Blog Post 6

Am I prepared to be a teacher of the “networked student?” This is a question for all teachers (present & future) to consider. The Networked Student video introduced, Wendy Drexler, a teacher who is a “student” of connectivism - “a theory that presumes that learning occurs as part of a social network of many diverse connections and ties made possible by various tools of technology.” Interesting! Since I don’t have a classroom yet, I can only compare myself to the examples given in the video and not my own personal experience. She is a: learning architect, modeler, learning concierge, connected learning incubator, network sherpa, synthesizer, change agent. I must admit that I had to look up the term “network sherpa” to understand what that means before I aspired to be one. Interestingly enough, of all the examples listed, this is the most appealing to me. She not only guides her students, but is “led” by their interests, objectives and knowledge. I am learning to build a PLN and plan to teach my students to do the same. I agree that it is essential to teach student’s how to “differentiate between good sources and propaganda and organize those mountains of information.” I will be teaching middle and high school aged students. This group of students will likely benefit the most as “networked learners” because they can navigate more easily than younger students. EDM-310 is preparing us all to be teachers of the “networked student.” These are the skills we will use as 21st Century educators.

A 7th Grader's PLN Wow! I just got “schooled” by a 7th grader! I have a lot of work to do on my PLN. I really like the note taking application she referenced called Evernote. Evernote will allow me to organize these resources for future reference in a way that’s easy to manage! I thanked Ms. Drexler and her 7th grade student in a comment to their video post. I plan to research more of the programs referenced in their video to pick and choose the one’s to add to my PLN! Great stuff!

My take on the Critiques of Smartboards: Michael Staton, Why Smartboards Are A Dumb Initiative and Bill Ferriter, Why I Hate Interactive Whiteboards is that both educators need more training to integrate IWB's into their instruction. However, my perspective is somewhat limited because I haven't been trained in their use nor do I have classroom experience with them. Consider this post: Technology Combined with Good Teaching Leads to Success. Educational research and practice expert Robert Marzano, conducted research comparing teacher's who use IWB's to teacher's who use standard, teaching tools. The proof is in the results! Of those classrooms whose instruction involved IWB's, students saw immediate improvement in scores and achievement. Marzano warns against, "taking the human being out of teaching!" Success comes when teachers are trained to use the technology and use it often. Teachers who used IWB's for at least 2 years in 75% of their instruction had the highest percentage of improvement in student scores. I agree with Marzano's point that "balance is needed." He says the "sweet spot" comes when there is: 1) a clear focus of content, not just bells and whistles 2) student's learning is tracked through voting and 3) student's feedback is used to guide further instruction. He points out that the best teachers "evolve in their own educational theories."