The human network basically is how technology has transformed the way people interact with one another. Communication has gone under drastic transformations. Like the Cisco commercial says: “people subscribe to people, not magazines,” “moments are captured and recaptured.” People are able to witness first hand and time and distances no longer provide barriers for people to stay connected with one another. It’s pretty incredible the things we have available for us now. A networked student has the ability to learn by communicating with resources all around them through the avenue of technology. Millions of resources are at our fingertips! Digital literacy is important for the network student because it allows them to utilize all of the technological tools that allow them to “network.” For example, you can’t just open a computer and automatically know how to use Skype. Also, I think digital literacy should include safety and the ability to distinguish what information is appropriate/factual. I can personally say I didn’t know how to determine the contents and legitimacies of websites until I took this course.
All of these technologies and resources have shifted the role of the teacher in the classroom. Teachers are becoming more of “guiders” who lead students on the right track, and sometimes even learn alongside of them. I personally can see myself taking on this role, but I feel like it might take sometime. Students need to be prepared to play their part as a “networked student” as well. A teacher can expand, motivate, monitor, and focus students, but students should become researchers of their own. I think that this shift will someday encompass a majority of classrooms…imagine how much more our society will learn! Learning would be a continuation, not an achievement/assessment.
Here’s a website I found dedicated to network learning.
“Struggling for a metaphor for change”
Connectivism
George Siemens (creator) “Connectivism networked and social learning « Radicalization of Education Reform Struggling for a metaphor for change In a Skype conversation with Tony Karrer last week, our attention turned to change. My weekly elearnspace newsletter/ blog is an eight year running attempt to capture and briefly explore the impact of trends from numerous fields on education and training.”
I visited the "connectivism" website and all I have to say is wow! Talk about a thorough discussion! The segment I found to be most relevant was the discussion on theorizing in education. I believe there are so many theories, some even including technology, that sound good and look good on paper but are poor in implementation. I think this is a crucial point to grasp, because some of these theories also call for an ideal classroom. For most of us in the real world, we will have the farthest thing from "ideal."
ReplyDeleteI completely agree with the statement "learning should be a continuation, not an achievement/assessment. I think this really embodies the idea behind learning and especially networked learning. Like you, I could also imagine implementing this is my classroom...with some time. Networked learning is drastically different from almost all education systems today, and students would need to be extensively prepared to be successful in shifting environments.
ReplyDeleteI agree with Elizabeth... It would definitely take some time to implement in the classroom, but I feel would be very much worth it! It would take a lot of preparing for the students to be able to be successful with the technology. I do like the website that you found, I think that you find some great resources!!
ReplyDeleteWhen you discuss learning as "a continuation, not an acheivement/assessment," what does that mean for actual achievement and assessment within the classroom? Are they to be eliminated or just modified into a form currently unknown to us? That is part of the issue with networking students, and part of the allure. The rules of learning change so much. Whether or not they change in a positive or negative way is as of yet unknown to me.
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