Wednesday, January 20, 2010

Finding the GAME Field

My GAME plan began last week as I casually spoke to colleagues about their interest in attending an inservice that would offer strategies and tools for teaching students' web searching skills, new literacies, and how to utilize technology for their content area. The feedback is not exciting from the few I spoke to. Morals are down and technology is minimal here at the middle school.

My partner and I were hoping to have a duty day where the teachers stop by on their planning. This would be a required class. Our Principal's mindset is to have this inservice early in the morning or immediately after school. My assistant principal wants to attend this inservice and learn the new literacies. I found this motivating. Understand, that connection teachers have one planning period, which is shorter then the normal planning times. I am trying to figure this out logistically.

To make this inservice meaningful, I have to teach teachers what they want to learn. Before creating permanent objectives, I believe a survey needs to be completed by teachers so that I may rate their competence in technology classroom usage. This survey would also ask them if they are willing to learn.

Another sequential action to take is to contact the head technology person for the county. I would like her thoughts about this idea for Lynn and I to give an inservice on supportive technologies for the classroom and web searching strategies. Perhaps we need to plan it for the local school system and not just my school. Creating a mini-inservice and using it as a dry run would behoove my partner and I to work out the kinks for a greater attended inservice. I am getting ahead of myself but I am a step closer to finding the playing field for my GAME.

2 comments:

  1. I think your plan is a worthy one. Other teachers need to have some assistance and designing your class for the other teachers' planning periods is a good idea. I think the fact that you plan it to be mandatory is a way to connect with all teachers. This may be a way to motivate some teachers who are afraid or intimidated by technology. You could be a great encourager! Don't give up- keep working out the kinks.

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  2. How are you going to do the survey? Have you tried the free website SurveyMonkey: http://www.surveymonkey.com/? One of my fellow teachers did several surveys on this site for us to take while she was getter her Ed.S.. It was fast and easy to take the surveys, and she said that it was simple to set them up. I think your game plan sounds like a great idea, and I can see how you may have met with some opposition because teachers sometimes make the worst students. I find that some teachers think that admitting they don’t know something is a weakness. Would you agree?

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