Blog Post 6

The Networked Student
The Networked Student by Wendy Drexler is a video about teaching skills in the 21st century. Drexler's video was inspired by connectivism from a course called "CCK08". The idea of connectivism was formulated by George Siemens. Connectivism is an idea that learning occurs through the integration of principles explored by networking and self organization. It is to help students become independent learners and thinkers. In the video the student is from the 21st century. In the 21st century everything is based off of the internet and technology. The student is taking a class with no books, pens, or paper. He has to find information on his own. The student creates his own personal learning network, he uses Google Scholar, book marking and searches blogs. By doing this it helps him gain knowledge about his subject. The 21st century student shows that any form of technology can be used in a helpful way. For example he uses his Mp3 player and iTunes to listen to Podcast from teachers around the world. The 21st century student is learning how to use his resources to get a better understanding of his subject. The work he puts into looking up information can help another student in the future. Conncetivism reminds me of EDM310, the students are discovering new ways to utilize technology for their own good. This resources and techniques will always be useful in the future. A question was brought up in the video, why does a student of concetivisim need a teacher? There are many reasons teachers are needed. The teacher is there to guide the student to make sure they are on the right path. The student may be new to the subject when searching for information and lost on what type of information is actually valuable. The teacher can help the student stay on track and find credible information. The teacher is also a motivator. If the student is not pushed or motivated to do their best they will not produce quality work. The teacher wants to make sure the student is getting the right tools they need to further use in the students life. Teachers will always be needed in anything pertaining to school, they already have the experience to lead a student in the right direction. I really enjoyed the video by Drexler it showed how the world is expanding it's knowledge outside the classroom. 7th Grader's Personal Learning Environment
Wendy Drexler's 7th grade science student made a video of her personal learning environment. The class is networked and paperless. The student's personal learning environment is not different from my personal learning network. Needless to say she is more organized than I am. She has all her school related networks on the top and her personal networks along the bottom. With her personal learning environment she works at her own pace which allows her to do the work she thinks is more important. The student really takes advantage of her personal learning environment by networking with scientist and also skyping with them to get their help with her school work. I really enjoyed her the video and I plan to be organized like her.