C4T#4

I have recently had the pleasure of following Mr. William Chamberlain's blog. I have read so much about Mr. Chamberlain from Anthony Capps and Dr. Strange. The first post I read from him was about the real value of using technology in the classroom. This is most definitely a post that will stay with me for a long time. Mr. Chamberlain addresses his belief that technology's value in education is collaboration. I have always considered myself an open-minded individual who values other people's ideas, but I had not taken into consideration that the most valuable asset of technology in education could be just that. I knew it was beneficial, but I had never considered that it was the MOST valuable asset. It never occurred to me to put an order on the benefits gained from integrating technology and education. I am not completely positive that I fully agree with Mr. Chamberlain, but I can say that I do not disagree. Furthermore, I am excited to spend some serious time searching the internet, my PLN, and myself to discover what I believe to be the real value of using technology in education.
The second post I read by Mr. Chamberlain describes a book that he recently began reading. This book is by Anne Reeves and entitled, "Where Great Teaching Begins." First off, I think of my old English professor who would be appalled to see the word, "great" in a title. Mr. Chamberlain states that he is determined to read and think about the book in its entirety and to ensure that he completes this task, he will be writing a blog post for every chapter. I really love this idea and think that it could be very useful for children (especially in grades 3-6 of elementary ed). From this chapter, Mr. Chamberlain has taken a few key points. They are: choosing the learning the students need, and determining who the lesson plans are for. When Mr. Chamberlain is speaking of the learning the students really need, it reminds me of the comment he left about my comment of the first post of his I read. It said something to the effect of lesson plans are not to be geared around technology because there is no standard that requires students to use the computer. First, create a well structured lesson plan that focuses solely on the student's learning. Next, get creative and find a way to incorporate technology into the lesson. Mr. Chamberlain determined that his lesson plans are for himself, the students, and the administrator. All teachers have written a lesson plan, and most administrators have written a lesson (since they were probably teachers at some point). But, have any students ever created a lesson plan? I'm going to guess the majority will answer no. Mr. Chamberlain suggests that it might be a good idea. I agree! I think it's a fantastic idea to have children give suggestions of how they would like to teach a unit. Who knows how to better engage a student than a student? I think it would be a very interesting, telling, challenging, and possibly an extremely worth while experience.