Blog Assignment #7

     The Networked Student is a creative presentation about a student who doesn't attend a regular school. He goes to class 3 days a week, and 2 online. His teacher is practicing a method of education called connectivism. Connectivism is the theory of learning from social connections and ties. This means that a lot of what her students learn is from research over the internet, and gives control of the educational plan to the student. Each student can share what they've found by posting blogs or other social media websites.


     The student in the movie does not learn from a book. He researches online articles, blogs, electronic versions of magazines or books. Also, he listens to podcasts of teachers from everywhere around the world and can listen where ever he wants to and isn't cooped up in a classroom. There are so many advances to his educational learning method compared to other students who go to school day after day for hours on end. One main advance that I was interested in is that it's personal experience. The student isn't trying to follow the lecture and struggling to keep his eyes open, he is free to set his own pace and review as needed. Not only is there power in the students' hand but when you experience something for yourself you learn on a deeper level than when you simply try to absorb information being thrown at you.


     The big question brought up by this type of schooling is if the students even need teachers. But to my surprise they do! Teachers must teach the students how to use the different websites and how to stay connected with their fellow classmates. In addition to proper guidance the teachers are responsible for being there to teach them good online communication, organizational skills, and many more aspects of technology etiquette. A teachers job is to teach, but to teach means to care, help, lead, and I believe that in every type of school or educational learning method will always have a teacher. Whether or not those teachers are labeled educators or even know that they are in fact impacting and helping others is the real question at hand here.