GAME Reflections



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Teachers, by the very nature of their chosen profession, are lifelong learners. Although they seek the perfection of their craft, their satisfaction comes only from progress toward, rather than arrival at, that elusive goal. Cennamo, Ross, and Ertmer’s (2009) GAME plan offers a formula for self directed learning through goal setting, action, monitoring, and evaluation that teachers can use to guide their personal professional development.


At the outset of my own implementation of the GAME plan method, I focused on Standard 2, which encourages teachers to “design, develop, and evaluate authentic learning experiences and assessments incorporating contemporary tools and resources to maximize content learning in context and to develop the knowledge, skills, and attitudes identified in the NETS•S,” with a particular concentration on indicators “c. customize and personalize learning activities to address students’ diverse learning styles, working strategies, and abilities using digital tools and resources” and “d. provide students with multiple and varied formative and summative assessments aligned with content and technology standards and use resulting data to inform learning and teaching” (p. 1). I decided the best measure of my achievement would be the new and effective applications of technology I would employ to enhance and assess my students’ learning experiences. By this measure, I made progress toward my goal.

With goals established, I began to gather information about technological resources available for developing learning experiences and assessments and deciding which would best reflect both content-area goals and my students’ learning needs. I used an array of resources for this, including independent research through Internet and other sources and collaboration with colleagues and students online (through tools such as weblogs, wikis, and listservs) and in person (Prensky, 2008). I have also learned much about digital tools and their applicability to teaching and learning from formal coursework, both through my current course and through review of materials from previous classes (Cennamo et al., 2009; Laureate Education, Inc., 2009; Prensky, 2008). Of course, many of the most valuable learning experiences are far from formal. One productive meeting with a fellow AP teacher even took place in a game of Red Dead Redemption on the Playstation 3 console. Through these avenues, I discovered many exciting approaches to teaching and assessing with technology using both materials specifically designed for teaching and applications originally designed not for school use, but for business, productivity, and entertainment.

Throughout this process, I continued to monitor both my learning and my application of what I had learned to my practice. Along the way, I abandoned some resources that failed to reward my time investment while more deeply exploring those that yielded valuable information. I found that many of the most useful learning and assessment technologies I had not formerly employed had been available to me all along, either as free applications (such as digital storytelling, screencasting, and audio production software) or as features and potentials of programs I use every day (such as Microsoft Word and PowerPoint). As I assessed my progress, I adjusted my learning methods to improve the results.

As a result of new learning, my teaching has changed significantly. I now incorporate more student-centered learning methods into my lessons, using digital technologies for support. I am using new digital tools and familiar digital tools in new ways. I have created problem-based learning experiences, collaborative assignments using Web 2.0 technologies, and a digital storytelling assignment that will serve both as profoundly complex learning experiences and as powerful assessments. And I am helping my students to develop independence as self-directed learners by sharing the GAME plan method with them (Cennamo et al., 2009).

It is impossible now to explain the total effect this course has had on my teaching practice. Rather, I expect to reap the benefits of this approach to personal professional development for years to come.



References



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.



Laureate Education, Inc. (Executive Producer). (2009). Integrating Technology Across the Content Areas. Baltimore: Author.





Prensky, M. (2008, March). Turning on the lights. Educational Leadership, 65(6), 40-45.