First, in planning for technology, a teacher must consider the “technology proficiency” of her students (Cenamo, Ross, and Ertmer, 2009, p. 160). Moving along in my GAME plan, I realize in order to effectively plan lessons using technology I must consider the abilities of each one of my students. For example, in preparing an assignment using a Wiki, a some of my students will require scaffolding. One way to accomplish this, is to place students in buddy pairs. Each pair has a defined role in meeting the goal for the lesson. Part of teaching 21st Century Skills, is creating projects that enable learners to engage in collaborative work using technology that will be relative to the jobs or careers students will have available to them when they are grown.

A Wiki is a great technology tool that allows students to work collaboratively to build a presentation or piece of work that is made up of many parts. One way to scaffold struggling learners is to incorporate a “simulated environment” using “software” that mimics the real steps of creating, updating, and saving documents (Cenamo, 2009, p.162). Because this is required in creating a Wiki, the success of the project depends on each team member being able to successfully move through these steps. Implementing buddy pairs is one form of scaffolding, where use of the simulated environment is a way to use technology to scaffold students. Another great feature of this is that a teacher can assess a student’s performance through the use of a simulated environment, or computer software that provides feedback about a student’s activities. Most importantly, assessment should be blended throughout the instruction.

Cennamo, K., Ross, J. & Ertmer, P. (2009). Technology integration for meaningful classroom use: A standards-based approach (Laureate Education custom edition). Belmont, CA: Wadsworth, Cengage Learning.