The Networked Student
The network a student possesses will prove to be the most important part of a child's education in the future. They will learn about the concept of connectivism, which is learning that occurs due to the many networks and ties they have. By being taught how to validate information on the internet, they will learn which information to believe just by the content. MP3 players can also be used for students to listen to podcasts. Professors from major universities like Stanford and Berkley have their lectures as podcasts. Therefore, students will be able to receive information from some of the best teachers in the world. Skype can be used to talk to important people that they can learn a lot from. This will make an impression on the students that they will remember forever. The biggest challenge will be how the students manage the information. Within the realm of the internet, there is an unimaginable amount of information. Therefore, some students may have a difficult time finding the "right" information.
If students have all the information they need in the palm of their hand, what is the need for teachers? Well, they provide their students with the tools they need to succeed. Teachers will show them how to gather and validate information. Also, they will teach their students how to build their network and to take advantage of the opportunities they are given. Sometimes students may get stuck and not know what to do. The teachers provide guidance and help them with any questions they may have. Their goal is to provide the kids with networks and tools they will be able to use in the future.
I believe that the idea of a "networked student" will be the future of our education system. This will allow students to have more freedom with what they learn. It will be our job as the teacher to make sure they are choosing the right information and not straying on to sites they shouldn't be. It may seem as if we will just be babysitting, but I do not think that the whole classroom setting will be encapsulated by this concept. If this were to be true, there will be less teachers in the workforce because they will not be needed as much.
A 7th Grader's Personal Learning Environment (or PLN)
This video talks about a 7th grader's personal learning environment. Her science class is paperless and they had to learn how to use resources on the internet to gather information. She shows all of the different tools they use including Google Docs, Facebook, and Glogster. Her PLE is very similar to my PLN for this class. We both use Google Docs and social networking to gather information and provide information for others. This proves that if a 7th grader is able to perform in this environment, we should be able to as well. I believe that this is the future of our education system.