Tuesday, October 9, 2012

Blog Assignment #7

The Networked Student

The Networked Teacher
Wendy Drexler's "The Networked Student" is a very interesting video. It depicts a project completed by Mrs. Drexler's actual high school students. The video begins by describing connectivism, which is a theory that presumes learning occurs as part of a social network of many diverse connections and ties. The network is made possible through various tools of technology, and it is a way for teachers to lecture less while students can learn more. Mrs. Drexler empowers her students to take control of their learning and make new connections with others who will strengthen their learning process. Before students are able to begin this adventure, they must build their personal learning networks. Students must research various websites to find credible and reliable information on the topic they are wanting to learn about. Not only are students able to post the information they found to their personal network, but they are also able to connect with others who are researching the same topic.

"The Networked Student" reminds me a lot of EDM310. It wasn't until I entered this class that I gained the understanding that personal learning networks are extremely important and necessary. I wasn't able to gain this viewpoint until my third year of college, but I love how Mrs. Drexler is instilling this into her students beginning in high school. It becomes very mundane and repetitive when a teacher stands at the front of the classroom constantly lecturing students day in and day out. Students then must regurgitate the information back to the teacher so he or she knows they understand the material. The networked student does not have to go through any of this to learn and explore new information. I think the personal learning network is a fantastic idea because students are able to connect with people from all over the web. When I did my first C4K for EDM310, I just thought it was the coolest thing ever that I was actually commenting on a post all the from New Zealand. The networked student is able to connect with others from all around the world, and in doing so, he or she is able to gain a broader understanding and knowledge of any given topic.

The Networked Student
I really enjoyed "A 7th Grader's Personal Learning Environment (or PLN)" because it was very relatable to Wendy Drexler's video. Viewing this seventh grader's personal learning environment was very eye-opening to me. It's so awesome that a 12-year-old science student was able to accomplish what she has accomplished on her PLE at such a young age. I loved when she said "Because there is so much freedom, you have the inclination to be responsible." Her PLE was a lot like the PLN I am gradually forming in EDM310. Like her, I feel a great sense of freedom, but with that freedom comes great responsibility. This video reminded me a lot about one of the main questions brought up by Mrs. Drexler's video, and that is "Why does the networked student even need a teacher?" The networked teacher is there for numerous reasons: to offer guidance when a student gets stuck, to show students how to communicate properly and how to respectively ask experts for help, to show students how to turn research into a scavenger hunt, and to help students get excited when they find the content they are searching for. After watching the videos on personal learning networks, I am excited to become a networked teacher. I will strive to implement each lesson I learned in these videos into my future classroom because I want my students to learn how to accomplish a PLN early in their academic careers.

3 comments:

  1. Hi Claire!

    Great job on Blog Post #7! Your words were fluid and made complete sense even to someone who had never watched the videos. I agree with you, and think that a PLN is a great tool to use in the classroom. We also used the same quote by the 7th grader in the video. I love the freedom that a PLN allows students to gain. Also, I wish I would have been more of a "networked student" in high school. It would have helped tremendously starting college and I believe that it is a great skill to teach our students in the future. You leave no room for correction and the only thing I would suggest is to keep up the great work! (:

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  2. "...because it was very relatable to Wendy Drexler's video." Awkward. How about this: because it relates well to Wendy Drexler's video.

    Thorough, thoughtful, well done!

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  3. Claire,
    I think your blog is very well written. You were clear in your summary of the works and you gave your opinions. I agree with you on "The Networked Student" being like EDM310. It is an easy way for us to communicate with others and get feedback. Great blog! I don't even have suggestions/ corrections for you!

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