The Networked Student by Wendy Drexler

The first thing that stuck out to me in this video was the concept of 'connectivism.' I have never heard of that word before and apparently neither has the spell check tool. It is the theory that learning occurs as part of a social network of many diverse connections and ties through technology. It encourages students to strengthen the learning process by getting involved with each others learning. The student has a Personal Learning Network which he uses to keep track of websites that are beneficial to his education. He is connected and learns through sites like Delicious, Blogspot, and Google Docs. He understands that blogs are more opinions and discussions rather than facts, so he makes comments on them and gets involved in the discussions. The student takes advantage of iTunes University and other free educational sites.

I'm not sure if I am ready to be a teacher of such a networked student. I feel as if I am just now becoming a networked student myself! Maybe by the end of this class I will have the knowledge to teach such a technological student. I will try to offer guidance to that student, show what sites are reliable information, and be a guide through the internet. I hope that my students will be prepared for the future and develop PLN's that will follow them to college!