Blog Post # 7

Wendy Drexler: The Networked Student

The Networked Student video was straight and to the point. I think it was very easy to understand and follow. I thought the video was very cute and creative and a great way to capture attention. The video was about connectivism which is a theory based upon the internet and connecting to people and information around the world.This is basically taking your learning into your own hands and having to find and follow people within the same interest and learning experience.I think it is great that students are taking part in this learning opportunity, which allows them to learn independently and create a very large personal learning network. The video list several different sites and things they can visit and learn from. An example is itunes U, which you can subscribe to podcast and see some of the best lectures out there.

The students build their pln and expand it daily with new information. PLN's are a great way of communication and a great way to keep track of all your resources. It is also a great way to learn things from other people who have plns. You can always learn more from other people. Its better to have more knowledge about a topic then just what you think. Blogging is also a great way to share ideas and get different information and opinions on many different areas of things.

It seems as before long, the world will not need teachers because everything can be done through the internet and all on the computers. I do not want this to happen at all. I think it is very essential to still have teachers available for the students. Connectvisim still allows teachers to be part of the students learning experience. Teachers need to stay up to date with the new technology and never assign something they know nothing about. The teacher as well as the students should further their learning and have continuing education. The teachers play a huge role for students, I mean what if they get stuck or unsure about an assignment, they are their to help assist the students and help them when needed. I think that it should always be an option to have a teacher if that is what the students want. Teachers are the guides and role models that help shape our students and help them with their learning experiences.

Wendy Drexlers ideas are very interesting. I do believe that this type of learning can be incorporated into the curriculum and meet its standards. The students will be able to create topics and still follow the rules at the same time. However, there needs to be settings and privacy created for different sites and different types of topics and access allowed for different age groups. A teacher can help protect the children from inappropriate content on the web. That is their job keeping the children safe and away from bad sites. Teachers need to take the time to do organizing and planning for the websites they want their students visiting.

A 7th Grader's Personal Learning Environment (or PLN)

ThisSeven Graders PLN was extremely amazing. She is way more organized and has tons of information on her PLN. I really hope to have my PLN as organized and as informational as hers. I just started out with this,but maybe I will get to where she is in her PLN. I want my PLN to have every possible resource I need available.