Blog Assignment 6

The Networked Student
In the this video it explains the future of networked students in detail and how Connectivism can be used efficiently in schools. I liked the short clip because it was simple yet very educational and to the point. I agree that bringing networking into schools will be huge educational tool for the students in the long run, and also a great new learning experience for the them. Now if someone where to show me this video a few months ago I may have thought they were a little crazy for wanting to try this, but after staring my educational journey in EDM 310 class I have become more and more for technology in the school systems!
I believe when I become a teacher I will most definitely want to teach networking to my students and use a blog system in my classroom, but I also want to be in the classroom giving my students the guidance they need because I still think teacher and student connection is important. My reasoning for wanting to use Connectivism in schools is
because the internet has endless opportunities for students to seek the knowledge that one teacher alone cannot give them. It is stated in the video that a networked student can have access to the best professors in the world, which is amazing if you ask me. I think anything that can strengthen a students learning process can be nothing but positive for them in school.
I am thrilled to know that Ms. Wendy Drexler will be trying this with her middle school students this fall,. I’m sure it will be a challenge at first, but also a great experience for them! In the video it is mentioned that the students will attend school for three days and the other two days being online, I wonder if she will be using this method. Considering students will do whatever it takes to cut the amount of days they have to go to school I think the three days in class and two days online will work, but only if the students are responsible which could be a problem with students at a young age. Overall it is clear that my opinion on students using a networking system will be great, but we can only see wait and see what the outcome will be in time.

A 7th Grader’s Personal Learning Enviornment
I think this student’s PLE is a very great learning tool! Although in the video it shows the student doing all her work on the computer and her loving it, I would still like to have the teacher and student connection in the classroom. I understand that this may be how teachers educated in the future, but what if not every student is as enthused about blogging, networking, and sitting at a computer for long periods of time such as the girl in the video. I must say it will probably take a very responsible and driven seventh grader to be able to keep up a PLE as shown in this video. The students in EDM 310 pay large amounts of money to take this class and keep up their own PLN, and yet still seem to struggle with having the discipline to turn in their work on time. Could you imagine a whole school of teenagers having to do the same thing! Now granted if this system of teaching through networking is going to work out for everyone in the future or not, I still think it is a great way to further a students horizons in the education world.

The Machine is Changing Us
This video was great on helping me realize the changes made in certain generations. I can admit that I am defiantly a part of the “MTV generation,” mainly because of my short attention span. Through out the video Dr. Wesch points out several facts about how technology is not only changing in the world around us, but also changing the way people act in response to technology. One of the quotes I really liked in the video was “ We shape our tools, and after our tools shape us,” which is very true. An example Dr. Wesch explains in the video is youtube and how it can be used as a really good tool for learning, but people also use it for a variety of things ranging from homemade videos of children, to people sharing their personal feelings to the world. When I was younger and I had a problem with something I vented it to my friends or family, in today’s time it seems like a large population of kids are posting youtube videos about their personal lives. I could never imagine making a video about my life problems and posting it online for the world to see, and I don’t know the answer to why people would. I grew up in the 90’s and so many things have changed since then. In the future when I become a teacher I will use technology in the classroom for the students benefit and I will also realize the students came from a different generation, so I can understand where they are coming from.