Blog Post #6

The Networked Student:

   The video The Networked Student, is a very insightful source on how hopefully the future of education may be. This video was created by Wendy Drexler and narrated by her son. It is just a little over 5 minutes long so I encourage you to take a little time and watch it! It really gives you an idea of how the traditional ways of teaching and the infamous "burp-back" method is on its way out of the door, hopefully for good.
   Throughout the beginning of the video, it is elaborating on how a male student is trying to catch on to connected learning or connectivism as a way of getting more out of learning. This guy is trying to take control of his learning without having to rely on a teacher hand and foot, and actually having to get his own hands dirty to understand the material he wishes to learn. He begins to build a learning network from the ground up. He begins to grasp new ways of figuring out what it is he needs to know. Before you know it, he starts to understand the concept of connected learning and synchronized communication, he has the ability to access and validate information properly, he begins to bookmark sites, he creates his own blog, and he starts using iTunes for learning podcasts on different subjects from the best teachers all around the nation and world. He finds that it never hurts to as questions even if he is asking an expert's opinion. He then begins to share his ways of learning and research information for the world to view.
   The question is "Why does the networked student even need a teacher?" Clearly, he has made huge strides in a positive way but he will still need guidance along the way. I think a teacher's mission should be to educate his/her students to be able to solve their own problems and build their very own, individual learning network like you seen in Miss Drexler's video. Prepare your students so that the only time you intervene is for small problems and supervision. The teacher is there to show the students ways to ask respectively for help from experts, how to differentiate between factual information and propaganda, how to turn a web search into something more broad with more helpful information, and how to get excited when a he/she finds the desired content. Overall, I think that a teacher should hope that once a student is beyond his/her class, that they continue to use their effective learning network to navigate their future.



Personal Learning Environment:

   The girl in The Personal Learning Environment video, has her stuff in order and I commend her for that. She seems to know where everything she needs to get to is located and has all of her assignments and fun sites organized the way she likes it. The girl in this video sounded a good while younger than me and to be honest I wish I was as organized as she is. She really made me realize how much easier things would be if I slowed things down and organized all my technological learning sites and devices. I'm not saying I am a slob or extremely unorganized, I am just saying she seems to have it a little easier because of her preparedness. She has also had ver good guidance as you can tell, on the uses of technological organization and a personal learning environment. To be honest, until now, I haven't ever been introduced to this method of learning and now that I am, I intend to use it to my advantage.