district, to create an activity that incorporates these tools. I must then collaborate other professional to identify which tools are best to accomplish my task. The technology educators at my school will also be helpful throughout this process. I will also communicate with other educators in my district to identify who is using communicative tools , what rules do they have in place, and how are they using them. I must also keep a reflective journal of my insights and reflections throughout my research, collaboration, and implementation process.

What Steps Have I Taken So Far?

To date I have already begun communicating with the other Italian teacher about using these collaborative tools such as Skype in our classes to communicate with each other. I have also obtained the district safe internet usage policy and learned that it incorporates the usage of blogs, skype, wikis, and other web 2.0 tools. I have also begun communicating with the technology teachers and other peers regarding what tools are being used in the district and how. My Walden peers have also proven to be a great resources in carrying out my Game plan. Lastly, I have begun searching for technology workshops incorporating communicative tools within my district and elsewhere and will continue to do so, making sure to attend those that meet my needs and availability.

Technology allows educators the flexibility to reach a wide variety of students regardless of their diverse needs. All students deserve an opportunity to learn and express themselves, in a way that is meaningful to them (Laureate Education, Inc., 2011). Technology provides the opportunity for students to be creative and make personal connections to real experiences and situations. I am eagerly looking forward to gaining the knowledge and confidence to begin implementing these tools with my students so that I can further enhance their learning experience.  All children can learn and have there own unique gifts, it is up to the educator to identify those gifts and provide choices and opportunities that allow students to maximize those gifts (Laureate Education, Inc., 2011). As a lifelong learner, I plan to use my resources to do just that!  Any suggestions will be greatly appreciated.  

Daniela Petruzzella

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. (Executive Producer). (2011) Meeting students’ needs with technology, part 2. [Video webcast]. Retrieved from https://class.waldenu.edu/webapps/portal/frameset

International Society for Technology in Education. (2008). National education standards

for teachers (NETS-T). Retrieved from http://www.iste.org/standards/nets-for-teachers

My Personal Game Plan

-->             This week I had the opportunity to take a closer look at the ISTE NETS standards for teachers and evaluate my preparedness and ability to meet the various standards and indicators. As I read through the different standards I discovered that although I possess skills in many of the standards and indicators, I lack confidence in my ability to fully implement many of these standards. This prompted me to choose two standards and performance indicators that I would like to improve on most. I then used the Game Plan model suggested by Cennamo, Ross, & Ertmer (2008) to improve my abilities in these areas.

            The first NSTE-T Standard and performance indicator that I would like to improve on     
             is: "Standard 1- D. Model collaborative knowledge construction engaging in learning with 

 students, colleagues, and others in face-to-face and  virtual environments (ISTE, 2008)".

G- My Goal for improving in this area will first be to inform myself of the various technology tools available to me that allow students to communicate with other students across the world. I am aware that there is a plethora of technology tools available to educators that allow students to participate in and create realistic situations while communicating with other students virtually. For example I recently read about video and web-conferencing and am very intrigued. I plan to seek out new technology tools monthly that provide my students the opportunity to practice their communication skills in the target language with other students across the world.

           

            A – My Action plan is to seek out other educators in my field through internet research that have used similar tools in their lessons and inform myself of what worked best, how they applied the different tools, what were the pro’s and cons of using these tools, and any other suggestions they may have. I also plan to seek out professional development workshops on blogging and other communicative software that will be helpful in building my knowledge and confidence in using online communicative tools in my classroom.

            M- I will Monitor my success by keeping a journal of what I have learned throughout my action plan and based on my reflections throughout the process. This will help me to identify what I have learned, what I can use, how I can use it, and what else do I need to know before I implement it. By monitoring my actions and journal my steps and findings I will also discover whether or not I have gained anything useful from my searches, communications with peers, and workshops and make necessary changes or adjustments to meet my goal. I will then begin small by creating a communication project in collaboration with another middle school Italian teacher in my district. Throughout the task I will monitor my ability to guide my students through the activities and reflect “in action” and “on action” with the other Italian teacher on what worked and or what did not work and make necessary adjustments.

           

            E- Lastly, I will Evaluate my level knowledge and confidence gained with the various tools and the activity. I will review my reflections and ask my colleague for her thoughts on the activity, as well. I will also survey the students and ask them to reflect on their experiences using the communication tools. As I gather the different information I will reflect and revise as necessary and plan future activities according to the necessary revisions. As I build my confidence further I will begin to plan communication activities with students in other districts and countries. I will also Extend my knowledge of the various tools and my experience with them to other educators.

However, in order to fully achieve my goal of using communication tools with students across the world I will also need to improve my skills and confidence in:

"NSTE-T Standard 4:A. - Advocate, model, and teach safe, legal, and ethical use of digital information and technology, including respect for copyright, intellectual property, and the appropriate documentation of sources (ISTE, 2008)".

            Although providing students with an opportunity to communicate with other students on the Internet can be highly engaging and life-long learning experience that build upon a variety of diverse skills, It can also be a little scary for the educator. This is because it is very important to monitor student communication regularly to ensure that they are remaining within the legal boundaries of the Internet.

            G- My Goal is to inform my self of the various ways that students should be using communicative tools like blogs, wikis, ePals, etc. I will also inform myself of the legal guidelines associated with the school district regarding these tools. Lastly, I will inform myself with the best ways to monitor and ensure that I am effectively modeling proper netiquette and that my students are following the guidelines, as well.

           

A- My Action plan will be to collaborate with administrators and peers within and outside of my district to educate myself on what the policies are and how best to apply them. I will also attend professional development workshops regarding proper and legal Internet usage. Lastly, I will communicate with parents about their feelings regarding these communicative tools and enlist their support in monitoring their child’s communications and work on the web. Throughout this process I will maintain a journal of all of my research and findings.

M- I will Monitor my knowledge towards the accomplishment of my goals by revisiting my journal and evaluate whether or not the information gathered meets my goal. I will then identify areas of concern and make modifications as needed.

E- Lastly, I plan to Evaluate my skills by implementing a communicative classroom task using the internet and evaluate my ability effectively fulfill my goals by keeping a journal of my actions and my students actions throughout the activity. Keeping a typed journal using word processing software will provide me the opportunity to reflect on the entire process and take notes on what I can do differently.

I am confident that with this Game Plan in place I will make significant strides towards building meaningful, safe, and engaging learning experiences for my students that will last a life-time. Any feedback that you can give me regarding my goals will be greatly appreciated. The information highway is a long a windy road with no speed-limit, any support through my travels is greatly appreciated!

Daniela Petruzzella   

References:

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

International Society for Technology in Education. (2008). National education standards

for teachers (NETS-T). Retrieved from http://www.iste.org/standards/nets-for-teachers