Carrying Out Your GAME Plan EDUC 6713D

Have you ever felt like you have “bitten off more than you can chew”? That is my feeling as I review my GAME plan. It all looks so lovely, such a well thought out and presented plan. Now that I am reviewing it, I realize I might have jumped into the deep end of the pool and the water is freezing. Perhaps it is time to realistically look at what I am comfortable doing while still meeting the goal of my plan.

First and foremost I want my students to work collaboratively with other students from a different region of the United States. This remains my intent. In order to accomplish this I listed three action steps. The first step was to review school policy. I have e mailed our school’s contact person regarding the participation in an ePal project and all that this may entail. For example, the creation of student e mail accounts, student participation in Wiki sites, and sharing of video resources via the web. The second step involved pursuing collaborative learning communities. I chose to investigate Vicki Davis’s suggestion of ePals (Laureate, 2010).

The ePals Global Community website matches willing participants with classrooms as well as ongoing projects. Upon review of the site, I found two projects that addressed my original goal and that seemed manageable. The titles were What’s it Like Where You Live and The Way We Are PowerPoint Project. Both projects were listed as e mail exchanges, however e mail communication is only a part of the projects. The first project is based out of Tennessee and has students describing aspects of their region through digital projects. The second project has elements of the first where students are describing their region, however it has the added component of also discussing the culture of the student’s community (http://www.epals.com/index.php). I am both relieved and pleased to have found two projects that address my goal and are manageable. Once I hear back from our school’s contact person, I plan to complete my next action step which is to make contact with the teacher involved.

Admittedly both of these projects rely heavily upon technology. Resources to be used include but are not limited to Microsoft Power Point, designated websites, use of e mail, digital recording equipment, and even scanners. In considering Universal Design for these projects, it is important to include multiple methods for the student to achieve the desired learning goal. The focus can not be on the technology it must be on the content. Cennamo, Ross, and Ermer (2009) add support by citing, “UDL emphasizes that achieving outcomes should not be contingent upon the media used to achieve them” (p. 121). Technology should act as a support to the skill or content to be learned.

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, Cengage Learning.

ePals global community. Retrieved July 11, 2012, from http://www.epals.com/index.php
Laureate Education, Inc. [Executive Producer]. (N.D.). Enriching content area learning experiences with technology part II. Integrating technology across the content areas. Baltimore, MD: Author.