Monitoring My Game Plan Progress

My goals to promote student reflection through a class blog and to locate copyright resources so that I can teach students about safe and ethical use of using digital information is currently on hold. I have briefly reviewed the resources that I posted in my blog last week, but have not spent the time that I need to become comfortable and familiar with them as I would like. I have the information and resources that I need, but I need more time to put my Game Plan in motion. I am already behind in what I should be covering in my course standards with students. Football homecoming activities this week and reviewing for mid-term exams that are scheduled for next week are preventing me from implementing a blog at this time and doing in-depth reading about copyright laws. Furthermore, I think I need to take a classmate’s suggestion and plan time to teach students the appropriate things to say in a blogging environment. My question is, “How am I going to fit in teaching students how to write appropriately in a blogging environment when I am having trouble covering my course standards because of the additional duty of ACT prep testing?” Because my Desktop Publishing class is taught in the spring, I have until then to research copyright laws and to put this part of my Game Plan in action. As far as putting my blogging idea into action, I think I may need to put it on hold until after Christmas as well.

Carrying Out My Game Plan

In order to achieve my first goal to promote student reflection using a collaborative tool, I will need to set up a class blog. I know that I want to use Blogger with my classes. I also know that I want to have control over viewing student comments before they are actually posted for the entire class, so I will have to take time to refresh myself on how to use this option. Initially I thought that this is a technology tool that I could bring into my classroom without having to spend too much time setting up. However, another colleague posted last week that she recommends that I spend a lot of time modeling the appropriate language to use in a blogging environment. As of today, I have not had the opportunity to set up a classroom blog account and I do not know when I will be able to do so. Because of a new push in my school system to prepare all students for ACT testing and the 11th grade writing assessment, I am behind in what I should be covering with my students. Our midterm exams are given October 6-7 and I have to spend time catching up on standards that I should have already covered but have not been able to because of additional classroom time being devoted to ACT and writing assessments.

In regards to my second goal which is to model and teach safe, legal, and ethical use of digital information and technology, including respect for copyright, intellectual property, and the appropriate documentation of resources, I have not had very much time to explore resources. There are two resources that I have looked at briefly, but I need to spend more time exploring and gathering information. These two sites are Copyright Guidelines and Keeping it Legal: Questions Arising out of Website Management .I teach Desktop Publishing in the Spring and want to do a better job of teaching students about copyrights, plagiarism and fair use than I have done in the past. I also need to find additional information about scenarios that I can present to my class, so they can analyze and recognize what the law says about violating copyrights. In addition, students need to learn how to request permission to use copyrighted materials. If anyone can refer me to additional resources, I would greatly appreciate it.

Developing My Personal GAME Plan

As a business technology teacher, I have a classroom lab equipped with 25 student computers, three printers, one scanner, Interwrite Dual Board with an Elmo (document camera), and digital cameras. Each day I teach students to use Microsoft Word, Excel, Access, Publisher, and PowerPoint so that they learn to use these programs effectively and efficiently to meet content standards. However, there are many digital technologies that my students may use outside of the classroom that they are not using in the school setting. The two indicators in the National Educational Technology Standards (NETS-T) that I would like to strengthen my confidence in are the following: (a) Facilitate and Inspire Student Learning and Creativity, and (b) Promote and Model Digital Citizenship and Responsibility.

My GAME plan to Facilitate and Inspire Student Learning and Creativity is specifically focused towards improving performance indicator 1.c. promote student reflection using collaborative tools to revel and clarify students’ conceptual understanding and thinking, planning and creative processes is as follows:

Goal—I want students to learn to record their thought processes when they are involved in project based learning assignments.
Action—I plan to create a class blog so that my students will be able to post their reflections during and after completing projects.
Monitor—I will monitor the class blog to ensure that all students are participating and to alert me to any potential problems that may occur as well as what is working well for students.
Evaluate—I will evaluate the blog postings so that I can understand students’ thinking processes through their reflections. Students will receive a participation grade.


My GAME plan to Promote and Model Digital Citizenship and Responsibility is specifically focused towards improving performance indicator 4.a. advocate, model, and teach safe, legal, and ethical use of digital information and technology, including respect for copyright, intellectual property, and the appropriate documentation of sources is as follows:

Goal—I want students to learn about copyright laws and trademarks and how to obtain permission to use digital images. I briefly touch upon this area, but need to provide students with more learning opportunities in seeking permission to use copyrighted material.
Action- I want to research and locate more information about copyright laws and the steps to follow to obtain permission to use digital images and relate this information to students effectively.
Monitor—I will monitor students ethical use of digital images by requiring students to turn in e-mails or letters of their request to obtain permission to use copyrighted material.
Evaluate—I will evaluate students’ request of permission to use copyrighted material through their submitted documentation of letters or emails and ensure that they are using copyrighted images and/or materials properly.