My Game Plan

Evaluating my GAME Plan

How effective were your actions in helping you meet your goals?

I have been reviewing my GAME plan and the actions I said I would take. There is always room to improve strategies and goals. I have looked at other blogging websites, paying careful attention to the names of the blogs, and how they were set up. I've gotten some good ideas for what I want to do with my upcoming class.

What have you learned so far that you can apply in your instructional practice?

I have researched some educational benefits to blogging. I have read that it promotes critical and analytical thinking, but it also promotes social interaction amongst the 5th graders. Other teachers have commented that blogging with students allows for collaboration with projects, online sharing ideas, ongoing dialogues and a central place to keep everyone's work. Teachers have stated that this can be done with both the whole class and small group settings (Cennamo, Ross, & Ertmer, 2009).

What do you still have to learn? What new questions have arisen?

I have a few concerns that I need to find solutions for. We all know that blogs are posted on the web and can be viewed by anyone if the privacy settings are not set before blogging begins. Teachers need to discuss privacy issues in depth with students before we allow them to start. Teachers need to explain the importance of never sharing personal details or their last names on the internet for all to see. When the students were younger they were told not to talk to strangers, well I would want them to understand that this falls in the same category. My question would be how would I make them understand this?

With the first question, comes another concern. At what point do I not "filter" what is posted? I know that at first I need to do this, but when do I let them decide how to word things and post things without being "filtered" first?

How will you adjust your plan to fit your current needs?

I would like to start the school year off with blogging, and use it as much as I could, to get the children familiar with the "new way of responding." Change isn't always easy, but I would like to get them started with it as soon as they get back from summer vacation.

Cennamo, K., Ross, J., & Ertmer, P. (2009). Technology Integration for Meaningful Classroom Use. (M. Staudt, & M. Stranz, Eds.) Mason, OH, USA: Cengage Learning.