Blog Post #7

A Networked Student



After watching A Networked Student , I was interested in learning more about the concept of Connectivism – maybe due to my Liberal Arts influence. According to Connectivism: A Learning Theory for Today's Learner, Connectivism is a learning theory for the digital age. Learning has changed over the last several decades. The theories of behaviorism, cognitivism, and constructivism provide an effect view of learning in many environments. They fall short, however, when learning moves into informal, networked, technology-enabled arena.

Some principles of Connectivism are:

- The integration of cognition and emotions in meaning-making is important. Thinking and emotions influence each other. A theory of learning that only considers one dimension excludes a large part of how learning happens.

- Learning has an end goal - namely the increased ability to "do something". This increased competence might be in a practical sense (i.e. developing the ability to use a new software tool or learning how to skate) or in the ability to function more effectively in a knowledge era (self-awareness, personal information management, etc.). The "whole of learning" is not only gaining skill and understanding - actuation is a needed element. Principles of motivation and rapid decision making often determine whether or not a learner will actuate known principles.

- Learning is a process of connecting specialized nodes or information sources. A learner can exponentially improve their own learning by plugging into an existing network.

- Learning may reside in non-human appliances. Learning (in the sense that something is known, but not necessarily actuated) can rest in a community, a network, or a database.

- The capacity to know more is more critical that what is currently known. Knowing where to find information is more important than knowing information.

- Nurturing and maintaining connections is needed to facilitate learning. Connection making provides far greater returns on effort than simply seeking to understand a single concept.

-Learning and knowledge rest in diversity of opinions.

-Learning happens in many different ways. Courses, email, communities, conversations, web search, email lists, reading blogs, etc. Courses are not the primary conduit for learning.

- Different approaches and personal skills are needed to learn effectively in today's society. For example, the ability to see connections between fields, ideas, and concepts is a core skill.

-Organizational and personal learning are integrated tasks. Personal knowledge is comprised of a network, which feeds into organizations and institutions, which in turn feed back into the network and continue to provide learning for the individual. Connectivism attempts to provide an understanding of how both learners and organizations learn.

-Currency (accurate, up-to-date knowledge) is the intent of all connectivist learning.

-Decision-making is itself a learning process. Choosing what to learn and the meaning of incoming information is seen through the lens of shifting reality. While there is a right answer now, it may be wrong tomorrow due to alterations in the information climate impacting the decision.

-Learning is a knowledge creation process...not only knowledge consumption. Learning tools and design methodologies should seek to capitalize on this trait of learning.

Dr. Strange posed two questions:

1. Why does the ‘networked student’ even need a teacher?

2. Am I ready to be a networked teacher?

Why does the networked student even need a teacher?

I think the video offered an excellent explanation, and our answer is that she empowers their connection of learning, she helps the students learn how to use tools they have readily available, she teaches them how to build a PLN or a PLE, she helps them take advantage of opportunities, she offers guidance when the student gets stuck, she communicates how to properly ask for help or advice from experts, she helps students differentiate between good information and propaganda, she helps organize all the information, and she helps the student get excited about the finished product.

What I thought was the most profound statement in the video, was that they recognized that the teacher was also a student of Connectivism. I think it’s this statement that got me most interested in researching more about the concept. I found a very interesting site that explains and offers guidance to teachers as a student of Connectivism,MOOC. This site offers a lot of advice to teachers on an activity that is crucial to our role as the ‘filter’ – I hate the term, but it is a good descriptive title for the activity of ‘SENSEMAKING’. According to MOOC, sensemaking is an activity that individuals engage in daily in response to uncertainty, complex topics, or in changing settings. While I still feel that our role as a teacher still encompasses more than just being a ‘filter’, this is a concept that does require our knowledge of content area and being able to distinguish good information from false information.

