Reflection

I have enjoyed creating a game plan for this course. Although I did not fully complete my game plan I have begun to implement the plan into my classroom. The newsletters have been a hit with parents. By communicating through email parents are more likely to receive them and are able to communicate back to me without the fear that I may never receive it. The incorporation of technology has been slow progress but I have begun scheduling computer time in the lab for access for all students. Hopefully this will get the ball rolling with this part of my game plan.

With this game plan I have learned that not everything needs to be set in stone with a plan. I know things happen and lessons need to be changed based on many different things but when I always thought of a plan of action I am the type of person who creates a plan and sticks with that exact plan. With this game plan I have realized its ok to change the plan from week to week. It is a plan that is created to help me grow as a teacher. This concept will help me in my instructional practice especially when I start to incorporate more technology into my lessons. Technology is very unpredictable so this process will ease my inexperience with using technology.

This course has opened my eyes to many new technology applications that are out there. I plan to incorporate at least 2 technology lessons that I have learned about in each quarter. This will also help me to achieve my game plan of incorporating technology into my classroom. I have begun to have my students create game plans for themselves. This is a wonderful experience for the students because when they have a plan they are more likely to be involved and successful in the learning experience.

Using the Game Plan Process With Students

In order for students to use a similar Game Plan as we have used in class I will have the students look up the NETS-S standards and we will go through them so the students are familiar with what the standard is saying. For my third graders I would probably make a poster that has more kid friendly terminology so they can better understand what the standard is saying. Once we have gone through the standards I will ask that each student write it down on a goal sheet that they will keep in a folder at their desk. I will also have projects that students can complete throughout the year listed on my board. The students will need to choose an assignment to complete and create their Game Plan for the assignment that they have chosen. The students will be given a certain time frame to complete the project and will be given time in class to work. This way I am there to facilitate and answer any questions. The students will be completing four projects a year where they would need to chose a different standard each time to work on. By giving students the option for the project that they want to complete it will be more meaningful to them and their Game Plan will mean something to them as well. If I was to give them a project to complete that they were not into then they would not be into the Game Plan either.

I think a Game Plan is a great way for not only students but also teachers to focus in on what they want to achieve. I felt that this Game Plan has made me really concentrate on incorporating technology into my lessons and become more technological. I hope that the Game Plan will be as beneficial to the students as it was for me.

Revising My Game Plan

The biggest part of this game plan that I have learned is that I feel that I have set my sights a bit high to start off with. If I was to start this again I would start with something that I knew I would be able to accomplish to gain some confidence. It has been very frustrating with part of my game plan because I do not have much control over what technology I have in my classroom.

Although it has been difficult to incorporate technology into my game plan I have thought of a new idea as to how to begin maybe not for this year but hopefully for next. I have been looking into grants to help get some technology into our school. Since our principal and the board obviously do not have the money or the means to get us technology I guess it is up to me to get something done. My plan is to start drafting a proposal to begin the grant process. Hopefully this will begin the process of getting this part of the game plan started.

As far as my monthly email progress reports go I have had great feedback from parents. It is not just a monthly progress report but also a monthly newsletter about upcoming events. I have had some parents ask me to give more weekly reports but then the issue comes back to me having time. The monthly progress reports are time consuming but it is only once a month and I feel like I can handle this, but making it weekly just seems a bit much for me.

Does anyone have suggestions for grants? Are there any sites where I can try to find a grant that will help me get some technology into my school?