Wow...this stinks! I posted information on my blog on Wednesday and now (Sunday) I get on to see if anyone responded and my post is not there. Oh, well...there goes my grade!

Anyways, I had posted that I have thrown in the towel my GAME plan to learn more about Infinite Campus. Even with the manual in hand, it is too difficult to manipulate and learn all that it offers without a trained professional showing me. I will have to wait and take the training offered at the beginning of the school year. So much for getting ahead of the game.

As for the GAME plan on learning to use the Smart Board...much more successful.
I have definitely tapped into some great resources such as five teachers that are proficient in using it. They have shared many of their secrets of creating a successful Smart Board game, lesson, or interactive project.

I feel that my action plan of finding trained colleagues to help me has been very effective.
I have learned the many different ways of incorporating the use of a Smart Board into my lessons without it always being a game. I have also learned that there are many teachers in cyberspace willing to share their ideas and their Smart Board programs so that I don't have to reinvent the wheel.

So far so good. Having fun with this one and very excited to use the Smart Board this coming year.

After visiting the Web site for the International Society for Technology in Education (ISTE) and examining the National Education Standards, I have created my GAME Plan for strengthening my confidence in the following two indicators in the NETS-T:


Model Digital-Age Work and Learning

Teachers exhibit knowledge, skills, and work processes representative of an innovative professional in a global and digital society. Teachers:

a. demonstrate fluency in technology systems and the transfer of current knowledge to new technologies and situations

Goal
Learn to become proficient in all aspects of a SmartBoard

Action
Search for a professional development course to learn how to use a SmartBoard.
Seek an online tutorial or seek a teacher who is already an expert in using a Smartboard.

Monitor
Which method of action is most efficient and effective?

Evaluate
What do I still need to learn?
What method of action was most valuable in attaining my goal?
What is my next step?



c. communicate relevant information and ideas effectively to students, parents, and peers using a variety of digital-age media and formats

Goal
Become proficient at using the new software (Infinite Campus) that our district has implemented for grading and communicating with parents.
Learn to use and implement Castle Learning Online (supports classroom instruction through content-related review assignments, practice sessions and benchmark testing). Many peers already use it and are experts at it.

Action
Take a professional development course on how to become an expert at using Infinite Campus (mandated by our district).
Seek a teaching colleague that is adept at using Castle Learning Online to teach and mentor me on learning to use it and make it available to my students.

Monitor
Am I learning to use Infinite Campus in a timely manner so that my students, parents and I can take advantage of all it offers?
Is Castle Learning Online helping to promote higher level thinking in my Spanish class?
Are my students taking advantage of the extra help it offers?

Evaluate
What do I still need to learn?
Have I implemented what I have learned to communicate relevant information and Ideas effectively to students, parents and peers?
What is my next step?

Let me know if you have any suggestions about my GAME plan.

Hello everyone in my Walden Technology class. I hope I set this up correctly and if you have any suggestions on how I can integrate Technology into my foreign language class...I would love to hear them.