A Reflection of Learning

As a teacher of the 21st century, it has become a reality that educators are not dispensers of all knowledge. Instead, we have taken on a new responsibility to provide students with the skills to access the limitless supply of knowledge and strategies to stay current with ever-developing technology. By following a strategic plan, known as the GAME plan, the opportunities to teach these essential skills, along with content knowledge, can be realized. The four steps include setting goals, taking actions, monitoring the success of those actions, and evaluating the outcome. In addition, these four steps can be taught to and followed by students as they prepare to be competitive in this dynamic workforce and society.

At the onset of the course entitled Integrating Technology across the Content Area through Walden University, my initial GAME plan was based on ideas I had as I was nearing the end of a school year and preparing for the next. Instead of completing the goals and moving on from the coursework, what I soon discovered is the GAME plan format is actually a continuous cycle that can be used for every aspect of my instructional practice. In other words, educators are lifelong learners; as professional developments ensues, the GAME plan can be used.

For this reason, as I come to the end of a course, I have reached new beginnings for my instructional practice. Technology has always played a role in my curriculum, instruction, and assessment because, “Technology provides the means to situate learning within real contexts, and to provide students with the whole picture of an event or process, while still allowing them to focus on the relevant parts” (Cennamo, Ross & Ertmer, 2009, p.34). But what I did not realize was the lack of teaching about the 21st skills students were learning in the process. With my initial GAME complete, I now have an extensive list of goals to begin taking the actions to complete. So far, I have made a list of technological tools and applications mentioned throughout the last eight weeks. A few at a time, I plan to investigate each and create GAME plans for those that would benefit t he students of my classroom. As each are introduced to students during the next school year, they too will be asked to complete the four steps to make them part of their 21st century toolbox.

Reference

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.