The National Education Technology Standards for Students (NETS- S) are a series of standards that were developed by the International Society for Technology in Education (ISTE) to help teachers prepare students for the 21st century. In addition to establishing standards for students, the ISTE has also developed a series of standards to prepare teachers (NETS-T) for educating students in the 21st century. Over the past few weeks, I have been working towards developing and completing a GAME plan that is focused on setting and achieving goals based on the standards initiated by the ISTE.
An excellent way for students to become acquainted with the NETS-S standards is to develop a GAME plan of their own. The GAME plan will provide students with an opportunity to set meaningful goals while developing a structured plan that will help to achieve them. It will also help me teach students how to set goals for themselves. Goal setting is something that my students seldom do; therefore the GAME plan would enable me to teach my students that it is a process that can be fun and easy.
I believe that the best time to engage students in developing a GAME plan is in the beginning of the school year. Traditionally, the first day of school is dedicated to establishing rules, becoming acquainted with classmates and sometimes setting goals for the school year. Opening the first day of class with a proposal for all students to establish goals regarding their future might not sound very exciting and might be hard for some students to do. Unfortunately, some students live day to day and do not think too much about their future. However, opening the first day with a proposal for setting goals that allow students to engage in using innovative technology that will enhance their future, no matter what path they take, sounds exciting. In implementing the GAME plan students will develop proficiency in the NETS by turning basic learning into a life experience. The GAME plan allows for hands-on real-life learning that appeals to the realistic learning many students urn for.
You're right about the importance of teaching students to set goals and use the GAME plan. I teach high school where they will soon be off to college and a majority of their school work will now be in there hands. Many students are overwhelmed their first year in college but if we could teach them how to set goals before that then maybe they would be better prepared. I like your idea about starting off the year right away with it. It should be something that we start early and do throughout the year.
ReplyDeleteVicky,
ReplyDeleteI was different than some of my other friends in that I knew exactly what I wanted to do as far as a career goes in life. When I started college, I declared my major and took classes that were meaningful to what I wanted to do. Having students develop a game plan that is based on setting and achieving goals, will help them with setting goals for their future. Plus, they might learn something about themselves during the process, such as, what they are interested in. A student whose goal it is to, "Interact, collaborate, and publish with peers, experts, or others employing a variety of digital environments and media (ISTE)," might find that they love working on creating films and decide to seek a career in film making or productions, etc. etc.
Thanks for the post!
Great minds think alike! You and I seem to have been thinking the same thing, that we should be empowering the students to make goals for themselves. I feel strongly that it is a life skill for students to set goals for themselves. They need to know where they want to go in life. Without purpose there truly is no life. I would assume that teaching incarcerated youth truly opens your eyes up to the need for these children, especially to set goals to better themselves. Although, truthfully, I would expect it of every person. The GAME plan set up gives students an easy to follow outline for creating, executing, and monitoring goals. It also encourages reflection, something else I believe is a necessary life skill.
ReplyDeleteKrystin
Krystin,
ReplyDeleteThe goals my students set for themselves, when they do set goals, are unrealistic. Some of the goals my students have set include making a million dollars by the age 25, owning 5 or more homes.. elaborate stuff. And I am not saying that it cannot be done, but a person cannot make that kind of money working a minimum wage job. I am hoping that the GAME plan will enable my students to set realistic goals that are meaningful and are reachable! Thanks for the post!