Reflection: Final Blog Post

The process of setting a goal, making a plan, monitoring progress, and evaluating the results seems to be a natural process of setting and accomplishing both short-term and long-term goals. The GAME plan maps out these steps and makes it clear and easy to follow. I could definitely see myself using the GAME plan not only in teaching but in my everyday life, as well. I have even implementing this in helping students set goals to monitor their progress throughout the third marking period. For those who are following their GAME plan, it is working just fine, whether it is maintaining their grade or raising their final average by at least one grade (Example: B- to B).

Based on my own GAME plan created at the beginning of the course, I have not reached my ultimate goal, but I am proud of myself for monitoring my progress thus far. The knowledge I have gained about UDL, in additional to communicating and demonstrating content knowledge through the use of online tools has helped me take the steps to closely meet the objective set with the technology standards in mind. Differentiating instruction, while at the same time giving the students choices in how they process and display their learning positively affects my ability to integrate technology into the content area. This, in turn, makes it simple to understand the apparent purpose of integrating technology into instruction and learning. The most surprising change in my thinking is the fact that digital storytelling could be used across the content areas, including mathematics. At first glance, I was convinced, through lack of experience, that digital storytelling was only seen in Language Art and Literacy classes.

I do not think any revisions are necessary to make on my GAME plan, at this point. I continue to realize how important it is for educators to communicate what is learned through these technology courses to inform others modern changes that are taking place behind the scenes. The more teachers that are on the same page, the more constant the education experiences will be and the more students will be accustomed with the use of technology to promote creative and critical thinking.

Some adjustments I would make to my instructional practice regarding technology integration in math would be to better integrate the use of technology into my lessons to differentiate learning, give students more choices in how they demonstrate their learning and understanding of the content, and develop more project/problem based learning, digital storytelling, and social networking activities for students to think more critically and creatively. This will result in a deeper understanding of the material and enhance the learning experiences of all students, equally.

Jacquelyn Caliente