Monitoring Your GAME Plan Progress

Monitoring Your GAME Plan Progress

Once again to remind you all about my GAME plan, I am currently working on a lesson with my foreign language learners that is geared toward the use of A and AN to precede a word. This lesson comes up from time to time, and get a brief work over by the teachers. This time I wanted to capture it deliberately and carefully to see how it would best be geared toward a technology based lesson.

Are you finding the information and resources you need?

I am finding loads of information, and mostly the same types of information that yields the proper usage of this grammar. Some of the sources I have relied on are various sites with explanations of the usage. http://www.grammar-monster.com/lessons/an_or_a.htm and http://www.ecenglish.com/learnenglish/when-use-a offer some clear, concise information and instructions for using the vocabulary.

Do you need to modify your action plan?

Earlier I had anticipated on using either Google forms, or http://www.testmoz.com. These both offered ways which I could build upon my independent lesson and deliver content on the vocabulary that I want to. I think this is important, as I can adjust the lesson on the fly and determine at which level of difficulty I want to relay to the students. I think in terms of modifying anything, I need to let go of my comfortability in Google forms, and explore various other options for creating this lesson. In taking action, I know I will need to carefully adjust with each step. One thing I intend to do, is to offer the students more of a questionnaire, or survey after the lesson to see how they viewed this particular lesson plan. The GOAL would be for them to ultimately be comfortable with the use of A and AN. If I am capable of delivering a characteristic unique lesson that encourages their abilities, I think it would be a satisfactory goal.

What have you learned so far?

English language learners come into our classrooms with a range of backgrounds and experiences: they may have never been in an English speaking environment before; their previous schooling may have been inadequate or nonexistent, and they may have extremely limited literacy in the language of their origin. Thus, teachers of ELL who want to incorporate technology may face greater challenges that colleagues with native English speaking students. (Cennamo et al., 2010, p.210)

What new questions have arisen?

I think I might just be looking out for how well the students perform on the task. Since this is a regular lesson that appears from time to time, I think it will receive better when it is put into a technology-based format. Here is the rough idea of how I have developed the lesson. http://tinyurl.com/mrak8ap

Reference

Cennamo, K., Ross, J. D., & Ertmer, P. A. (2010). Integrating technology in the ELL classroom. Technology integration for meaningful classroom use: a standards-based approach (pp. 209-219). Belmont, Calif.: Wadsworth.

Carrying Out Your GAME Plan

My game plan is for a lesson that will teach the use of A and An that precedes a noun. This is a lesson that comes up from time to time in foreign language learning, and I wanted a chance to interpret it incorporating technology to some degree. Also, I want to see how it would play out in terms of the GAME plan which we are learning about.

What resources will you need to carry out your plan (media segments, reading, experts or colleagues, etc.)?

To carry out this lesson, I’ll review previous lessons, worksheets, and ideas that I had used in prior lessons with other students. I will examine the lessons, and determine what I did right, and what I could have done better. I will also pay attention to avoid the contrived use of technology when interpreting the lesson using technology. It is important that the lesson remains original and creative in order that students have an engaging time with the lesson. One of the primary sources for which I will find my information will be the Internet.

A simple search yields many results. For example, http://writingexplained.com/a-vs-an-when-to-use-a-or-an-in-a-sentence can certainly be a site I could rely on, and also compare it to the similarities of others. I can draw my lesson by structuring either a test or plan for the lesson.

What additional information do you need?

I'll need to explore more online, maybe find English grammar, and teaching blogs where lesson planning is used. I might research various sites that have English teaching to them such as http://www.teachingenglish.org.uk/lesson-plans. I can adopt several ideas and methods for this lesson and examine where the technology would yield the best results. I would like to take this lesson online, and use a testing site like https://testmoz.com/, or create my own through the use of Google forms.

Importantly, I need to be the subject matter expert in terms of teaching English, and the proper way to teach it. As for the students, I am sure I have most of the information I need about them, I know their learning skills and can adjust to meet their needs. I do not have any special needs students, so I will not need to worry about an IEP, although it will feel that way when dealing with foreign language students.

What steps have you been able to take so far?           

 I have set my Goals, which are the first step in the GOAL plan

Goals: What do I want to know or be able to do?

First, I have brainstormed the idea of teaching A and An to the students. As I had mentioned this lesson does come up quite a bit, and this time I want to capture it with the aid of technology.

Identified a rapid technology tool

Google Forms, Testmoz.com, and sure to continue to research technology tools. There are several more, but I am more at home with the fluidity and user friendliness of these two. I think students could quickly adapt to them and become experts. Because Google forms naturally offers collaboration, it would be an excellent choice.

Learning more about the rules for using A and An

The choice of article is based upon the phonetic (sound) quality of the first letter in a word, not on the orthographic (written) representation of the letter. If the first letter makes a vowel-type sound, you use "an"; if the first letter would make a consonant-type sound, you use "a." However, you may follow these basic rules when deciding to use "a" or "an" remembering that there are some exceptions to the rules (Welcome to the Purdue OWL, n.d.).

To conclude, I see where the Steps in Goal planning come in to aid in my lesson planning. I know what I want to do with the class, I am also tempted to throw it simply at them in the best way I know how. However, Id be more concerned with how they react and adapt to the learning should they be unfamiliar with the lesson or the technology.

