Carrying Out My GAME Plan

In my last post, I outlined my GAME plan for improving teaching performance in two of the areas advocated by the ISTE or International Society for Technology in Education (http://www.iste.org/standards/nets-for-teachers.aspx):

2a. Design or adapt relevant learning experiences that incorporate digital tools and resources to promote student learning and creativity.

4a. 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.

To carry out my plan for indicator 2a, I need access to information about free software and Web 2.0 tools that will enhance student learning in my algebra classes next year. So far I have researched and downloaded a copy of GeoGebra (http://www.geogebra.org/), a free program written for geometry, algebra, and calculus that allows students to create and manipulate constructions and functions. I still need to make time to use and explore the software to determine how it can best be used in my algebra classes. I have also signed up for a two-day summer training workshop to learn how to use the Promethean board that I will have in my classroom next year.

To carry out my plan for indicator 4a, I will need to start citing all of the classroom resources I use as I develop lesson plans for the junior high Tech Essentials classes I will be teaching next year. I still need to research formatting styles for citations to determine which one(s) are currently taught by the librarian, English teachers, or other staff in our junior high. I will need to have that done before school is out on May 27, so that I can plan appropriately during the summer.