Blog Post #6

The Networked Student

This video was so interesting and really made me think about teaching in the future as well as the few videos in the past we have watched. First I learned the meaning of Connectivism. I also learned that PLN means personal learning network. We have a PLN in this class, or I have started to create one with the many bookmarked pages and searches within different blogs and such. I think its amazing how learning is changing. This video was about a boy who didn't have a textbook whose teacher rarely lectured he only went to class 3 days and had online assignments to do the other 2 days. This video really made me realize that teachers of a networked student will be teaching the students of the future how to assess the credibility of websites and when they aren't facts but just opinions. Teaching students this we will be introducing a PLN, but they will make their own depending on what they are studying and what not. Not only can our students use computers and the internet for resources but also Ipods. Ipods/MP3s offer many apps that can support their learning. Asking NEVER hurts. If you don't know something then it is a good choice to ask and make sure that you know exactly what your doing is right. During this video the student created basically a textbook for himself with all of his resources. After all of this work and making his on PLN he uploaded his hardwork to a blog so others who need help with that specific topic can view his work and his findings.
*Why does the networked student even need a teacher?*
They need someone to teach them how to build this network and how to take advantage of their learning opportunities. The teachers want their students to leave their classes maintaining their learning network and use it for their futures.

A 7th Graders Personal Learning Environment or PLN

She made a Personal Page with all of her resources and social networks on so these pages would be of easy access. She made a Glogster also which is something new to me. I think its very interesting and will be looking into them some more. She stated that they use Skype for asking experts for help. This seventh grader also stated that using her computer meant there was a lot of freedom. They have the freedom of how to do it and when to do their assignments, but they have so much freedom that they feel the responsibility to do their work. She also stated that they have access to all kinds of resources from Facebook to other social networks. Although technology can be distracting when things finally get done they look neat. Her personal learning environment is much like my personal learning network. My PLN consist of all my resources needed for school but also includes my social network pages.