Reflection

Over the course of my teaching career I have created several unit plans. My GAME plan for this course is the first in which I have tried to incorporate a cumulative project with technology and digital storytelling. I like the idea of relating the unit of linear programming to each student’s unique preference for healthy eating choices in order to make the unit relevant and authentic to their real lives.

Previous to this course I had not heard of digital storytelling. I have learned to incorporate relevant technologies into my course that will enhance their understanding of the content area while allowing them to demonstrate their understanding of the unit. Digital storytelling is unique in the sense that students are able to achieve success through their ability to communicate using verbal and visual tools gathered through the process of group collaboration.

As with any teaching strategy, we want the units to run as smoothly as possible, require high order thinking skills, and have activities that engage students to want to learn. In order to make this possible I need to incorporate technology into more of my lessons so that it is more familiar to my students and myself. This includes creating podcasts and screencasts, which would be extremely helpful tools to proceed this unit. "Creative thinkers generate a variety of original ideas then select the best one by analyzing, synthesizing, and evaluating the various options available" (Cennamo, Ross, & Ertmer, 2009, p. 51).


References

Cennamo, K., Ross, J., & Ertmer, P. (2009). Technology integration for meaningful classroom use: A standards-based approach (1 ed.). Belmont, CA: Wadsworth Publishing.


Laureate Education, Inc. (Executive Producer). (2010a). Ertmer, P. (Speaker). Spotlight on technology: Problem-based learning, Part 1. [DVD]. Integrating technology across the content areas. Baltimore, MD.