Final Thoughts on the GAME Plan

The value of the GAME Plan is its systematic approach to new challenges. While I do reflect on my teaching, considering the impact of each lesson (and the divide that sometimes occurs between my expectations and reality), I could be more proactive regarding taking on new goals. The GAME Plan provides a structured means of identifying an appropriate goal, taking action, monitoring and adjusting progress, and evaluating my process (Cennamo, Ross, & Ertmer, 2009).
I am particularly pleased that in this class we integrated the GAME Plan with technology goals (International Society for Technology in Education, 2011). Technology opens a vast number of doors for educators, providing opportunities—both for us and our students—that were impossible only a few years ago. At the same time, technology comes with numerous challenges: What applications best suit my students and our learning objectives? Do I need to be proficient with a certain piece of software before I introduce it? What are the potential pitfalls with a specific technology? The questions can seem endless.

At any given time, I have lists of Web sites, blogs, and other online services that I want to learn more about. The GAME Plan gave me the opportunity to make real, focused progress on several of these items. While I would not say I have mastered either the Web quest or the issue of fair use, I am much more proficient and comfortable in both of these areas. My students have benefited from the opportunity to complete the Web quest and by receiving better instruction about intellectual property rights.

I am particularly happy that my students were able to complete their Web quest before this class ended so that I could include some final evaluative remarks. Because this was a new approach to learning for all of them, there was a steeper learning curve than I had expected; there were some students who were lost simply because they didn’t bother to read the instructions. By the end of the first day, most understood what was expected of them. However, this was an important point for me to note. At the beginning of next year, I will create a simple Web quest that introduces the students to me, the class, policies, and so on. This will provide them with necessary information at the same time that it sets the expectation that they will need to be willing to work for their answers.

Students began to turn in their Web quest products (a memorial to Anne Frank and the Holocaust) today. Although I haven’t yet graded them, I am pleased by the effort and creativity students put into their work and the amount of thought they put into their written reflection. After I have evaluated their work and held an end-of-unit debriefing with my students, I will use this knowledge to further tweak the Web quest so it is improved for next year’s students.

Another immediate step I will take is evaluating my students’ grasp of citations as they finish creating their commercials. I have been monitoring the notes they take for their bibliographies; some have been more diligent than others, so it will be enlightening to see how well they do with their final citations. This is an area that we can continue to study, however. Next year, I will begin the discussion of fair use and correct citation earlier in the year so we have more time to build these skills.

Experiencing success in these new undertakings has made me more confident about choosing new goals to pursue. I plan to collaborate with my media specialist on lessons in creating electronic book talks (a goal we meant to work on this year); I also plan to find an appropriate means of helping my students develop electronic portfolios (another goal that has been too long neglected).

References

Cennamo, K., Ross, J., & Ertmer, P. (2009). Technology integration for meaningful classroom use: A standards-based approach. Mason, OH: Cengage Learning.

International Society for Technology in Education. (2011). NETS for teachers 2008. Retrieved from http://www.iste.org/standards/nets-for-teachers/nets-for-teachers-2008.aspx