Blog Assignment #7

The Networked Student

The Networked Student by Wendy Drexler is a short informative video about the preparation to learn in the 21st century. In this video, Mrs. Drexler's students guide us on connectivism and several other collaborative networking skills. It is implied that "the tools are not as important as the connections made possible by them." The students in this classroom are encouraged to make new connections with others to strengthen the learning process.

This video discusses all of the different ways that a student can access information. It is mentioned that you can download lectures from professors all over the world. Blogs, databases, search engines, audios, and podcasts are some of the tools acknowledged in the video.

The question, "Why does the networked student even need a teacher?", arises. A student may be able to access more information via the internet than a teacher or professor can physically give them, but the student needs guidance. That is where the instructor comes in. A student needs to see an actual person to serve as a role model and guide them to use these tools properly.

A 7th Grader's PLE

I thought A 7th Grader's Personal Learning Environment (or PLN) was really neat! The program that the student used, Symbaloo, seemed very helpful. I would not mind getting one myself. Everything on her PLE seemed very organized and she appeared to be excited to work on it. This type of learning environment is so important, especially because it captures the attention of young learners and motivates them to work harder. Children are more likely to put more effort into something when it involves higher levels of interaction. It becomes more enjoyable for the audience and the person doing the instruction.

The 7th grader's PLE closely resembled my PLN from EDM 310. Ours is progressively becoming more adequate and detailed. If I were an employer trying to find out what kind of person someone applying for my workplace is, our class blog would be an ideal place to look. It shows how hard, or how little effort the individual puts into their work. That is why I put as much effort as I can into everything that I post on my blog. I am excited to see the outcome of my PLN at the end of the semester.