Blog Post #7

A Networked Student
In the video "A Networked Student" it showed how a twenty-first student used networks to learn. I think this is a great way to learn. This 21st century student is not only connected to other students, but connected to great college professors around the world. Learning from being connected to other students gives him a more rounded view of many topics. This student knows that some of the information from the internet are opinions. He can form his own informed opinions and post them on his blog. It can start a sort of debate or discussion about a topic simply adding to the learning experience of the topic posted. I think he will be able to keep up with the comments he posts on much easier by subscribing to them. His research on Google Scholar will be a more reliable source to use while learning from the internet. I think it is a great idea to share certain sites that he finds that are valid and post them to a central website to share them for other students to use.

With his mp3 player, he can subscribe to podcasts from some of the greatest professors in the world. I have thought many times, since I drive an hour to and from school each day, that it would be awesome to be able to study while driving. That is an hour wasted each way, every day, that I could use this lecture style mp3 player system. Instead of listening to songs on the radio, or talking on my phone I could be learning valuable lessons that pertain to subjects that I’m already studying.

Teachers are important part of a student’s life. Students need to be guided, encouraged, and motivated in the learning process. Teachers also teach the students proper etiquette for asking authors questions and encourage them to ask questions. The internet can be overwhelming sometimes. Teachers can help students refine their topics so that searches are more effective. They can also help students use a variety of search tools other than Google, especially Wolfram Alpha and other specialized search tools that can be found on this list. The student can still branch out from there, but the teacher would give a student a good place to start.

Connecting with other students from many different states and countries can be an interesting way to learn. Teachers are still going to be needed, even though the internet has many ways of learning. Not all parents teach their children respect and the proper way of asking questions. Parents usually work and don’t have much time to motivate their children everyday like teachers do. Teachers can teach children without boring them with lectures and the students can feel that they are accomplishing many things on their own with some guidance. I understand some of the challenges that a networked teacher faces are difficult. I'm not sure if I am ready to be a networked teacher, but I am open-minded to the opportunity.

A 7th Grader's Personal Learning Environment
In the video, "A 7th Grader's Personal Learning Environment" the student is learning in a very similar way to the way we are in EDM310. She is a networked student in her science class. At the beginning of the year, she learned how to find certain information using the internet. Then she has learned how to blog the information. This is same thing we do, other than the fact that the sites have already been determined for us. Like our class, she also has a checklist to let her know what is due and when. She is using many of the same technology tools that we are learning about and using in EDM310. This student mentioned that if she does special reports, she can be certified to hold certain classroom animals. In EDM310 we don't have special reports to do and animals to hold. I'm sure that is a motivation for her to learn about an animal, to be certified to hold and physically learn more about them. This is awesome that a 7th grader is basically learning in the same way we are in EDM310. She will be better prepared for the future and especially if she goes to college to become a teacher.