Over
the past seven weeks I have worked to develop and implement my GAME Plan that
will help me to effectively and appropriately integrate technology into my
afterschool programs. I chose to focus on the following NETS-T indicators:
2a. Design or adapt relevant learning
experiences that incorporate digital tools and resources to promote student
learning and creativity.
3c. Communicate relevant information
and ideas effectively to students, parents, and peers using a variety of
digital media and formats.
5b. Exhibit leadership by demonstrating
a vision of shared decision making and community building, and developing the
leadership and technology skills of others (International Society for
Technology in Education, 2008).
I strived to strengthen my skill set in regards to my chosen
NETS-T indicators through creating and sharing informational screencasts, use
social media to connect better with families and tutors, and to become
comfortable with podcasting in order to share our stories.
I have been very successful with my implementation of
screencasts. I have not only created and shared how-to videos for training but
I have also created them as a means of sharing new technology tools. Last week
while I was visiting one of my programs I intended on using a video to enhance
the learning activity. During the activity I learned that we could not access
YouTube during the school day. This lead to me learning how to download videos
off of the Internet so that they could be saved in another format allowing them
to be used during the school day. I created a screencast for tutors on how to download
videos from the Internet quickly. I have a few screencast ideas in the works
for ChatterPixKids, using Garageband for podcasting and digital storytelling,
and integrating audio and videos in power points. Screencasting has been one of
the most successful and easy to use ways of integrating technology that I have
learned recently. I would love to show student how to use screencasting so that
they can create their own digital stories as a form of instructional videos.
The integration of social media has taken much longer than I
had anticipated. Yesterday I was finally able to connect with my company’s
Communications Director. We went over the procedures and protocols for using
social media in the afterschool programs. Based on feedback from the afterschool
programs we have decided to focus on Facebook as our means of communication on
social media. I think that once we get ourselves established on Facebook and
gain a good following we will add in Twitter. The online collaboration aspect
of my goal has been very successful. Although there are only two of the six
groups implementing blogging into the program the students, tutors, principals,
and parents are very excited and impressed with the process. I plan on sharing
this success on our Facebook page.
Using podcasting as a way of sharing our stories is still in
the works. I have tested out Garageband a couple of times but I have yet to
produce a finished product that I would like to share. I am currently on my way
to a small afterschool program filled with upper elementary students. I plan on
using my time to interview students. I will combine those interviews and
pictures to create a digital story this evening. If successful I will send the
finished product to the tutor and students and possible the local radio
station. I have had success with building a relationship with another site’s
local radio station so I am hopeful that sharing this podcast will receive
positive feedback here as well.
Throughout the past couple of weeks I have learned the powerful
role that online collaboration, problem-based
learning activities, and digital storytelling can play in the afterschool
programs. I am very excited to continue to monitor and contribute the two
programs that are blogging. I am also very optimistic in the prospect of
integrating digital storytelling. Our afterschool programs offer a chance for
tutors and students to test out new ways of demonstrating understanding in a
less structured environment. By creating a digital story podcast and sharing it
will help to inspire other programs to try it out for themselves.
Final Thoughts… I have enjoyed learning
how to set Goals, plan Actions, Monitor, and Evaluate my lessons and learning.
More importantly I am enjoying learning ways that I can modify and adjust these
tools to fit into the afterschool programs. There are so many ways to integrate
technology into our programs it is a pleasure to present them to the tutors and
see which ones make it into the programs to enhance the students learning experiences.
Resources
International Society
for Technology in Education. (2008). National education standards for teachers (NETS-T).
Retrieved from http://www.iste.org/standards/nets-for-teachers
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