What exactly is a "networked student"? A networked student is one who learns basically on his own, does his own research, connecting with other students in his own personal learning network. Networked students don't attend class, have no textbooks, and can ask their professor for help over the web. A personal learning network is an individual network in which you can follow or be followed by other students, teachers, or just about anyone. When you have information to share, you post it and others can comment or add information to build on.
So why does a networked student even need a teacher? The teacher provides information on how to build the student's network, how to properly use it, and helps him organize all of his information. If help is needed, the teacher provides it. This semester is my first experience with online/hybrid classes. Mostly every class I am taking is web-based and we only meet once a week, if any. This new style of learning connects you to people from across the globe and you can even connect to other colleges and professors which is a way of broadening your education.You get a wider range of information and it gives you the freedom to work at your own pace. I like that you have more resources than just the information from the text book. I think a good mix of both are definitely needed. A teacher will always be needed to provide instruction to those students who need it. Am I personally ready to be a teacher of a networked student? Of course. I don't totally disagree with the process and as technology is integrating itself more and more into the classroom, I will prepare myself for that. But I also won't forget that I am a teacher and that is what I am there to do, to teach and to guide my students in the right direction.
If you want to know more about what a networked student is, check out this video The Networked Student
A 7th Grader's Personal Learning Environment
In this video a seventh grader demonstrates how she uses different online websites to organize all the information she needs for school. I thought this information was really informative and boy does this young lady have all of her stuff together! On her PLE, she has all of her resources organized onto one page, keeping her personal sites, like Facebook, separate from her school sites. She mentions that having a PLE could be distracting, but having the freedom to learn on her own gives her the initiative to be responsible and get her work done. I have only used a couple of sites that this girl has, but I am looking forward to broadening my own network. A 7th Grader's Personal Learning Environment
The Machine is Changing Us
So I was almost put off by this video because it was 33 minutes. But once I started watching it, I got really into it. Dr. Wesch gave a great presentation on how the machine is changing us. He kept it interesting by relating to his audience on a personal level we could relate to by using humor, television clips and you tube videos. He talks about how over the years, the culture has tremendously changed. And how it is extremely important to find different ways to engage your students on a personal level. He talks about how using tools such as you tube has become the new way for people to express themselves without feeling awkward. He says that new media creates new ways of relating to others and also to knowing our own selves. As a future educator, I know that I have to find what's hip to my student's generation so that I can better understand what world they are coming from. Everything changes generation to generation and it is really important to know how to relate to and understand someone from a different generation than you. I really liked the analogy Dr. Wesch used about the word "whatever", how the meaning has changed so many different times over the years. How it began in the 60's as "I don't care", in the 90's to "I don't care what you think", and hopefully in the future it will come to be that the word "whatever" will mean "I do care and let's do what it takes. It shows how technology is changing how people live and work and view themselves and others. The Machine is Changing Us
"A networked student is one who learns basically on his own, does his own research, connecting with other students in his own personal learning network. Networked students don't attend class, have no textbooks, and can ask their professor for help over the web."
ReplyDeleteThis definition is FAR too limiting. A networked student is one that knows how to find resources and use them to achieve their purpose. Conversations, collaboration, discoveries, and production are all part of a networked student's experience.
Please re-evaluate what you have stated above so that if someone who is not familiar with the true meaning of teaching networked students will have a more true idea of what that type of student is.