Once again I am required to take time and reflect on my GAME plan, which is a necessity when trying to accomplish any and all goals, but honestly, sometimes I “think” I don’t have time to do this step. In order to accomplish my GAME plan and all other goals, this step is vital.
With this said, I am taking a step back and reflecting on my 2 GAME plan goals; the progression towards incorporating more technology into my daily teachings and also conveying information through various digital formats. As I access my actions, I am able to share that I am making progress towards both of these goals, although I am not running full speed towards the finish line, I am steadily moving towards the finish line. So far this past week I have created a new blog, a twitter account and an iWeb site. Concurrently, I have utilized some form of technology or digital format in everything I have done for school, including learning new techie things for my IEPs. Because of my constant work towards these goals, and the progress I have made this week, I have learned that the more I continue working and exploring new digital tools, equipment, software, and incorporate these into every part of my professional life, it gets easier and easier. For example, the time it took to activate clickers this week as opposed to the time it took last week. WOW. Also, I have added BrainPop to my clicker settings this week, so I can click “activate vote” and my clickers are INSTANTLY set-up, turned on, and programmed. WOW.
One realization I did encounter when I was reading the reflective questions was that I do need to always learn to continue to stay active in the learning mode and not rely on “that’s the way I’ve always done it” attitude. Don’t get me wrong, I am always trying to self-improve and grow, but to work this hard in such a short amount of time in order to reach your goals, is hard work, time consuming, and even exhausting mentally and physically. So, I do work hard, but just not this hard all of the time. As we approach TCAP and then the end of school, I am beginning to question if all of this work towards my goal of conveying information through various digital formats is going to be launched with enough steam and momentum when it’s so close to the end of the school year. With only 30-something days, most teachers are trying to first get through TCAP, then will start winding down their school year.
Even though we (my school colleagues) are thinking about how many days/weeks are left and our students’ performance on TCAP, I will continue onward towards my 2 GAME plan goals with as much zest and zeal as I started. As of now, I will not adjust my current plan at all, because I know I will fully implement both goals to their fullest potential whether it’s this year or next. Therefore, if both my goals do not attain their level of significance within the next few weeks, that’s ok because both goals will be in full swing starting the first day of school next year and I’ll have all summer to tweak here and there if needed.
Kimberly,
ReplyDeleteEducators can become complacent and forget that they should know just be teaching, but learning as well. As we set goals, there are things that come up, like your TCAP. While it would be awesome for you to launch full steam ahead with your technology integration, sometimes it is better to start slowly, so you don't become overwhelmed and exhausted. The end of the year is a very hard time for me too. We have testing, final projects and our BPA nationals that takes me away for about week, so it is crazy and hectic. Just remember what you do, you can always improve and change upon.
Good Luck!
Laura
Kimberly,
ReplyDeleteIt sounds like you have made a lot of progress towards your goal. What are clickers? Are those the devices that give instant feedback from the students? If so, how have they increased student engagment during your lessons? Have they helped improve students' understanding of the material taught in class? I feel your pain with how much we have to get accomplished in the next couple of weeks. In my district we had to turn in grades without having a work day and HSAP is less then a week and a half away. I have found support in some of my friends at work and they are helping me with my classes and our wikis. I am so thankful for the media specialist at my school.
Sadie
I agree with your comment that the more you work with different technology the easier it becomes to manipulate it. Creating work with different forms of technology becomes less stressful and intimidating as you become more familiar with it.
ReplyDeleteI also agree that each week of school work becomes increasingly more challenging with testing at work becoming more and more of an issue. For me it is trying to focus the minds of several seniors who will not graduate if they do not make some dramatic changes in how they are doing school. Best of luck to you down this final stretch.
Laura,
ReplyDeleteThank you so much for your calming words that spoke acceptance and acknowledgment. You're right, it's OK if I work on giving my GAME plan a good solid foundation now and then launch with full force at the beginning of next year.
Sometimes we just need to hear the words "it's OK".
Good luck to you and hopefully the end of your school year will not be intolerable.
Kimberly
First of all, good luck with winding down the school year. As an 8th grade homeroom teacher, I have the responsibility of making sure all of my students are doing well and will graduate in June--despite how a student or two are bordering on not graduating.
ReplyDeleteSo this brings up a good point on how we can motivate students into engaging themselves in their own learning. I believe that as we incorporate more and more technology into their learning and giving students the opportunity to 'own' their learning process, we should see better results. This is certainly not to say that we should abandon traditional teaching methods, lessons, etc. I would even argue that too much of one thing can be bad--and that could go with using too much technology in the curriculum as well.
Good luck and thanks for the post for thought.