As of today, my actions have been pretty effective in meeting the goals I have set forth in my GAME plan. My first goal was to communicate more with students, parents and the community using technology. Starting in January, our gradebooks will go live and parents will have 24 hour access to see how their students are doing. I have also been working on updating my HomeworkNow page, which is an interactive teacher website, and keeping people up to date on what is going on in my classroom. My second goal was to engage in professional growth and leadership. I have volunteered to spend some time working with my peers to show them all that I have learned in this class and the others I have been in. I think that in doing this, not only will I help my peers, but I will also better myself and sharpen my skills with the technology we have already begun to use.
So far, I have learned so much I can use in my everyday instruction. I need to keep a GAME plan in mind for everything I do, be it technology related or not. Everyone can benefit from keeping their goals in mind, students included. I have also learned that students react very well to technology. A simple test created on my blog instead of on paper really helped the students succeed. The grading was the same for me and the student's grades improved.
I know I still have a lot to learn. Right now it seems that it will take me a while to reach the end of my GAME plan. I would like to work on it all year and complete the evaluation step at the end of year. This will allow me to see how I really did.
My plan will soon need to be adjusted just a little bit. I will be going out on maternity leave and not have as much interaction with my students and peers. I plan to continue my student's use of technology through use of my blog. I have already let my sub know that I will be updating my blog and sending her the information my students need to learn. By doing this I am still working on my first goal and helping my students in the mean time.
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Arielle,
ReplyDeleteWow! I am really impressed with how far you are with your game plan! I think you will find the online gradebook, which parents have access to, and the homework page both very beneficial. We have had both of these tools in our district for a few years now and I would not want to be without them. I also use a blog on my website, but I never thought about putting a test on the blog. I use it more for conversation with the students, for example, the blog I have now asks if they like the immigration novel we are reading and what they predict is going to happen next in the novel.
Using the blog will be a good way to keep in touch with your students when you are on your maternity leave. By the way, good luck with your new baby!
Arielle,
ReplyDeleteMy school has just updated it's web site (SweetwaterMiddleSchool.net)and we now have a page where we can provide homework for students. They have it based on our grade level and subject. I have used it every single day this past week. The new web site started the week of Thanksgiving and I am enjoying it thoroughly. I looked through it the other day and very few other teachers at my school have used this resource. I feel like you I am a teacher who has to teach everyone around them on how to use different technologies. I am actually meeting with our technology specialist about this on December 14th. I think we have a lot in common.
Hi Arielle,
ReplyDeleteI can tell you right now you are going to love your gradebook being online. Two years ago we started doing this at our school and teachers were really upset, thinking that parents were going to be calling all of the time and that we were going to be questioned on our methods of grading and such. In reality, the exact opposite was true. Our parents in our district can now log on at any time and see the grades of their students. I update my gradebook every single day, showing not only the assignments students have, ones they have completed (or not completed), but also my weight breakdown of their grades. Our PASS system shows what their average is for every type of grade (homework, quiz, test, etc.) so parents can see exactly where their child is struggling. It is nice because there are no surprises when report cards go home. In may not be as personal as a phone call home or a letter sent home, but it is the most convenient tool that a teacher can have in terms of contacting parents about their grades. The only thing I wish is that all parents utilized the system, because even though it is very easy to use, there are still many parents who have never logged on.
Arielle,
ReplyDeleteWELL DONE!! Technology becomes more amazing each day. Like yourself, I too post my grades through an Internet program called Power Teacher. Parents love it because they get updates right away and many of them have the updates sent right to their cell phones. I also use E-board where I post my assignments for each day. It is great for students who are absent they have no reason to not complete the assignment and they can stay on task.
Great work and Keep it UP!!!'
Stephanie Best
Arielle,
ReplyDeleteIt is wonderful that you will still communicate with your students through use of technology while you are out of the classroom. You will be able to monitor student work, and stay informed about what is happening in the classroom as well. Technology is a wonderful tool, at this point I could not imagine life without it. Good Luck with the completion of your GAME plan, and the new life you will soon bring into the world.
Alicia