Evaluating My GAME Plan Progress
I think that my actions have been very effective in helping me meet my goals. The integration of our school’s PLATO software has given students the ability to get extra practice when they normally would not have been able to. This has also freed up time in my lessons, to go deeper into my math curriculums. Since students are using the software, and understanding the concepts better, we do not have to spend as much time going through the drill-and-practice portion of the lesson, and we focus more on the application. I am in the process of implementing one of the new WebQuests that I found, so I do not know exactly how it will work out. So far, students seem engaged, and we have not run into any problems.
By subscribing to different technology and mathematics blogs, I have found many resources that I have already implemented in my classes. I have even been finding new uses for the graphing calculator. All of the different views and opinions have been interesting to read, since it is allows me to view things from a different angle, or a way that I never thought of before.
I am still having difficulties getting permission to create a classroom blog or wiki. If I do not get anywhere by the end of this week, I think I will be removing that aspect from my GAME plan. All of the other actions that I have taken have worked very well, so I will mainly focus on those this year. Maybe next year, I will be able to finally get through to my administrators that blogs and wikis can be advantageous to students.
References
Cennamo, K., Ross, J., & Ertmer, P. (2009). Technology integration for meaningful classroom use: A standards-based approach (Laureate Education custom edition). Belmont, CA: Wadsworth, Cengage Learning.
International Society for Technology in Education. (2008). The ISTE National Educational Technology Standards (NETS•T) and Performance Indicators for Teachers. Retrieved March 8, 2010, from http://www.iste.org
Special K's Blog 
March 31, 2010 at 11:02 pm
My school has also used the PLATO program and after a slightly rocky beginning it has proven to be a wonderful interactive activity. We are using it as a credit recovery program and I like its format. It allows students to trouble shoot on their own.
To your other point about blogs in the classroom, I have difficulty as well with an administration that blocks all blogs. Actually, to a certain extent, I agree with the policy but I have had difficulty accessing a blog that I can use with my students.
April 4, 2010 at 10:46 pm
My school used PLATO as a way to prepare “bubble” kids for our state test. We had problems with it at first, but really proved to be beneficial for our students.
April 1, 2010 at 1:35 pm
Scott, I hadn’t heard of Plato software before reading your blog, but it sounds similar in nature to some of the programs I am using (IXL for skill practice, and FASTT Math for fact fluency). I find that the students much prefer computerized applications for skill and practice. They get instant feedback and the software now is adept at explaining errors and adjusting to the skill level of student based on previous answers.
I can tell you’ve done a lot to incorporate the things you are learning from this class into your own classroom. Sometimes it’s hard to just jump right in full steam ahead, so piloting with 1 class then working out the kinks seems to work well.
Good luck.
June 4, 2013 at 2:32 pm
Simply wish to say your article is as astonishing.
The clarity in your post is just great and i
can assume you are an expert on this subject. Well with your permission let
me to grab your feed to keep updated with forthcoming post.
Thanks a million and please continue the enjoyable work.
August 6, 2013 at 8:29 pm
Hey there! Would you mind if I share your blog with my
twitter group? There’s a lot of folks that I think would really appreciate your content. Please let me know. Thank you