Blog Post #7

As I begin to watch the video on The Networked Student by Wendy Drexler, I thought to myself I have absolutely no idea what a PLN or PLE is and what you do with them! Wendy did an outstanding job explaining how a 21st century student is a complete networking child. It was astonishing yet amazing to see that one student can use so much technology and networking within his or her school day. All the different sites the student used such as wiki, google, facebook, and so many more made up his PLN (personal learning network).

The illustration told of how the student spent his school day blogging, networking, researching, and navigating in order to complete school assignments. Wendy thoroughly explained all the resources that are available to this 21st century student and stated that the student only attends class 3 days a week and owns zero books. His teacher almost never lectures because she believes her students are students of connectivism. This teacher empowers her students to become networkers in order to make connections with other students and control their learning endeavors.

At the end of Wendy's video, the question arises "Why does a networking student even need a teacher?" Although our world has became overly smart when it comes to technology I believe a teacher will always be a necessity in the process of raising children as higher learners. Sure all of the networking and technology enables students of all ages to learn all there is to learn through school lessons and standards, but do we as educators really believe elementary age students are able to school themselves without a teacher? No matter how much technology may provide through endless PLN's, a student will always need guidance and someone to help build self-discipline within themselves. This someone should be a teacher! There are so many situations in today's society where unfortunately children are not getting the love, nurture, and guidance they should at home; therefore, a teacher may be the one and only person that child confides in as a leader and mentor. Not only do teachers need to be present in order to guide students to correct networking and to help them differentiate from good information and not so valid information, teachers should be there for students to help them navigate in any aspect they may need help navigating. Teachers in my opinion should be present to help mold a child into a future leader by teaching communication skills and how to become a respectable individual. So when asked if I think there will always be a need for a teacher my answer is absolutely!




When watching the video on A 7th Grader's Personal Learning Environment (PLE) I found myself absolutely in shock at how many personal networks this 7th grader possess and uses everyday of her life. She developed a personal learning environment network through a site called symbaloo which I know nothing about before watching this video. At the beginning of her school year she spent some time learning how to research topics and navigate sites and in the end pull it all together on a personal page. This 7th grade student had over 40 personal networks in which she used through school and leisure. To be honest this video frightened me a little because it just reminded me of how far behind I am in the technology world and if I plan to become a networking teacher I need to take lessons from this 7th grader! This example goes to show that you can learn from a student!