Reading Reaction #2
Our assignment for this week was to reflect on the video "The Networked Student" by Florida classroom teacher (and University of Florida doctoral student) Wendy Drexler. As I watched this video all I could think about is how the role of the classroom teacher and the classroom student has changed. The classroom has changed from a teacher centered to a student center learning environment.
The video explained how a networked student who is taking an online class doesn’t have a book. They have a teacher who they don’t see and who doesn’t lecture to them. They use email to communicate with the teacher and professionals in the field. This student learns through a theory called Connectivism. “Connectivism presumes learning occurs as part of a social network of many diverse connections and ties.” (Drexler 2008)
These 21st century networked students take control of their learning by using many diverse forms of technology. They use personal websites, Google Scholar and social networking sites to name a few. They use weblogs “an informal web site consisting of time-stamped articles, in a diary or journal format” (Gunter 2010) to keep track of their information. The student builds a knowledge base of his subject by using blog entries where his classmates or anyone on-line can read and comment on. This is an on going learning project that can be updated as new information becomes available.
The student has many ways to gather information. I think one great example is the use of an MP3 player to listen to a pod cast; a “free video or audio series that you download and play on your computer, iPod, or iphone,” (Gunter 2010). The student can download recorded lectures from professionals all over the world to obtain the information that they need. They no longer have that dependency of having to have an instructor in the room with them.
I had to stop and think about the role that the teacher takes in this new type of learning environment, particularly when your students might have a better understanding of technology than you do. I see the teacher as a facilitator of the learning process. The teacher in the 21st century no longer needs to stand at the front of the class and lecture to the students. They, instead, can provide the students guidance when needed. The teachers are there for support to help the student build their learning networks so they can in turn direct their own learning process.
Works Cited
Drexler, W. (2008, November 26). The Networked Student.
Gunter, Glenda. (2010) Integrating Technology and Digital Media in the Classroom. (6th Ed.)Boston MA.
I completley agree with you! The teacher is the learning facilitator in the future classroom (or the present one if you are in this class)... And this shift from lecture mode to helper mode I think can only benefit the students. After all, when they reach the real world of work no one is going to stand in front of a room for days on end and tell them exactly what they need to do. They'll probably get some basic instruction and then be send on their way to figure it out as they go. We need to prepare our students to meet those challenges and facilitating them in their learning journey is definetly the way to do it.
ReplyDeleteAlex S.
"[Networked students] have a teacher who they don’t see and who doesn’t lecture to them.... The teacher in the 21st century no longer needs to stand at the front of the class and lecture to the students. They, instead, can provide the students guidance when needed."
ReplyDeleteJust a quick clarification comment: Networked teachers/students may still meet together in the same physical space (as your latter two sentences note). The teacher isn't necessarily unseen by the students (but she could be).
I think there are a wide range of ways in which a teacher could pursue this guiding role to students in face-to-face contexts. What do you think?