Monday, October 12, 2009

Networked Student

This is an image of some computerized blue human fgures and computers that are randomly placed on a white surface and are connected with lines that symbolizes networking
Wendy Drexler's video, The Networked Student ,was interesting to me. I found some very good points about student networking. I agree that it is important for students to get connected to the rest of the world. There is a vast amount of information available and people to communicate with, whether they are experts in the field or students interested in the subject. I think that it makes for a more informed and well rounded student if the student can gain insight from people with different ideas and points of view. Also, I think that it is important for students to be able to share their knowledge and ideas with others. It makes learning more exciting and rewarding to be able to share the information with others and communicate with people about the things that interest them.

I liked that Ms. Drexler's video mentioned that networked students take control of their learning. I think students who are actively involved in their learning process may learn better because they can learn as much as they can and are not limited to only the information in a text book and they can learn at their own pace. Several things were mentioned that would aid the networked student in learning. A social bookmarking site is where the student posts his or her findings and can view links to other resources related to their topic of interest. Blogs could be found that discuss the student's topic, and he or she can post comments to these blogs to share ideas. Then, the student can create his or her own blog to share what he or she has learned. Others can comment on the student's blog posts which can be useful information and ideas for the student to consider. Also, iTunes U was mentioned in the video, which gives students access to a lot of information, which sometimes comes from some of the best experts in the field from some of the finest universities.

I think that student networking is a vital part of education in the 21st century. I think that students should be more active in their learning. Networking can help students learn efficient researching, open mindedness, creativity, and can help them learn beyond the restrictions of a text book. Students do need teachers, though, for guidance and help. I think that I need to be willing to teach a networked student. I think that there is so much information out there just waiting to be discovered and I do not want to hold students back from that. However, I see where some responsibility issues and computer availability may create problems for some students, so I think that I would rather incorporate networking into my class rather than have the entire class dominated by networking.

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