Blog Post #6

1. The video “The Networked Student” by Wendy Drexler was a very cute and interesting video. I really liked how it physically illustrates the process of learning of a networked student. While watching the video, I was reminded of the classes that I am taking this semester and  how technologically literate you must be to even become a teacher now. The teacher that I am doing my field experience with at Brazier Elementary, Ms. Wiggins, was commenting to me the other about how the school systems are trying to “keep up with all of the new technology” and how she does not have any time to learn how to use all of it in the classroom. This made me very proud to tell her that we are learning how to do this in my EDM 310 class and she said that she felt it was something they should teach every upcoming teacher....

The question at the end of this video “Why does the Networked Student even need a teacher?” is a question I am sure many people ask. Why waste money paying a teacher when the students can learn it for themselves? This is a question that I have personally heard people ask before, and after watching this video I feel like I can answer that question now. The networked student needs a teacher to teach them how to network. A student could certainly learn how to network themselves, but a networked teacher can show them how to do it in a way that promotes learning and positive technology use.

Every student uses technology in this time period to network through websites such as Facebook and Myspace, but there is usually no trace of educational purposes. Teaching a student how to use technology to network and gain educational experience reinforces the idea that learning can by fun and the you can have fun while learning! Being a technologically literate teacher makes it possible to teach a student to want to be a “networked student” willingly. It also promotes the idea that learning is enjoyable and that students should want to do it on their own. I am ready to be a teacher of a networked student and am willing to learn anything that will help me accomplish this!

2. The video “A 7th Grader's Personal Learning Environment (or PLN)” really made me think about having technology in my future classroom. The student who narrated the video sounded so proud of the work she had done and I began to think back to when I was in primary and secondary school. If I had been able to use the programs that the student in the video used in her classes, I would have had more fun learning and when I think about technology in that way it really convinces me how great technology in the classroom can be. The student was not only able to show off her work to the whole world, she was also able to get advice from other people in different parts of the world as well.

When I become a teacher I would definitely like to use programs like these to improve my students ability to learn things. Getting a student to form their own PLN lets them find their own research tools and ideas to use for their personal learning. It helps them think of learning as an independent thing to do, rather than depending on a teacher to feed you information. When I was in grade school, I was never pushed to learn on my own, that’s what my teachers were there for. Now that I am an adult and in college I really wish my teachers had actually taught me how to learn on my own, because I still have the mentality sometimes in classes where I will say, “I just need the teacher to teach it to me.” When I become a teacher, I would like to urge my students to form their own PLN’s to use throughout their lives; I think it would better them as students and help them succeed in life in many ways, not just in school.

3. This is the website I found that is a counter argument to the ones we had to read: http://www.edutopia.org/clean-slate-interactive-whiteboard-makes-lessons-snazzy

 

I have to admit that after reading the two articles, “Why Smartboards Are A Dumb Initiative” by Michael Staton and “Why I Hate Interactive Whiteboards”  by Bill Ferriter, I was a little infuriated by the comments that both of these instructors made. I do not get upset easily, but I do get upset when a teacher does not take their student’s ideas’ and opinions’ into account when it comes to their learning. These teachers obviously do not value their student’s learning or interests, and instead value money and their own “precious” time. To me, as I was reading these arguments, the only thing I kept thinking to myself was that this people either a) have never learned how to properly use an Interactive Whiteboard and therefore do not know how to use it to it’s fullest potential, or b) are too lazy to sit and create Interactive Whiteboard programs that can be used as great interactive learning tools.

In my opinion and personal experience, Interactive Whiteboards in the classroom are amazing! The classroom that I am doing my field experience in is a first grade classroom and the teacher uses their Smart Board to teach math. The students get so excited when they are allowed to go to the board and “click” the right answers, that they are literally jumping off the floor and loudly saying “I know! I know!” To me that is what teaching is all about: getting your students so excited to learn that they are jumping out of their seats and if a Smart Board makes students do that, then who cares about the cost or the work the teacher/ school has to put into it? When it comes to students enjoying learning or money and time, I will always pick the latter, because being a teacher means sacrificing money and time and putting your whole heart into making your students want to learn and keep learning throughout their whole lives!