GAME Plant fothcoming in more complete form, but my initial attemtps to set up and subscribe to this half of Team tech integration proved to be a mini lessoni in game planning. My experience here dovetails with ITSE.NETS*T Standard 3. Model Digital Age WOrk and Learning. WHile I've been an avid reader of political blogs and blog-posts regarding education and education reform, I rarely blog myself, though I have another blog I have yet to fully inhabit. Lurking about the blogosphere is not the same as participating. Leaving the occasional comment is not equivalent to producing and engaging in dialog, professionally, politically [not here, folks], or personally [the other blog I half-heartedly keep but plan to contribute to more regularly to a wider audience].
As I set up the 6713 Blog and tried to subscribe to my colleageues musings and reflections, I had a very specific goal. As I took action to subscribe, I was constantly monitoring what I was doing and learning onthe fly. My god, this will take a long time, cutting andpasting each URL and subscribing one at a time. Did it work? DId I spell dauknotas correctly? Hey, that worked. WHat does thislink do? I can add more than one? I can add them all. Go slowly, these are names. I think it's successful, because all your blogs (sans Patrice's andMaureens--busy, I'll try later) show up in my listings. Whether I manage to view them in my blogger dashboard or google reader, which is my goal to transfer to students remains to be determined. That's where my evaluative skills come in. Walking through, or stumbling through, how to use the technology I use increases my own technological literacy.
Sure, I can read Spanish, but I have to work to decode it. Sure, I can read blogs till the sun comes up, but writing for a public audience, with a rather specific purpose in mind, changes the equation considerably.
It's writng for readers, and reading for other writers, or, in this case, teachers, and ultimately my students, their parents,a nd my colloaboritive colleagues.
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ReplyDeleteIsn't it amazing what we learn from "figuring it out" or problem solving. I remember assembling a toy or defeating a game took time and effort to figure it out. Now we have cheat codes and tutorials - guides that make it easier to succeed. Cennamo, Ross, and Ertmer state, "While we can certainly learn many things by reading textbooks and by observing others complete a task, the most natural form of learning involves active, hands-on, concreate experience” (2009, p.31). I think self-directed learning becomes more difficult as we get older because we are so afraid of failure. Shouldn't failure be part of the learning process - knowing what needs improvement, growth, development.
ReplyDeleteAs you noted, you were constantly monitoring your progress. It seems like monitoring is the most natural part of the GAME plan. As one works through a problem, decisions are made based on outcomes. This did not work; try something else. This did work; what is next? Monitoring is thinking and making decisions leading into the evaluation of those.
~Jessica H.
(FYI-there is not an edit option. Hence, I had to remove my earlier post.) When blogging, you better mean what you say or say what you mean.
Reference
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
I can certainly appreciate your penchant for auditory learning. As I was setting up my initial blog, my husband kept peeking around the corner and asking who I was talking to. Cennamo, Ross, & Ertmer (2009) write, “…authentic instructional methods can support the development of creative thinking skills by providing opportunities for students to engage in holistic, complex, and challenging activities that promote learner autonomy and active learning…” (p. 51). The act of talking yourself through the blog set up and RSS subscription process is proof that self-directed learning works.
ReplyDeleteThe fact that you are questioning your steps and making adjustments as you go demonstrates the GAME plan in action. I think the most dynamic aspects of this plan are monitoring and evaluation. Once the process is in motion, we are all going to be making these adjustments.
I think that your wider plans to contribute on a regular basis to your other blogs as well as your desire to become an active member of various blogs speaks to a willingness to facilitate your own advances into the world of learning with technology.
Richardson (2010) states, “Writing is monologue; blogging is conversation. Writing is thesis; blogging is synthesis…” (p. 31). I thought of this statement because I noted on your blog that you consider yourself to be a writer first and foremost. I am not sure that I agree with his statements about monologue and thesis, but I do agree that blogging is a wonderful way to converse within the digital universe. It is a way for teachers and students alike to compile various points of view; to create new meaning for themselves, and to share that understanding with others as well.
Kelly C.
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.
Richardson, W. (2010). Blogs, wikis, podcasts, and other powerful web tools for classrooms (Third ed.). Thousand Oaks, CA: Corwin.