Carrying Out my GAME Plan

The journey of my GAME plan continues today with consideration of how I will implement this plan. What resources or additional information will I need? What steps have I taken so far? What is my intended learning strategy? These are the questions that I will attempt to answer in this installment.

In order to be proficient with the technologies I will be using in my new position, I need to spend time learning about the equipment. In talking with a colleague this week, he suggested I simply type the name and model number of the piece of equipment into Google and YouTube and see what information is already out there. I thought that was a great idea, and frankly, I never would have thought of it! So, I will need Internet access, names and model numbers, and some type of bookmarking application to save videos that I find.

Another resource I will need to carry out my plan is to conference with the teacher who was in the position before me and to go over all of the documents he has given me. The documents are in digital format, so I will need access to a computer and the appropriate programs to view the documents (Word, Excel, PowerPoint, etc.). To conference with the teacher, I will need to find time when he is available to meet. Summer vacation being what it is, this might be the most difficult resource of all!

My learning strategy is to work through as much of the material and equipment as possible on my own, noting where I need help as I go along. In order to utilize my colleague’s and my time most effectively, I need to be ready with questions when I meet with him. For some of the information, it is simply a matter of making time to figure it out. For some of the equipment, I need to see it in use to understand the principles behind it.

Already, I have a bookmarking application set up. I use delicious.com. This is convenient because I can see my bookmarks from any computer with Internet access. I have been in contact with the previous teacher about setting up a time to meet in the classroom. This will happen over the next two weeks. I have started looking at some of the documents that go with the modules. So, things are moving along.

The other goal in my GAME plan is to engage in professional growth and leadership to explore creative application of technology to improve student learning. “Just having computers and software in the classroom is not significant; how the educators use those computers and that software to promote learning is far more important” (King-Sears & Evmenova, 2007, p.6). For this goal, I will need access to the Internet, blogs of other career technology teachers, an aggregator to keep track of blog subscriptions, and contact with other career technology teachers in my district.

My learning strategy is to contact the other career technology teachers in my district. I hope that they can point me toward professional organizations to join and blogs to read. I will also have the opportunity to see what they are doing in their classrooms. Hopefully, we can share ideas and strategies.

I use Google Reader for my aggregator. I already follow several technology blogs. While these are helpful, they do not target the areas of technology that I need. I will continue to search for more specific Internet resources. If any of my colleagues in this learning community have suggestions, I would love to hear them!

Reference

King-Sears, M., & Evmenova, A. S. (2007). Premises, principles, and processes for integrating technology into instruction. Teaching Exceptional Children, 40(1), 6–14. Retrieved from the Academic Search Complete database.