Wendy Drexler: The Networked Student
Why does the networked student even need a teacher? This question was posed at the end of the video on student networking. It is a very good question because the video made several valid points. The "student" in the video has a class that meets three days a week and twice online. His teacher does not lecture and he does not have a book. So, how does this student do his work? Simple, he connects to other students through various online forums such as blogs and forums and delicious. He also uses things like iTunes U, where he can download podcasts and listen to them on his iPod. The student is, quite literally, learning as he walks to class.
So, why does the student need a teacher if he can do all of this on his own? Well, someone has to be there to show him the way, to hand him his arsenal of supplies and send him on his way. So the teacher doesn't lecture in class? That's fine. Personally, I find lecturing to be quite boring at times. If a teacher does not attempt to liven the material up, of course the students will get bored. However, if you give them other opportunities to learn in a different way, suddenly everything becomes real. They can connect with other students just like the way Vicki Davis' students did. The networked student needs a teacher to show them the way. You can have all of the information you need at your fingertips but if you do not know how to use it, what good will it do?
A 7th Graders Personal Learning Environment
I really liked her Symbaloo and PLE. It is refreshing to see someone using these tools to such an extent. It furthers her education in the sense that she can find something that relates back to her science class, save it, and share it with her classmates. I feel like all students should be able to do this. In my PLE, I also use Symbaloo because it is incredibly easy to organize the various links and things. I can make the tiles different colors and it is incredibly easy to go back to my C4K or C4T assignments.
A PLN is primarily a group of people, but also tools, that expand your sources of information, provide you with ideas, challenge your thinking, get you to explore new possibilities. The more people you have in your PLN, and the more diverse their backgrounds and interests, the more you will benefit.
ReplyDeleteHey Maegan, I am Ardriana Marshall and I will be commenting on your blog. You write very well and have excellent grammatical structure. I enjoyed your thoughts and ideas. There were no errors to my knowledge, but I would suggest that you try not to fall behind. EDM310 is a very challenging but important class. Be blessed! Good luck!
ReplyDeleteHey Maegan, this post was well written and free from grammatical mistakes. I love your honesty. I also find lectures to be sometimes boring. I think that you have a pretty good grasp of the role technology plays in the classroom. I, also, have found that Symbaloo is an easy and great way to organize things. Have a great day!
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