Blog Post 6

Watch The Networked Student
On the question why does the networked student even need a teacher, the answer is clear? Every class needs a teacher. A teacher can teach the students how to build their social networks. The teacher is a model for their students and can also show the students how change can affect their lives, all students need someone to look up to.
I am a learner that needs to be shown how to do something and then practice it. Sometimes how a teacher reacts to you can make a big difference. If I have a teacher that believes in me, then most of the time I will do better in the class. I believe students need that special touch sometimes that only a teacher can do.
The site is great for showing the connection of blogs, communication of how students create their own book connections, and so many more things. But, I think every classroom still needs a teacher.

A 7th Grader's Personal Learning Environment
It was amazing to me that a seventh grader could do all of this on her Personal Learning Environment. I just got started using facebook and still not every familiar with all of the stuff on it. I think it was a great way for any student to learn and keep up with their work. The idea of pocket tanks was a well organized program for anyone.
The idea of Peer Review reports was really interesting for students to let other professor's grade their papers and give the student back information on their assignment.
Comparing this seventh grader's Personal Learning Environment to mine would be a joke. She is so much more ahead of me. This lets me know that I must get busy and become more technical in technology to teach these students of the future. Her site was great. I am going to make my sixteen year old son watch this also.

Arguments for assignment 3
In the two critiques of smartboards, Why Smartboards are a dumb Initiative, and Why I Hate Interactive Whiteboards, they argue that smartboards are a waste of money. Bill Ferriter says that "I'm willing to argue that even with time and training interactive whiteboards are an under-informed, and irresponsible purchase." He says I probably two or three neat lessons with it, but there was nothing unique about those activities.
Michael Staton also thinks that smartboards are a waste of money. Staton thinks they enable you to efficiently save content on the whiteboard, though you can do this without a smartboard in various other ways i.e. screenshot, screencast, use microsoft one note and press "Save with a projector." The reality is the "save the brainstrom" possibilities are endless on a much smaller budget. If I was teaching I would be thankful for a smartboard onlt because I am a gadget geek.
But Eliza Bang and many other teachers love the smartboard. Mrs. Bang gives an example of students in a third-grade class using the board to demonstrate solutions to a math problem. As each child sketched their answers, the solutions were saves as seperate files on the teacher's computer. "It really helps with motivation." As a platform for encouraging group work its amazing. Other teachers say kids have Nintendo Gameboys, Xboxes, and all of these fun interactive things outside of the classroom, the smartboard matches the experience that the kids are having out of the classroom.
Professor Knowlton says "The real virtue of the interactive whiteboard is in showing students how to use the computer." "Instead of handing a kid a laptop and saying good luck" it's nice to be able to model something for them This information came from the website: http://www.wired.com/science/discoveries/news/2005/06167710