Blog assignment #6

The Networked Student



 I really enjoyed Ms. Drexler's video. The creativity was clever enough in itself to be an enjoyable video. Connectivism. A very different way of learning in the 21st Century may be through connectivism. What is connectivism? It is a theory that presumes learning occurs as part of a social network of many diverse connections and ties. In other words, a way for students, as well as teachers, to connect and share education via the web.

Ms. Drexler will be trying this new way of learning this fall with her middle school class. She will teach her class three days a week and two days online. The class will also have no textbook and very little lecture. Tell me that wasn't your dream in middle school! First, a student must form his or her own personal learning network. The student must find valid websites. A student will know if the website is valid through training by Ms.Drexler. Whatever the students topic is that he or she is researching, can be searched on Google Scholar. Once an appropriate article is found, the student will post it to the social bookmarking cite, which is a place others have also posted URL's on that particular topic.

The next step this student could take would be to search blogs from other students in reference to this subject that the student may be researching. When reading another persons blog he or she can either take facts from this blog or if the blog was formed through opinion, the student may then wish to discuss it with the blogger. In the end, the student creates a blog and posts what results and data were gathered. Therefore, all over the world, others who are researching this topic, may see this students work and gather information for themselves that he or she has provided.

I really think that making a student do the research, and being the one who could possibly be the source that someone uses when they research the same topic could be rewarding in itself. I would love to know that someone out there, was reading my blog and using the information from it to better themselves in a certain subject. I also think that once again it would save cost in books, printers, copiers, paper, ink, and other costly school supplies. I'm looking forward to seeing the results that Ms. Drexler brings us!

A 7th Grader's Personal Learning Environment

Ms.Drexler has done it again! She has produced another video to show how well our Internet may be used. The first thing that came to my mind while watching this video was homeschooling. In the future we may have no need for homeschooling because we may have all the access to school in our home anyway. Even if we don't immediately get access to this connectivism right away, children and teenagers who are being home-schooled could use this sort of learning experience to help make their learning more enjoyable. Home-schooled students would also have better communication with other home-schooled students and would also be able to talk to teachers through skype if need be. I really enjoyed seeing this connectivism in action!

The Machine is Changing Us

First, I must say that this video was hilarious! I really enjoyed Michael Wesch's humor. He definitely pointed out many aspects of http://www.youtube.com/ that you don't really think about, until someone brings it up. It is very true that you do not perceive yourself as others do. You do not hear yourself as others hear you. Making a video of yourself is much easier for people who are shy because then you don't have to worry about first impressions or messing up because you can always edit or start over. Editing and starting over in real life is not an option. YouTube gives the self-conscious a voice and the shy a personality. It makes hero's and heroine's of people and one of their videos can uplift or encourage others. I really hope that this up coming generation can be a "I'll do whatever it takes" generation as opposed to "whatever, I don't care" generation.