Blog Assignment 6

The Networked Student by Wendy Drexler

        This video explains how a "Networked Student" goes about researching through the internet using search engines like Google Scholar to find credible websites.  He contacts many famous scholars through the internet in a way that would not be possible face to face.
        I did not find this video very surprising because I feel like EDM 310 basically involves the same kind of work as this video explains.  The answer to, "Why does the networked student even need a teacher?" is that the teacher is more of a guide than a teacher.  She or he guides the students through "the learning experience" and is there to answer any questions the students may have.
        Am I prepared to be a teacher of networked students?  Yes, I do not see why I would have any trouble being this type of teacher though I do not want to be.  It is more personal when you are in the classroom with the students.  (And yes, I understand this model student in this video goes to class 3 days a week)


A 7th Grader's Personal Learning Environment (or PLN)

        This young girl seems to have it all together.  She knows how to accurately navigate the internet and has useful tools to do so.  Since I have not yet completed my PLN, it is hard for me to compare her PLE to my PLN.  However, I suppose mine would be very similar.  My interests are the natural world and ancient civilizations.  I am sure I could contact many archaeologists, geographers, and geologists through email.
        I do not watch a tremendous amount of television but instead get interested in things through magazines and the radio.  I especially like the National Geographic magazine which always has intriguing articles.  If I find something especially interesting, I will go search about it on the web.  I recently noticed in an issue that National Geographic now makes a "virtual magazine" for the iPad.  One can read the articles then click on pictures and they will load into videos or give a 360 degree angle of whatever is pictured.  Pretty cool new way to view the National Geographic magazine.


Why Smartboards Are A Dumb Initiative by Michael Stanton, Why I Hate Interactive Whiteboards and Why Are We STILL Wasting Money On Whiteboards? by Bill Ferriter, and Switching Off The Interactive Whiteboard For Good by Kevin McLaughlin

        Each of these men makes very persuasive arguments with different approaches.  Michael Stanton sums up his essay in two main arguments which are, "It makes the regular whiteboard more expensive, but not better" and, "It's an easy way for administrators to spend money on technology."  Bill Ferriter uses his two posts to explain how whiteboards do not engage the students because they cannot all use it at once and the other to, very persuasively, explain how a principal he knows spent $18,000 on 6 Smartboards when he could have used that money to buy 75 netbooks or 87 iPod Touches or 360 Livescribe Pens, etc.  The last post by Kevin McLaughlin took it to the level of the students by asking them, "If we could spend money on new IWB's or something else, what would you pick?" nearly all said "something else" which ranged from netbooks to Nintendo DS systems.  All of these arguments make for a very strong case.
        On the other side, I found an argument for Smartboards with the best two arguments being as follows.  The first claim from Smartboards Could Revolutionize The Classroom says that studies had shown that Smartboards had reduced the cycle of failure.  95% of students at this high-risk school were now routinely accepted into college.  The other argument insists that, "they helped increase student engagement by letting the students get involved with the technology by going up and manipulating the board themselves."  This two are good arguments, but can't these same two points be argued for other less expensive tools as the group of men in the first four posts insisted?  To spend that kind of money on whiteboards still does not make any sense to me.