This video is based on the gradually increasing idea of the 21st century student. The video talks about a student of connectivism. Connectivism is a theory of learning based on the premise that knowledge exists in the world rather than simply in the head of an individual. Its contribution to the field of education is however better understood when treated as a branch of the movement of open education that puts a special emphasis on social interaction. Connectivism is made reality when people utilize the technological tools given to them.
I believe there is always room for learning. Technology is a constant change and as a 21st century teacher it will be my job to keep up with the changes that occur. It is important that I do this because if I want my students to be able to have the best education I need to be able to provide the proper tools and be able to explain these tools to all of my students.
When the video asks, “Why does the networked student even need a teacher?” I believe the answer is this. Teachers of the 21st century and going to be different than the teachers I had when I was going through grade school. I believe that the purpose of a teacher in the 21st century will be to educate children on how to use the Internet and various other technologies to learn rather than pounding facts in to students heads all the time. Already, students are taking online classes without ever meeting teachers. Communication is key. If students can learn to communicate and navigate via the Internet nothing will be impossible anymore. Education has not limits and as long as social networking, E-mail, and podcasts are openly available to students, all the student needs is a guidance teacher. The 21st century teacher will no longer need to be in a classroom all day every day with their students.
The 7th grader’s Personal Learning Environment seemed quite similar to our Personal Learning Network. She used her PLE to include all of her links for school as well as things such as music she likes to listen to and links to her Facebook account. I like how she had it organized so that everything was included in one page. I think that is much easier than having to click and navigate to find various links on a PLN.
The link that I found shows the benefits of Smartboards in the classroom. http://newdorpvoice.com/?p=705 is the link to the website that I found. I think Smartboards are a great tool for classroom use. Smartboards started becoming popular when I was in high school. I thought they were the neatest things but my school only kept them in a few of my classrooms. When I got in to college they became even more popular. One specific thing that I can remember is how advantageous it was in my algebra class. On the Smartboard you can keep a record of everything that you write on it. There are page forward and page back buttons and so anytime students would have questions he could go back to the previous problem without having to rework the entire problem.
One of the only disadvantages that I see to the Smartboard is that it is not wide like a typical white board. They only give you so much space to work with before you have to go to the next page or page down. Many times students cannot write as fast as teachers do and it is hard for them to keep up. The student may not have enough time to copy everything down before the teacher can move on.
I think that the as long as teachers are trained on how to use the IWB, they are capable of being a wonderful tool to have in the classroom. Smartboards have endless possibilities and if a teacher knows how to use them it can be a great way to engage students in the classroom.
I think we have a lot of same thoughts as far as educating our children and using interactive whiteboards in the classroom. I definitely agree with you that it is our job as teachers to keep with changes so we can continue to give our students the benefits from the most up-to-date technology. Also, I agree with you about the changing role of teachers. Being a teacher definitely doesn't mean the same thing as it used to. I think education is something that is continuously changing with research and technology. Communication IS the key though. We as teachers must be able to communicate to our students the best ways for them to discover information about the world around them. Students must communicate their questions, findings, and thoughts. As far as interactive whiteboards go, I definitely see the advantage for math classes as well. I think there are hundreds of possibilities for interesting lessons if we get creative though!
ReplyDeleteI think you have great points in your discussions. I like the way you said "technology is a constant change". I find this to be very true. Each and everyday they invent something new or upgrade the old into something new technology progresses so fast. If you buy a new phone, two months later they have four phones that do twice as much. Also i felt that we shared the same views on SmartBoards in the classrooms. I think they are a great way to keep kids involved in active learning.
ReplyDelete"...nothing will be impossible " Well put.
ReplyDelete"...as long as teachers are trained" We are starting with you and you fellow EDM310 students.