My GAME plan for the NETS-T

Hi everyone and Welcome to my blog:

I keep it pretty casual around here, but still try to make some good points about the Prompt for each week. The Picture I have up for my profile is with my little first born Leo. He is now 4.5 months and growing like a weed.

But let's get down to business. When I took a look at the NETS-T page, (http://www.iste.org/Content/NavigationMenu/NETS/ForTeachers/2008Standards/NETS_T_Standards_Final.pdf),
I really have concerns in two standards. These two are both under #1 Facilitate and Inspire Student Learning and Creativity.

The first is letter B: Engage students in exploring real-world issues and solving authentic problems using digital tools and resources. This is something that is the essence of the math that I teach. The idea that math has all kind of real world applications. And, now with the Internet, I have access to all kinds of real world applications and projects that are going on across the entire globe. Yet, I spend a lot of my time teaching solving methods out of a text book.

The second is letter D: Model collaborative knowledge construction by engaging in learning with students, colleagues, and others in face-to-face and virtual environments. I have a great science department and other great math teachers in my school. But, I have not done one collaborative project in the 3 year that I have been teaching. It is so difficult to get the time to get together and show students how adults collaborate and give them good examples upon which they can model their own behavior.

So, here is my GAME plan.

Goals: Once a semester I will have a project that applies some of the methods we have studied. I will incorporate technology tools like the Internet and software that people would use in the workplace. This way, students get some experience with tools that they will be using someday. Also, I plan for one of these application projects to be collaborative, where the students either build an online showcase of group work, work with students from another class in the school, or compare results in a virtual meeting with another class somewhere in the world. This way I can address both of the standards that worry me.

Actions: First, I will work on my collaboration. I need to schedule meetings with the other willing teachers in my building and also try to look on the net for online forums to meet teachers who need to partner up. Then, I will take what I find and write it into my content schedule so that it has a maximum impact on my students.

Monitor: I will check weekly that I have worked towards my goal of creating a collaborative learning environment that is applying the content that they have learned. I will need to make sure that I work on this planning for at least an hour a week until the planning is done.

Evaluate: After I get the new lessons in and taught, I will still keep looking to add more of the collaborative and application lessons. If not add, just replace to keep the ideas new and fresh. I also have to make sure that the lessons are beneficial, and not just fulfilling my goal of technology for technology's sake.

Let me know what you think of my GAME plan. I can't wait to read some of yours!

Tyler