Blog Post #6

In the Networked Student by Wendy Drexler, the question is asked,  "Why does the networked student even need a teacher?"  In this video Ms.  Drexler answers this question.  She helps us to understand that the networked student has to be taught how to create and then how to use their PLN.  These students have access to all the information in the world via the internet.  The amount of facts available to them is limitless.  But it takes a teacher to show these students how to put all of this information together and use their sources to find additional resources to create their network.  Then the networked student can use their information to become part of someone else's network.

Ms.  Drexler says that she is preparing to use this with a group of middle schoolers in the fall of this year.  I think that middle school is a perfect age to start this.  I plan on following Ms.  Drexler's blog to find out how her test goes.  As to the question, am I ready?  I think that I am well on my way to becoming ready.  Through the tools and resources I am learning in EDM310, I am going to help create networked students by being a networked teacher.


 A 7th Grader's Personal Learning Environment (or PLN)
In the video  A 7th Grader's Personal Learning Environment (or PLN ), the student describes why having a PLN, or personal learning network helps her to be a better student.  She shows some of the tools that she uses on her site, which include Google and a note taking application that she uses to collect her information.  I think that this type of PLN could be very beneficial to both a student and an educator.  Right now I am still building my PLN.  It includes social networking sites like Facebook and Twitter.  It also includes blogs that I have been introduced to through EDM310.  I can use Delicious to pin all the resources that I find, and this allows me to keep them in one place.  I know that I have lots more to learn, and I know that as I continue through EDM310 that my PLN will grow.