After watching the clip composed by Wendy Drexler (http://techliterateteacher.blogspot.com/2009/06/networked-student.html) titled The Networked Student, I see a clear picture about how networking between teachers, students, and professionals can help the 21st century student compose, discover, share, and learn. I think some teachers might be concerned at the prospect of information and technology causing their role as the teacher to become obsolete. I am assured that is not the case. While the role of teacher is changing with the use of technology I believe that their supervision and guidance is needed now more than ever.
The Teacher will become a coordinator. They assign, encourage, question, organize, and set standards for students to adhere to and follow. The educator should remember to keep learning along with students as well. This video pushes a concept called connectivism. Pulling data from different sources, validating that data's authenticity, incorporating that data into conclusions of their own. This is what the students of the new millennium need to be able to accomplish. Sources like online articles and journals, skype, wikispaces, pb wiki, itunes,email, google search, are all examples of resources students need to learn how to use when researching and collaborating.
The tools are ever changing when it comes to technology. But they are undeniably an advantage over traditional material due to their continual updates and evolution. Learning has gone global.
Pamela,
ReplyDeleteI feel the same about the networked students. We as future educators MUST get real on learning our technology. We are going to be expected to be sufficiently good at the usage of technology in the classroom and this process will not happen over night, but to motivate and encourage as well as inform students of the positive attributes of the use of technology. Students I feel were stuck in a era of schooling and not be educated for a fun fulfilled experience and were more use as information repeaters--now is our time to make change occur! From reading a few other of your posts, I feel you have it squared away and you will do great! Enjoyed my readings! Whitney
Pamela,
ReplyDeleteYou are right that teachers are definitely needed now more than ever because students do need guidance. I definitely believe students are learning now how to teach themselves with the resources available, but we are the ones that need to direct them and encourage them. Students need to be able to research and connect to others through online media; therefore, teachers need to accept their new role and help the students accomplish this.