Blog Assignment #6

The Networked Student-Wendy Drexler

      The Networked Student  is a short YouTube video by Wendy Drexler that had cartoon drawings; while the man was speaking the cartoons would be placed with different words. These were words about the how the student learns. When I first started watching this, I kept thinking the student is taking a class with the same structure like EDM 310. Although this student is learning about American Psychology, the student goes to class three days a week and spends two days online. His teacher hardly ever lectures and there is no textbook used in class. Instead, the student must find all of his information online.

      This teacher teaches connectivisim, which is a theory that learning comes from many different sources and ties. Students in the 21^st century will take control of their learning and make new connections with other people around the world; this will strengthen their learning process. This student first has to organize his Personal Learning Network. He uses Google Scholar and the school’s online library to find information. This is a neat idea; students can still find information without actually attending school. I did not know there even was a Google Scholar. He also shares the websites that he has found and he searches for blogs. When this was first said, I was thinking about how reading blogs is a bad idea; they could contain wrong information and make the student learn things that are not true. However, they answered that quickly in the video by telling the viewers that they too know blogs are for opinions. They stated that the student could even leave a comment on the blog to offer his own opinion.  Once this student has built up his knowledge about the topic, he can form his own blog so other students can write in it and offer their opinion. This is a great option because sometimes students learn best by listening to their peers.

      I thought one of the most interesting parts is where the student can listen to podcasts and audio on his iPod. He can listen to other professors, even from schools like Yale, speak about his topic. He will read about his topic, write about it, and listen to others speak about it. This is a great way for students to learn. After doing all of this, I doubt this student will ever forget about American Psychology. He will not be memorizing for a test and then completely forget what he just studied. Since he will be teaching himself and learning in all these different ways, he will not forget what he learned.

      I was worried while listening to this because I kept thinking, “Well, where am I needed?” Are teachers needed if students can do all this? Thankfully, they answer this in the video. Teachers will show the students how to build their network and take advantage of all their learning opportunities, they will offer guidance when students need it, teach how to communicate and ask for help, show how to tell the difference between useful information and junk, how to search the web properly, and show how to organize all their information. Teachers will still be needed in the 21^st century, but teachers need to see that students today need to be taught different ways so they can survive and succeed in this century. 

A 7th Grader's Personal Learning Environment

      This YouTube video, Welcome to My PLE, is a video from a 7^th grade student taking a science class. She gives her viewers a tour of what her Personal Learning Environment (PLE) looks like. The main page contains many boxes in different colors. They are all organized in the order she wants them in. She keeps her Facebook and blogs that are not for school at the very top. She clicks on her science class to see what she’s doing every day. This is great for organizing everything. It can even hold clips of information she found interesting and keep the sources until she needs them. She is also able to use her email and Skype to communicate with others. This student admitted that she enjoyed learning this way. This gives her freedom and more knowledge about the internet and all of its possibilities.

      I need to start working more on my PLN. After seeing many of the possibilities of having a PLN or PLE, I am now excited to fix mine up.  I like things organized anyway, so having everything right where I need it is a great option. It is great for students to have one of these to help with their school, but it is also great for teachers. A teacher that has a desk full of paperwork can become a bit overwhelmed at times. Having different bits of information, websites, and files organized sounds like a teacher’s dream come true.