GAME Plan, continued…
The First Quarter
I have already been taking steps towards meeting my goals, albeit small steps, but steps just the same. As I take Action toward executing my GAME plan, I have asked myself the necessary questions: what information I need to meet my goals, and what resources I will use (Cennamo, Ross, & Ertmer, 2009). I am finding that in the early stages of my GAME plan my most valuable resources are my peers. This comes as no surprise, as Dr. Katharine Cennamo (2009) has stated that peers are a valuable asset for self-directed learners as they help to funnel information (Laureate Education, Inc., 2009). I have seen this concept play out numerous times this week. Through the help of my colleagues I have made some steps that lay the foundation for me to meet my goals of using Activotes as an assessment tool. So far this week, I have installed the driver and software to my computer that are necessary for using Activotes. I have also taken a quick introductory course, that was about 30 minutes in length during my conference day this past Monday that introduced me to the bare bones of the ActivInspire software. I am just in the beginning stages of this process, but I have been making gains all the same.
I owe it to you!
I have my blog and followers from Walden to thank for helping me to meet the second goal of my GAME plan. Thanks to my peers I have some very useful online tutorials to use to help me become familiar with my SmartBoard and it’s capabilities. I feel as though this has given me the ability to network globally by learning from other educators that have already familiarized themselves with the same tools I have (Laureate Education Inc., 2009). I feel as though I have come full circle then, one of the many advantages to using technology is the ability to network globally, and I am using that advantage to help me learn to use technology!
What's to come
I will continue to seek the help of my colleagues and IT Department, and have signed up for another training to use the ActivInspire software for next Monday’s conference day. In the meantime, I will continue to monitor my progress. Good luck to everyone this week with your GAME Plans!
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. (Producer). (2009). Enriching Content Area Learning Experiences. [DVD]. Baltimore, MD (Author).
Emily,
ReplyDeleteCan you let me know what you think of Activotes? I am a big believer in learner response systems.
As I think back on the materials we read and watched this past week about applying data to make informed analyses so that we can appropriately apply the principles of UDL, I believe that learner response systems will give us yet another useful data point. I especially this that it is powerful when the data is displayed on Smartboard or Promethean and the names are anonymous, but we can record privately how each student responded. I think that it is this kind of technology that stimulates classroom involvement from even the shyest of students.
Emily-
ReplyDeleteUnfortunately I have never used a WhiteBoard or heard of the software AcrivInspire, I watched the short informative clip (found here:http://www.prometheanworld.com/server.php?show=nav.16874) on what it does. How exciting! I can definitely see how it would be a little intimidating and take some time to learn all that it is capable of doing! I commend you for seeking out information and learning about the new digital tool.
I think this is a great way to get students involved and will provide numerous activities that meet the UDL guidelines, mainly displaying information in multiple ways and getting students physically involved and engaged in the learning process.
Thank you for sharing your ideas and I look forward to hearing about how you incorporate ActivInspire into your daily routine.
Bruce,
ReplyDeleteI have seen the Activotes in action this week in one of my colleagues classrooms,and I have to tell you, I am impressed! What I found surprisingly helpful is that you can actually turn the results display off so that the students do not see if the responses were correct or not. I would have thought that the response results would have been invaluable, but what I am hearing from others is that students tend to focus more on guessing who answered correctly and who didn't, so turning that option off saves some humility and teasing. This helps to further ensure the participation of those shy students. They are really a great tool, and I can't wait to become more familiar with them.
Mrs.Rapp,
This is all a little intimidating! But all the same, I am very excited to be learning the technology and I am sure that it will be an endeavor well worth the effort. Thanks so much for the words of encouragement!
Emily Mehlenbacher