Reflecting on the GAME plan

While working on my graduate degree I was introduced to a process of self improvement known as a GAME plan. Essentially, you create a goal, plan a course of action to attain it, monitor your progress, and ultimately evaluate your growth. My experience with this process has been very encouraging. Since I started the process around 6 weeks ago I have been able to achieve almost every goal that I have set. I believe that my success is directly related to the monitoring and evaluating process of the GAME plan. I have learned a number of things that I can use to better myself as an educator. Most relate to different ways that I can integrate technology into my core content. One is to use things like wikis or blogs to encourage online collaboration. Using this will let me teach the music concept as well as technological skills. Another is to use certain technology interfaces to help specific students achieve classroom assignments. An example of this would be to use a MIDI keyboard to input notes instead of just the mouse.

I am very happy to say that just recently I have been able to propose some of these ideas to my principle who responded by providing me with the funds to start my own MIDI based recording lab. I am confident that the reason he was so willing to grant me the funds is because of all the things I have been learning through my professional learning activities, which were attended so I could become a better teacher and, truthfully, reach my GAME plan goal.

With the inclusion of the MIDI lab in my class room I will be spending a great deal of time over the summer fine tuning some project-based learning activities which will use the lab to its fullest. As for now, the year is almost over. I am planning to introduce the project-based lessons to my students within the next few days in an attempt the get them ready for what is to come next year. I am so excited about this that I can hardly wait.