Blog Assignment #6

The Networked Student

The Networked Student

Connected learning is the way that many children are gathering information in 2011. To be informed is...to have the answers. That is not always so when children are browsing and connecting. Teachers are not obsolete regardless of the learning level of the child. It would be great for a child to out network a teacher but a teacher's opinion and guidance is still necessary when it comes to browsing.

I feel as though I am very connected and have the ability to gain knowledge on my own. However, many times I still feel lost and have the need for technical advice. I actually prefer when my teacher has a concrete opinion on certain websites. The label of a teacher is still necessary and I am fully prepared to take on the networked student.

Personally, I fear nothing, so this matter is easy for me. I know that I am ready to teach a tech savvy student. If I don't have the answer, I will have it very soon and it will be substantial. My guidance, as a teacher, is completely necessary for each student regardless of his or her standing on a technological level.

A 7th Grader's PLE

This student is extraordinary in her fields of learning as far as I am concerned. She has access to real live scientists which gives her the ability to back up the facts she is not sure about. I have found many times that I can come up with approximations and a PLN like this can give hard facts to reach a final answer.

Personal learning environments are very instrumental to anyone's learning. This video shows one students access to an unlimited number of sources. If I could call the president and ask him to be in my PLN because I need him to answer all of my political needs then the answers are endless. I hope my PLN looks similar to this one after a few years of networking because I definitely need historians to answers tons of my questions.

The Innovative Educator
Innovative Educator Link
Link Opposing Innovative Educator

I pretty much chose the first site that comes up in a google search. It was the most relevant to many things I have done so far this semester. Smartboard lessons need to be relevant to the topic that is being taught and that idea is stated clearly in this post. If you are doing an animation like this blogger than your animation needs to correlate with what you are trying to accomplish.

On the other side of things smartboard only seems to be a cool piece of technology that sits in the front of the classroom to attempt to get children involved. This piece of equipment is very expensive and may not be totally necessary if the teacher doesn't like it. Both ideas are solid but can I delve a little further into this machine and figure out something to get the most out of it.

I stand a little for both sides. Yep! this is a very expensive machine and how can I use it to interest my students as well as get an amount of worth out of it. Sure, we can do anything on it that we can do for a lot cheaper on other machines but isn't this a start towards something bigger. Each innovation leads to something better and someone is constantly trying to outdo the competitor and I foresee that this machine will be taken over by a better machine similar to its kind. With anything we use, if it is not relevant then the kids still aren't going to get it.

Why I hate Interactive Whiteboards
Link to Interactive Whiteboards

Well, I don't think I need a contrasting website to contrast one's view on the whiteboard. Even if the machine sucks, someone needs to figure out how to use it better. It's all about what we are plugging into it. If I don't use my white board properly, then I am not going to like it and I am not properly informed. If I do like it, I have asked all necessary questions to make sure that it is used only to benefit all who view it. It's just like anything I use, if I am not putting the effort in to create things then it IS a waste of money.