Evaluating the GAME Plan Progress

Last week I monitored my GAME plan, so this week I wanted to take a moment to evaluate my GAME on a much grander scale. By continually monitoring and evaluating my steps toward achieving my GAME plan goals I will be able to see which actions are moving me forward and which ones are not.

As I look back in the previous weeks I see that I have been able to attend three professional Learning activities which are related to the areas that I was most concerned in. This fact alone satisfies my initial goal of engaging in at least one professional learning activity each quarter. I believe that this goal has been so easily met thanks to the information that I have been able to gather from teachers that have agreed to advise and mentor me. Unfortunately, I still have not been able to start creating a new designed digital-age learning experience this week. Despite my last post I just can’t seem to set aside the time I need to create these lesson once a week. This particular issue doesn't really concern me that much because I know that when I am finished with grad school this will be a breeze.

I have learned quite a number of things at the professional learning activities that I have recently participated in. One is the new Georgia performance standards for elementary general music. We have been using the national standards for the past couple of years and now we have finally completed our own. I have also learned about the curriculum and procedures for the Yamaha keyboard lab. Understanding this has actually changed my mind on purchasing one.

I do feel that I still have many things to learn. I would like to learn more about appropriate elementary level music recording projects and even video productions. Learning these areas will ultimately give me ideas and tools for achieving my initial goal of creating a new digital-age learning experience each week.

Since I have seen tremendous success in participating in professional learning activities I think that it would be wise for me to increase my goal from one PLA a quarter to four. The next change to my GAME plan needs to be to create one digital-age learning experience each month instead of each week. Still, I do feel that more is possible when I have less on my plate.

GAME Plan Monitoring

So far my GAME plan has been very slow going. I don’t think that I have had enough time to really see any growth in the areas that I selected. This time of year is pretty difficult for a music teacher. On top of having to prepare for and assist with CRCT, I am also preparing for spring musical endeavors. This is not to imply that I have made no progress. On the contrary, I have been able to go to two different technology seminars and am preparing for a live webinar next week. Still there are many more things that I could be doing to grow if I weren’t so busy. Don’t get me wrong I understand that I must make time to grow. I’m just explaining where I am right now.

With the time that I have committed to growing I have been, gratefully, overwhelmed with the amount information that is available in these areas. The main source of this information is from a fellow teacher who specializes in technology. She has been able to give me many ideas that I am planning to implement in the classroom. I have also been able to collect several technology integrated music lessons from the internet.

Given that I am not as far along as I would like I think that I need to modify my GAME plan a little bit. The most obvious to me is that I need to set aside time for developing these new lessons. I do have a time slot in my day that could be better managed and I believe that it would make for the best time to accomplish some of the goals in my GAME plan.

After going to the technology seminars I have learned quite a bit. A few years ago I was considering purchasing the Yamaha Keyboard Lab, but was torn between it or a MIDI Lab. The first seminar that I went to was about the Yamaha Lab and based on what I discovered their, though the Yamaha Keyboard Lab is an amazing hardware tool for understanding music, it would not cater to project based lessons like a MIDI Lab would. The only question that I have now is how in the world I am going to get money to fund the purchase of an all inclusive MIDI Lab.

GAME Plan - Step 1

After looking at my game plan I have begun to consider the steps I will take to reach my goals. One of the first things that I must do is compile resources that I will use to guide me through my game plan. The biggest resource that I will need is a few teachers who are willing to assess my lessons and activities. To find these teachers I can ask around my school or perhaps I could ask a cooperating college professor. To me the second option seems to be the most likely. My school is constantly being visited by students from University of Georgia as well as others in the area. I am planning on asking the students who are coming for observations and practicums if they know any professors that might be interested in helping me. Another resource that I could use to find not only mentor teachers, but professional development activities as well, is as an educational forum where teachers post ideas that they are using in their classes.

I am finding that I will need more than just these resources to accomplish my goal. I will also be needing more information concerning problem based inquiry projects and effective technology integration into general music classrooms. Much of this information will be gathered through web searches and educational books on the matter. I also suspect that the teachers who would be willing to take me under their wings would also know a thing or two about these areas. Still another strategy for learning all of this information is to check the internet for educational media like podcasts or videos.

So far I have only been able to have a few discussions with visiting college students and teachers at my school. I have not yet found more experienced teachers who are not to busy to assist me with this educational endeavor but I will not give up my search.

Getting a GAME Plan

One of the most difficult issues that a teacher, or person for that matter, must ultimately admit is that no matter how much they learn their are still things that they could be better at. I recently read a list of technology standards for educators created by the International Society for Technology in Education. The group consisted of: Student learning & Creativity, Digital-Age Learning Experiences & Assessments, Digital-Age Work & Learning, Digital Citizenship & Responsibility, and Professional Growth & Leadership. I am very comfortable with encouraging student learning and creativity and educating digital citizenship and responsibility, since music and the music industry are so intertwined with these standards. However, their are two that I would like to become more fluent in. They are designing and developing digital-age learning experiences & assessments and engaging in professional growth and leadership. Fortunately, I have created a game plan to help me become more confident in each of these areas.

My goal will be to create and use at least one newly designed digital-age learning experience and assessment each week, as well as commit to engaging in at least one technology related professional learning activity per quarter. The way that I will achieve these goals is through networking and accountability. I will start by finding teachers that are more experienced in these areas and, essentially, ask them if they would be a mentor or guide to me during this season of growth. Then I will post my new lessons to a blog or wiki where they would be able to respond with their comments about how I could continue to better them and my understanding. I will be able to monitor my progress through the comments that the teachers are leaving, as well as be able to see if I’m reach my desired lesson out put by simply looking at the posts on the wiki/blog. Aside from having the networked mentor teachers give me pointers on my lessons I will also be able to find out what sorts of professional technology activities are being made available to teachers.

Evaluating my growth will be done by checking the posts to the wiki/blog. From here I should see a gradual depletion of growth centered mentor comments. I should also be able to calculate the number of lessons that I have been able to implement. The last area of evaluation I will make is to post all of the professional development activities that I have completed so that I will be able to gage how I am reaching these goals.

I expect that with this game plan and a strong willingness to grow as an educator I will be able to provide the level of quality that our students need for the future. If you have any ideas let me know.