Those of you following my blog will recall that I have been working on building my proficiency in two areas of the NETS-T. The initial goals I set were established in my blog post titled “GAME Plan.” The GAME Plan is an approach designed by Cennamo, Ross, and Ertmer (2010) to promote self directed learning. This method has worked well for me as I develop proficiency related to my goals of: using Flip Video to record myself teaching for my professional portfolio and in the creation of a website to improve communication and collaboration among teachers, students, and parents.
I have spent quite a bit of time over the last several weeks working to accomplish these goals. The most important thing that I have learned is that developing my proficiency with technology is not something that can ever fully be achieved. This is due primarily to the rapid speed that technology changes or new technologies are introduced. I need to embrace technology and the fact that I will need to continue professional development with it if I am to provide the best education that I can to my students. The efforts that I have made in regards to my Game plan are a good indicator that I am up to the challenge.
The development of my website “Mrs. Nabb’s Classes” is off to a good start. I have the schedule of activities for the next week or so updated for each class. I actually had a parent request help with keeping track of their son’s progress. I was able to direct them to this site so that they can visit with the child about what assignments would be due. Creating helpful links for students to visit from my site is one goal that I am still working towards. I have had quite a bit of success also in using flip video. The greatest challenge that I have to overcome is finding the time to edit my clips. I will continue to record myself teaching because it does help me to identify areas that I could improve. I discovered that I do not provide enough wait time when asking students questions during class so that is something I am working on. A goal that I have in regards to Flip video is to capture myself teaching a variety of lessons. This goal will really allow me to see what class is like for my students so that I can identify areas to improve both in my teaching and in the lessons I create.
There are several learning goals that I would like to set for myself based on the NETS-T. Promoting student reflection using collaborative tools, standard 1c, is an area that I would like to further develop. I would accomplish this goal by developing a blog and creating guiding questions for my students to answer. I am also excited to get the flip videos into the hands of my students. Developing learning experiences that allow students to create videos would help build my proficiency in several of the areas of standard 2. Students are capable of amazing things when provided the opportunity. Enhancing my skills in regards to the NETS-T will encourage me to create more of these opportunities.
The GAME plan approach worked well for me as I developed my proficiency in these areas. When it comes to technology, I have found that I learn best by trying it out. I am often intimidated by a new technology when I first begin to use it. Gaining experience and confidence with the tool is essential for me if I am to incorporate it into my class. It is very helpful for me to have someone help me through a process one on one. However, this is not always practical due to the situation. Having a more knowledgeable person to go for assistance is very valuable to me.
Jenny
Resources
Cennamo, K., Ross, J. & Ertmer, P. (2010). Technology integration for meaningful classroom use: A standards-based approach. Belmont, CA: Wadsworth, Cengage Learning.
The ISTE National Educational Technology Standards (NETS•T). (n.d.). International Society for Technology in Education Home. Retrieved November 10, 2009, from http://www.iste.org/Content/NETS_T_Standards_Final.pdf
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I agree that technology proficiency is fleeting, at best, because it is always changing and there is always something new to learn. I think that is why I like it so much.
ReplyDeleteIt sounds like your GAME plans have been valuable and will lead directly to improved learning on the part of your students.
In terms of using video with students, I have found that filming classroom and group activities can also help students learn through reflection (especially for groups having a hard time working together). I have also engaged students in creating instructional videos ranging from classroom news reports to instructional videos on how to accomplish various tasks. Video production just seems to naturally engage most students.