Blog Post #6

The Networked Student by Wendy Drexler

     At first I was thinking how is the student learning?  But after I watched the video a couple of times I realized that he was part of a guided learning classroom.  The student's teacher is teaching but not in the normal since.  She is teaching her students how to take a topic and to learn all they can about it without sitting through boring lectures.  The teacher guides the students through techniques that allow them to find information and to validate that information to be sure that it is accurate.
     The teacher also guides the student into creating his own learning network where he can learn new subjects.  I believe that this is good for middle school and high school students.  I feel that becoming a networked student will give them the knowledge to do research and become well rounded learners.
     I do think that I will be ready to be a teacher of a networked student.  At least I am ready to learn how to be the teacher of a networked student.  I hope to be able to try this with my students.


A 7th Grader's Personal Learning (or PLN)
     The PLE that this student is using is amazing.  She is able to create a personal study and learning guide.  Adding sites to her personal page that will contain information that she needs for her classes will make it easier for her to study.  Also when doing reports and experiments she will already have many educational resources at her disposal.
     This PLE is a lot like my Personal Learning Network (PLN).  My PLN includes the sites I visit most looking for information.  I also include many sites that have been recommended by other educators.  With these sites all located in one place I am able to keep track of new techniques and technologies that may be beneficial to myself and my class.  The student in this blog uses her PLE in the same manner that I use my PLN.  She is able to keep track of her favorite sites in one place as am I.

Critiques of Smartboards
     After reading the critiques of Smartboards by Michael Staton, Bill Ferriter, and Kevin McLaughlin I was surprised by the amount of dislike these men had for Smartboards.  It has been 14 years since I graduated high school and at that time we thought that we were high tech because we had dry erase boards in the classrooms.  Saying that I was wowed by the Smartboard the first time that I saw one in my children's class is right on the money.  Unfortunately, I do not have any experience with one and really have no idea what the benefits are from one.
     I can see the point of all three of these gentlemen.  Basically, these men are saying that the Smartboard is a glorified overhead projector that is not utilized to the full potential by most teachers.  They use these boards the same way they would a dry erase board.  Also the use that these boards get does not justify the cost of them.  In the times that we are in where there is not enough money to go around, the purchase of these boards is a waste that could be used in other areas for technologies that can be useful to the teachers and students.
     Of course this is just one side of the argument.  There are some teachers who love their Smartboards and think that the technology has really helped their students.  I found a page called Why do Teachers Love SMART Boards? Wall Wisher that teachers have listed the reasons that they love their Smartboards and why they feel schools should buy more of them.  Some teachers are unknown and others left their name.  There are hundreds of post on this wall.  One that stood out to me is that the teachers were able to allow the students to brainstorm, save the information and then post it online so they would all have access to the information.  I did not know that this was a function of a Smartboard.  I feel that I have a lot to learn in the next couple of years about this form of technology.  I can see both points of the argument and will need to do more research to make a decision for myself as to whether they are good or bad.