   Reference 

Welcome to the Purdue OWL. (n.d.). Purdue OWL: Articles: A versus An. Retrieved September 14, 2014, from https://owl.english.purdue.edu/owl/resource/591/01/             

Developing Your Personal GAME Plan

Developing Your Personal GAME Plan

            One indicator I want to gain confidence and proficiency in from the National Educational Technology Standards - ISTE for Teachers is Facilitating and inspiring student learning and creativity.
There were few teachers in my school days who inspired me to do better, and they consequently stuck out in my mind to this day. I’d also like to be a teacher that inspires students learning and creativity. Today I avoid having all the answers and when a student has a desperate question, I simply lean over and watch them figure it out. If they are unable to, I provide limited input in an effort to get their gears turning.

To facilitate and inspire student learning, teachers use their knowledge of subject matter, teaching and learning, and technology to facilitate experiences that advance student learning, creativity, and innovation in both face-to-face and virtual environments.

a. Promote, support, and model creative and innovative thinking and inventiveness

b. Engage students in exploring real-world issues and solving authentic problems using digital tools and resources

c. Promote student reflection using collaborative tools to reveal and clarify students’ conceptual understanding and thinking, planning, and creative processes

d. Model collaborative knowledge construction by engaging in learning with students, colleagues, and others in face-to-face and virtual environments (ISTE Standards, n.d.)

The second National Educational Technology Standards - ISTE for Teachers I want to embody is engaging in professional growth and leadership.

Teachers continuously improve their professional practice, model lifelong learning, and exhibit leadership in their school and professional community by promoting and demonstrating the effective use of digital tools and resources.

a. Participate in local and global learning communities to explore creative applications of technology to improve student learning

b. Exhibit leadership by demonstrating a vision of technology infusion, participating in shared decision making and community building, and developing the leadership and technology skills of others

c. Evaluate and reflect on current research and professional practice on a regular basis to make effective use of existing and emerging digital tools and resources in support of student learning

d. Contribute to the effectiveness, vitality, and self-renewal of the teaching profession and of their school and community

Decide what actions you will take to achieve those goals.

            I think the best route to take about to ensure students can competently utilize technology and be creative at the same time is to show my experience with technology. I can, in fact, use some of the created pieces in learning I put together. I can constantly be the subject matter expert in technology and await for the students to provide valuable insight in their technical expertise. My demonstrations should inspire them to mimic and copy my work.

Determine how you will monitor your progress.

All who use the GAME plan set goals, plan actions, monitor actions, and evaluate progress. In my lesson, I demonstrate how to use the words A and An to precede the noun in a sentence. Using the first standard of facilitating and inspiring student learning. My goal would ultimately get students regularly engaged in a student computer lab, failing that, some way that they can utilize their cell phone use in class. This would be a weekly or bi-weekly lesson. One way that I can monitor student progress is to use technology such as google forms or TeacherKit to track student progress and grades. Also, I need to listen to my peers and keep an open mind.  There are many opinions on ways to integrate technology into the academic environment.  There are many different ways for eliciting feedback from academic stakeholders on technology in the academic environment (Monitoring GAME Plan Progress, n.d.).

Decide how you will evaluate and extend your learning.

To evaluate the progress in my lesson, I will need to take a bird’s eye view of what I had just done. I’ll make a list of questions; they will ask if everything had been done to the standard and the students had learned. Technology can assist me in the form of web 2.0 tools; I can monitor and chart progress using various apps and software that’s already available today.

I think to evaluate professional growth and leadership, I only need to be an active member of teacher groups and community events. Of particular importance is being involved in plans that focus on technology and the uses in the classroom. Google offers certified training in their app, and I believe that would be a first positive step. Another important step is to become a member of ASTD (American Society for Training & Development). This organization is the world’s largest association dedicated to those who develop talent in organizations. These professionals help others achieve their full potential by improving their knowledge, skills, and abilities.

References

ISTE Standards. (n.d.). ISTE Standards Teachers. Retrieved September 3, 2014, from http://www.iste.org/docs/pdfs/20-14_ISTE_Standards-T_PDF.pdf

Monitoring GAME Plan Progress. (n.d.). Ed Tech. Retrieved September 8, 2014, from http://vincecarls.wordpress.com/2013/07/24/monitoring-game-plan-progress/

Gearing Up for Blogging

Gearing Up for Blogging

Blogs and other social networking platforms have become a means for teachers to build professional learning communities online in which they share resources and discuss any number of education-related issues with other educators and experts from around the globe. The purpose of this assignment is for you to gain practice using a blog as a networking and learning tool by interacting with your colleagues in this course and the larger online education community. An RSS aggregator can help you manage multiple blogs by delivering updates and new posts to one place. An aggregator makes reviewing all your personal, professional, and class blogs quick and easy. This week, you will also set up an RSS aggregator to help you manage your blog and the blogs you post to.

*Note: If you still have a blog and aggregator account from the previous course, you may use them for this course. Skip to Step 3.

By Sunday, complete the following steps:

Step 1: Referring to the list of free blog sites in the Tech Resources section (or a blog site you choose), set up your own blog. Make it open to public searches and enable the option to provide a link for an RSS feed.

Step 2: Using the links provided in Tech Resources (or an aggregator you choose), create an account on an RSS aggregator site.

Step 3: Post the URL for your blog on the Blog Links Board.

Step 4: Using your aggregator, subscribe to the feeds of your blog and those of your group members. You can find the links to their blogs on the Blog Links Board.

Step 5: Copy and paste the URL for your blog into a Word document. Submit the document to the submission link.