Painting a Picture of the Future

It is difficult to put into words how far I have developed professionally over the length of my master's program. The experience has made me grow into a true leader and catalyst for change. This is reflected in my final project for this course. It shows that I am not only up-to-date with educational technologies but that I feel comfortable exploring the potentials there are on the horizon. This is the result of piecing together all the elements built upon throughout my program.

I believe that I have now formed an effective network of professional support and resources through joining Ning groups, receiving RSS feeds from blogs I have identified, following professionals using technology in the classroom on Twitter, and even identifying potential networking locations within Second Life, that will continue to inspire me towards improvement in my teaching practices. Most importantly they can also help me keep a finger on the pulse of those emerging technologies to come. Through my efforts to integrate technology in my classroom, I have moved into a leadership position at my school. As the Technology Teacher Leader, I have a greater influence over the application and adoption of new and emerging technologies at my school. I plan to continue my efforts in training my fellow faculty members in the use of technology to reach all learners and keep improving my leadership skills in this area.


I have become confident enough in my abilities to push my influence to another level. I recently became part of a group of nine teachers who volunteered to develop online courses for our school district to offer as professional development. Participating in this venture allows me to influence change in two ways; one, to use technology to provide learning on-demand for busy educators who need alternatives means for professional development, and two, to develop on-line courses to instruct teachers beyond the walls of my school building about how they can use technology in the classroom to teach content standards and support 21st century skills.


My hope is that by taking this three tiered approach to sharing what I have learned and what I continue to learn about teaching 21st century learners and emerging technologies, will insure that my efforts will make a difference in some child's life.

Using Moodle for Elementary Instruction

As the Technology Teacher leader at my school, my task is to provide professional learning classes on any technology programs we have at school. This year, one of my focuses was our district's version of Moodle, called E-Learn. At first, the district wanted every teacher to have an E-Learn site up and running by the end of the school year. As we got further into the year and bogged down with implementing a new student data system and web-based grade book, that goal changed. The TTL's were asked to offer training in E-Learn for motivated and interested teachers only. This was a much better approach, in my opinion, because these teachers are now wonderful peer tutors for when I will have to do mandatory training.


When I read our assignment for this week, to create a presentation to convince my staff of the benefits to using a course management system, I immediately thought of how I could use this to prepare my staff for the inevitable. Attached is the final product, please let me know if I can improve upon this before I do present it to the teachers who are going to need support and encouragement to accomplish this transformation.

Supporting the Implementation of Differentiation

During an earlier course in this graduate program, I was introduced to blogging and most importantly social networking. I realized quickly that I had missing out on a whole world of resources and support that had been available to me with just a simple key stroke. The Ning group that I set up for this class has become, and will remain, an invaluable resource as I continue my journey towards differentiated instruction and Universal Design for Learning. Because of our group effort, we each have doubled the amount of resources now cataloged on our site. As we move forward beyond this course, and even beyond our advanced degree, this information will still exist in cyberspace for us to access. We can continue to share resources and use each other as a support group as we move forward integrating technology to diversify our classrooms. I find it much easier to look through a Ning site for information I need, then to flip back through mountains of hand written notes. The site keeps it organized and accessible.,

From this course I have learned that what I considered differentiation in my classroom was not fulfilling the needs of my students. Even though my implementation of Choice-based art education differentiated instruction for product, interest, and learning profile, I have continued to see some students still struggling with grasping the standards in class. I knew I had a gap somewhere to fill but I couldn't quite put my finger on it. This course has allowed me to analyze my situation and locate where my instruction has been not meeting the needs of these students. I plan to immediately make modifications to how I deliver my instruction by using more technology to provide alternative access to the information and practice that is matched to readiness, and intelligence preferences. Of course this is going to take some leg work on my part to gain more computers in my classroom, but this time of year (post-testing) will provide a more open schedule for me to do this. As I practice my new lessons along with my students, I hope to begin to establish some new routines and procedures so that we can start out next year hitting the ground running. I have always viewed technology as a alternative production tool but now I view it as an invaluable instructional tool as well. I am very glad my eyes have been opened.

