As I reflect on the course teachings and what I have learned through interacting with my colleagues through the on-line course discussion board, I am thinking about the importance of teaching lessons that build social and collaborative skills among students. “Collaboration is a social structure in which two or more people interact with each other and, in some circumstances, some type of interaction occur that have a positive effect” (Hargis, & Wilcox, 2008, p. 10). Hargis and Wilcox suggest that social interaction on the web, such as in on-line learning, can increase a student's learning. As I update my GAME Plan and plan for lessons using technology, I will consider the importance of social interaction and collaboration among students.

As teachers work through the challenges of using technology and facilitating lessons where students are required to use technology, we must remember the ultimate benefits of working through these challenges. Cennamo, Ross, and Ertmer, suggest that technology is "more than showing videos or conducting on-line research," it is rather a way to promote "creative and critical thinking skills" (2009, p. 271). Reflection is an important part of learning, as learning can occur through realizing what works and doesn't work, using creative or critical thinking skiills to plan the next steps. This is what I will do in my own GAME plan.

References:

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.

Hargis, J., & Wilcox, S. M. (2008, October). Ubiquitous, free, and efficient online collaboration tools for teaching and learning. Turkish Online Journal of Distance Education, 9(4), 9–17.