Blog Post Number Six

The Networked Student
By: Wendy Drexler

This video was very informative regarding the use of connectivity in the classroom. It talked about a high school student that his teacher hardly ever lectures. They learn through the connectivity of PLN's, Blogs, Podcasts, and other types of resources. Through these resources, they have had access to some of the best professors out there. They even keep a virtual textbook. I though that was really neat.
Then came the question, "Why is a teacher needed for this type of learning?" It stated that the teachers are there for many reasons. They are there to show the students how to build their network. They provide guidance whenever help is needed. They teach the students how to communicate properly and help them organize their information. This is a very creative way of learning.
I do think that after taking Dr. Strange's course that I will be prepared to teach "networked students." Before this course, however, I wouldn't have had a clue. Now when I finish, all I have to do is keep learning the various new forms of technology. A teachers learning is never done.

Welcome to My PLE

This is a video about a 7th grade student and her PLE. Her PLE is on Symbaloo. I was amazed at all the things she uses her PLE for. In the video, she shows many different things that you can use the PLE for. Like, research and classwork.
She also blogs reflections of what she is or has done in class. She created a Glogster for a research project in Science. She then emailed different scientists around the world to get them to critique her work. I thought that was very creative.  She also showed how a PLE is useful for citing your sources in a research project. You can keep everything organized on one page.
I wish my PLN was as good as her PLE. I will definitely take some of what she said and use it.

Compare and Contrast
Why Smartboards Are a Dumb Initiative By: Michael Stanton
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Why I Hate Interactive Whiteboards  By: Bill Ferriter

In Michael Stanton's article, he talks about the reasons that he doesn't like the use of Smartboards. He says, "Smartboards don't change the model that's broken." He says the reason for this is that the teacher still stands in front of the classroom teaching a lesson that the students still don't want to learn about. He also says that Smartboards do not give an adaptive learning environment.
He also says that it's an administrative cop out. It just gives the administration a reason to ask for more money. He says he would rather everyone work towards re-imagining what's possible.  I would think that using Smartboards would be a way of doing that.

In Bill Ferriter's article, he states that he has used Interactive Whiteboards. In his opinion, they didn't make teaching the required curriculum any easier, but the students did like it. That's different from Mr. Stanton's view. He said that it didn't change the way the students felt about the material.
Mr. Ferriter also says that you need the time and the training in order to operate the Interactive Whiteboards or it's a useless attempt. With this not being possible in lots of school systems, he says, "It's nothing more than vain attempts to buy change."

Both of these guys have strong opinions about Smartboards. Mr. Stanton thinks it's just a way to ask for more money, where Mr. Ferriter said that it's an attempt to buy change, but the teachers don't have the resources to use it properly.
I found a blog that is for Educators. It lists tips for doing different things on the Smartboard. It also offers lesson plans and suggestions for every grade level. The blog is: http://www.teacherslovesmartboards.com/