Looking back over the course, I feel like we learned a lot
of useful information. There were many different types of technology that came
into play with the lessons we developed. Some of the types I found very
adaptable to my curriculum, others I still struggle to think of ways that they
would be viable lessons in my current position. Regardless of whether I can
incorporate them into my current classroom, I feel it was worth the time to
become more familiar with each type of technology because I do not know what the
future holds in my teaching career.
I found developing the GAME plan around an entire unit very
useful. One of the reasons I found it so beneficial is because it makes me
realize things that I was lacking in my organizing and planning. While I do
cover my curriculum, my lessons do not flow in a unit like the three I created
this month do. They are very disjointed and don’t link into one another
smoothly. Creating the three lessons that tied together where each one built upon
the last was good start to being more organized with my year plan.
In addition to organizing my lessons better, the GAME plan
made me stop and reflect more often. I have taught for almost 10 years. With so
many demands and such limited time in today’s teaching climate, I sometimes
forget to stop and reflect. Yes, as a teacher, we are always adapting and
reflecting on the fly during our lessons but taking a few minutes out to sit
and reflect for a longer time is definitely beneficial in that it makes me feel
more confident and prepared the next day.
Another benefit I found is these lessons encouraged me to
collaborate more with my coworkers. Having taught the amount of time I had and
being on an encore team instead of a grade level team gave me the tendency to
keep to myself when planning. Yes, I have my encore teammates but our team is
different in that we each have a different curriculum to teach. In a grade
level team, each member teaches the same curriculum. This process gave me an
opportunity to make a conscious effort to collaborate with others and
incorporate other processes into my daily norm.
I think any class that helps me think outside of my own personal box is beneficial
to my teaching. When I get comfortable, I tend to fall into a routine or a rut
that isn’t good for anyone in my classroom.
Yes, change is hard but this kind of change brings about good things. I
look forward to learning more in future courses.