Reflection and Resolution

There are several things I will take away from this course that have made a significant impact on my teaching practices. First and foremost is the importance of goal-setting for myself and my students. Working through the GAME Plan process really helps to make goals attainable. It allows you to break it down into small workable chunks to achieve while at the same time allowing for changes along the way. One thing it does not let you do is give up. If your plan did not work, you evaluate why and go back and change your actions so that you can try again. I have yet to attain my original goal but I have made progress. This is something to be proud of in the midst of holiday preparations, graduate work, new programs, and the general utter chaos that is everyday in the field of education.

This blog played a significant role in the GAME Plan. It has become a platform for support, encouragement, and commitment. It is one thing to say to out loud to yourself, "I want to reach this goal." But to put it in writing and publish it for the world to see is another. I resolve to continue blogging and setting goals for myself. I also intend to implement more GAME Planning with my students. I know they can also benefit from the steps as well. It mirrors so much of the creative process I try to teach everyday.

In addition to the GAME Plan, I leave this course with extra confidence and no more excuses. Integrating technology seamlessly into any content area is possible. Not only is it possible, it makes such perfect sense. Every teacher I talk to about using technology in their classroom always uses the excuse...I just don't have the time...it's just one more thing piled on top of everything else. It is my hope that I can move forward as a leader and show others that it is not an additional burden but a time saver and most importantly a more effective teaching tool. Technology shouldn't be taught in isolation and unfortunately so many schools are set up that way. Oh goodness.....do I hear another GAME Plan on the horizon. I'll let you know.

Using the GAME Plan with Students

I have already used the GAME Plan with my 2nd through 5th graders to help them organize their thoughts on a clay project we recently started. Making a sculpture out of clay is a four week process and it is very helpful if the students have a clear plan of what they want to make long before they touch the clay. Using the GAME Plan my students set a vision of what they wanted their project to look like, decided on an action to accomplish it, and monitored their process while they worked. Their projects showed considerable improvement and they are currently evaluated their final product. Now we did this the old-fashioned way using paper and pencil, but I can see this being accomplished through a Blog or discussion board just as easily.

Just as we used the GAME Plan to approach content standards, it could also be used to help accomplish technology goals. I have all my students set a personal art goals at the beginning of the year and we monitor their progress towards these goals through the year. I could require students to also set a technology goal for themselves as well. As I found out through this process, setting a goal is very motivating especially if we have to revisit it often and reflect on the steps in writing.

Naughty or Nice?

When we set our goals, I guess I had something longer-term in mind and I did not consider the craziness of the season. So when I evaluate my progress I feel like I have moved along better then I expected. I had to modify my actions along the way but overall I feel very positive about the process.



In working towards my goal for modeling collaboration, I have set up two collaborative projects with co-workers that integrate technology and the visual arts with the regular classroom curriculum. One will occur in February, to coincide with a third grade writing project and the other in the spring to coincide with the fifth grade study of WWII. Both involve a collaborative effort by students and both teachers to produce a digital storytelling presentation. The problem-based learning unit we are currently working on has helped a lot in planning both of these projects.

My other goal of creating authentic problem-solving for my students has also begun to make some forward progress. I have finally connected to a local issue that I believe will create an exciting project for my students to become involved in. After planning it out with my Learning Community's help, I plan to implement it early spring of this year.

So even though I felt a little "naughty" at first for seemingly dragging my feet while I worked on these goals, I do feel pretty "nice" about the progress I did actually make. I really enjoy the GAME Plan process. It definitely helps you commit to personal improvement.

Two-Four-One Deal

It was a pleasant surprise this week to find many of my thoughts about these goals restated within our resources. I really didn't read ahead but I must admit it is spooky how similar my train of thought has followed the words of wisdom from Dr. Peggy Ertmer this week. I guess that is one of the wonderful things about blogging. It not only opens you thoughts up for others to collaborate and share, but it also keeps a nice electronic record of your thought process as well.

I was also pleased with the fact that my two goals align quite nicely with our upcoming unit plan. I see modifying my action plan to include these steps. I believe the structure of this class will provide the motivation to fully pursue my goals. Honestly, it has been challenging to motivate myself . I have been bogged down with my real-life problem, and that makes it easy for me to shelf the idea until after the holidays. This unit plan will put the fire under me and ensure that I have something concrete to apply to my instructional practice. I've got to say that it is hard to resist a two-for-one deal.
At the same time, I can progress further on my other goal by collaborating with my learning community on this unit plan and gaining more confidence working with a group. The experience working together using a Wiki will make me much more comfortable using this tool myself so that I could be more effective using it in my instruction. Another two-for-one....got to like that.