Teachers need to create a GAME plan to organize themselves with their lessons. The use of technology in a classroom is imperative, especially in the digital world that we live in today. “Technology can be a tremendous asset that helps teachers support the diverse learning needs of children” (Cennamo, K., Ross, J. & Ertmer, P. 2009. p. 109). Along with the GAME plan, teachers should adopt the Universal Design for Learning (UDL) principles. UDL has three principles of learning, and these are recognition networks (the "what" of learning), strategic networks (the "how" of learning), and affective networks (the "why" of learning).
Resources needed for the GAME Plan
For the GAME plan to be successful, the UDL principles would need to be incorporated into my lesson plans. For the recognition networks process (the “what” of learning), I created a word document for students to fill in the KWHL chart.doc. They would work in cooperative groups to find out what they ‘want’ to learn about the topic. Students would also use the Internet to get their information and view the YouTube video to make sure the information they get is from a reliable source. In the strategic networks process (the “how” of learning), students work in collaborative groups, look for a video on their topic from Khan Academy, and do a few cooperative activities to get comfortable with the topic they are working on. The cooperative activities will help students get a handle on the “how” part of the strategic network. The affective networks process helps students with the “why” of learning. Students finish their KWHL chart and write about ‘what they have learned’ about their research topic. Upon reflecting on this chart, they would be able to ponder as to why they think getting this information was important for them. Students would post a reflection on their assignment on the classroom blog, they would create a voice thread with pictures of artifacts that they might have collected for this assignment, and finally Skype with someone who is knowledgeable about their topic to get any unanswered questions resolved.
Additional Information needed
In order to get the additional information needed for the game plan, I would need to go through all the records of my students. If a student has an IEP, the guidelines will need to be followed for it. All students need to be reached in this GAME plan, so it would be helpful to know their strengths and weaknesses. Students could also post concerns about their project on the classroom blog so that peers could help each other. Students also Skype with different classes or with an expert in the topic they are researching. The teacher would need to find the appropriate person to Skype with so that students would fully benefit from it.
Steps taken to incorporate the GAME plan
Steps taken so far include the creation of a classroom blog and wiki. The blog would be a good place for student’s reflections, while the wiki would be for students to collaborate on their work. I would also be collaborating internationally with the Center for Interactive Learning and Collaboration (CILC) and would interact with them on a regular basis.
The resources and information needed to carry out my action plan include the use of UDL principles in my GAME plan. This would help enrich the learning experience for my students. “UDL focuses educators on developing flexible curricula that provide students with multiple ways of accessing content, multiple means for expressing what they learn, and multiple pathways for engaging their interest and motivation” (Howard, K. L. 2004.p. 96 )
References
Cennamo, K., Ross, J. & Ertmer, P. (2009). Technology integration for meaningful classroom use: A standards-based approach. (Laureate Education, Inc., Custom ed.). Belmont , CA : Wadsworth
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