Blog Post 6

The Networked Student
This video reminded me a lot of EDM310.  This class is teaching us how to be a network student.  This is important to learn since we will be teaching networked students in the future.  If this class was not available I would probably be totally lost in a lot of areas of technology such as blogging.  That in turn would not help me in the classroom.  I think this class is helping me become prepared to become a teacher of a networked student.
I think this could be a great concept in the classroom.  This requires the student to actually learn something in many different ways, instead of being spoon feed the material.  The student could also use there information that they obtained for future uses.  I really liked the aspect of using other professors lectures.  I know personally I have done this myself.  A student might not understand the way you are teaching something and might need someones different point of view on the subject.
The networked students will still need teachers even though they are doing most of the work on there own.  The teacher will help guide the student in the direction they need to go.  They could also assists them if they need help with doing something.  I think the teacher is a very important aspect of the networked students education.


A 7th Grader's Personal Learning Environment (or PLN)
I thought her personal learning environment was great.  I thought it was interesting how much she new about obtaining information off of the internet.  It seems like that science class is really thinking outside of the box when it comes to research and assignments.  I wish when I was in seventh grade that I was being taught how to use the internet that way.  It made me realize how much more I can get out of my own personal learning network.  Each week I go on in this class I learn new ways to make technology work for me.

 Critiques of Smartboards
In the blog posts by Michael Staton, Why Smartboards Are A Dumb Initiative and Bill Ferriter, Why I Hate Interactive Whiteboards, mainly talk about how there is no real point to the whiteboards in the classroom.  They think this because the teacher is still in front of the class lecturing and the students do not get any more out of the lesson as if the teacher were to use a regular chalk board.  They also argue how the whiteboards are a waste of money, and school districts like to buy them strictly for appearances.
The blog post I found was by Graham Stanley,The Interactive Whiteboard - white elephant or teacher's pet? In this blog Mr. Stanley agrees that if a teacher just uses the whiteboards as there old chalkboards then of course nothing is going to change in the classroom.  He stresses that whiteboards require training and practice to learn everything you can do with them.  He also states that if the training is not done then the equipment is wasted.  He writes " those of us who have actually used an IWB were positive about the potential."  I think that statement shows that whiteboards can do a lot of good now and in the future of the classroom. Another point he makes is that a good workman never blames his tool.  I think there is so much truth behind that.  To read Graham Stanley's full blog please visit the following link. http://blog-efl.blogspot.com/2007/08/interactive-whiteboard-white-elephant.html