Blog Post #6

The Machine is Changing Us

I thought this was a great video on how media affects people in our society. I liked how he pointed out that, in general, we think that a person has to be on television to have a voice or be significant. So many people take advice from people on t.v. just because they are on t.v. People listen to people like Oprah about who they should vote to elect as President of the United States just because she is a t.v. icon. Another good point I think he made was how we know ourselves through our relations with others. When new media creates new ways of relating to others, it also creates new ways of knowing ourselves. What I loved the most was his evolution of how we use the word 'whatever'. I hope he is right about the future use of 'whatever'.

7th Grader's PLE

I thought this student had a great PLE. It was very organized and well put together. She mentioned how it helps her keep track of where she got her info. After looking through a lot of sites to find information, it can all kind of run together after a while, and it can be hard to remember where everything came from. I also liked how she pointed out that it allows her to choose not whether or not she will do the work, rather it lets her decide how when when to do the work. This video was helpful in planning my personal learning network.

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The Networked Student

This video was a good way of showing how a networked student learns using technology. It was a creative way of showing us how important technology is in today's society. This isn't just a good idea that might help students in the future. This video shows that this is no longer an idea for the future, rather it is happening in classrooms now and will only happen more and more. It's very important that we understand how to use this technology and, more importantly, how to teach this technology to our future students. Whether we like it or not, technology will only keep advancing, and we need to be able to keep up.

I think it's incredible that technology in the classroom has come this far since I graduated high school three years ago. The only class I had that needed a computer to complete my assignments was journalism, which was only offered to those of us on the newspaper staff. also, all of our classes met the usual five days a week. Now, not only does this student require a computer, he also meets with his class as a whole three times a week and twice online. He does not use a textbook, and the teacher almost never lectures. I think it's great that students such as this one is not only learning from what the teacher lectures, but he is also learning from the many diverse connections and ties through the social network. I liked how the video didn't focus mainly on the technology behind it all, instead it pointed out that the tools are not as important as the connections made possible by them. The student can take control of their learning and make new connections with others who will strengthen the learning process. It also gives them access, through iTunes U, to thousands of courses recorded by college professors. When he is done researching a topic, he posts it online to share his organization of this knowledge with the rest of the world.

I think this is a great advancement, but I still do not believe that this could take the place of a teacher. The student will not come to school already knowing how to do all of this. A teacher is still needed to teach the students how to build their social networks, communicate properly and respectfully, and differentiate between good information and propaganda. The students also need a teacher for guidance, support, and encouragement. Also, they need help in organizing the mounds of information they acquire. I can't wait to help guide students such as this one. With the help of EDM 310 and other education classes I will take, I will be prepared to be a teacher of a networked student. I think that if somehow I am not prepared, I probably won't find a very good teaching position. I don't know if classes such as this one will be the norm when I will be getting a teaching position, but I'm almost positive that it won't take too much longer until it is the norm.