While students today are more often aware of the technology that they are handed on a plate, we are still going to have students that simply lack motivation to use it to their full potential. I think that’s where our role as a teacher becomes more important. Yes, we are going to have students that are reluctant to any type of learning, don’t want to fully engage in their education, sleep during any type of instruction, are only their until they are old enough to withdraw, or want to do just the minimum of work to pass or stay on a sports’ team. How can we reach these students? What is they are reluctant to technology? What if they what to use it but are illiterate to the technological age? What if they don’t have full access to this cyber world? More importantly, what if it’s their parents that are reluctant to allowing them to use what schools have to offer?

Am I ready to be a ‘networked teacher’?




I think I am fully capable of becoming one of the best ‘networked teachers’. I am ready and willing to learn. I also accept that I am dumb to a lot of things I have available to better me, but I am continuously learning to better myself in this new age. I know the basics, and I am currently adding to my PLN on a daily basis. Bring it on!

I think an even better question to this shift in learning might be, are our school boards and schools ready to help us make this possible? Also, are the parents ready?

A 7th Graders Personal Learning Environment

A 7th Graders Personal Learning Environment was an excellent video. I watched it a few weeks ago to help start my PLN. I thought it was very informative, and this student is working well-beyond her level of thinking.

How does her does her PLE differ from my PLN?




I am also using SYMBALOO to develop my PLN, but I started with Twitter and Facebook to gather teachers past and present. I have also included my high school website, all three schools’ websites that I have taught at, ALEX, and several content related sites. I think her bookmarks are more student based – offering more advice and educational information on her level.

Overall, we both have similar tools at our disposal. We just have different levels of information. We both have access to knowledge at our fingertips and room to be continuous learners.

Extra Assignment: Thomas Suarez: A 12-year-old App Developer

While watching the video Thomas Suarez: A 12-Year old App Developer , I was amazed at the accomplishments and drive of this 12-year old young man. He reminds me so much of my young cousin, Griffin. Griffin attends a very prestigious school in north Alabama called Randolph School . Griffin amazes me every visit home. He is constantly coming up with new ideas that I think are far-beyond his true age, and he still maintains a starting position on the varsity football, baseball, and hockey teams. He’s fifteen now, but he has always amazed me with his genius.

What did you learn from watching this video?



That students and kids today are moving at a much faster speed than we did – I already knew this because of my daughter. She shows me so much! Thomas Suarez has already developed several apps, and he currently wants to develop more (he even wants to expand into Droid). Most of us came home, did our homework, went to practice, played outside, and maybe ended the night with some TV or play some video game. He’s gone way beyond anything we ever tried. He asked himself, how did I get here? Who made these games for me to play? How can I do it?
What does this video tell us about how the world of learning is changing?
It made it very apparent that kids today are interested in stuff that involve so much more than running or playing, they are interested in technology, they are interested in bettering themselves, they are interested in fitting into this new age. Technology is here. Technology plays a role in their daily life.

While Thomas speaks of creating clubs for students that share his interests, I found myself asking if his childhood was being cut short. Yes, this interests him and it’s fun, but doesn’t he need more to be a successful individual? It made me think if the movie WALL-E. What happened to all those passengers after they became too reliant on technology? I am not saying that computers will take over the world. I am just saying that there can be too much of a good thing – we become complacent, sedentary, and lazy. I don’t think this is the answer either…what is the answer?

How does this video fit with the others assigned for Blog Post #7?

Throughout the Blog #7 assignment, we have learned more about have content is becoming secondary to technology in the classroom. Thomas is an example of a student using technology to its fullest potential. I have my issues with this, but it is apparent that it has some relevance. Yes, students have all this information easily accessible and teachers need to be constantly on their toes to stay abreast with their students. In in reality, we are still going to have students that need us to be trained as teachers have always been – we are also a vessel of information. That should never be forgotten! I hate to imagine students typing in ‘classroom teacher’ into Google 100 years from now.

Download the Bustin Jieber App! I have wanted to whack this kid over the head for so long!