Blog Post 6

The Networked Student
Wendy Drexler: The Networked Student was a very interesting video. The video was prepared by Wendy Drexler's high school students and was inspired by connectivism. Connectivism is based on learning thorough social networks of many diverse networks and ties. I love that students are learning from the internet because they can find more up to date information. Textbooks can very quickly become out of date and with the cost of textbooks I feel that most children are learning from material that is obsolete.
Learning in the 21st century is not the same as it used to be and teaching in the 21st century cannot stay the same either. The video mentioned that the tools are not as important as the connections made possible by them. You can have a classroom full of computers, but if no one knows how to use them properly they are useless. Sure, every child in the 21st century knows how to get online, but they need a teacher to show them how to use the web to research and take advantage of every opportunity available.
Furthermore, students need to be taught how to distinguish facts from idiocy when they are online. There are so many sites that appear to be fact, but often they are merrily an opinion and not always an educated one. The teacher's role is also to help the students when they get stuck. Learning in the 21st century allows the students more freedom to work on their own, but it is important for them to know the teacher is still there to help them and guide them when necessary.

A 7th Grader Personal Learning Environment
While watching A 7th Grader's Personal Learning Environment (or PLN) I thought a lot about what we are doing in EDM310. It is very similar in the fact that we have a list of assignments and while we do not have the option not to do them, we choose when we do them (as long as it's before the due date). It was exciting to see how well organized and engaged this 7th grade student was. It was interesting to hear her say that even though she has the freedom to choose when and how to do her work she also feels the responsibility to get it done. I would presume that because she actually enjoys what she is doing, she is more inclined to do her work and take pride in what she has accomplished. However, I do think it takes a self-motivated individual to work and succeed in this type of environment.