The video Networked Student talks about a teacher that took a constructivist approach to learning. The idea is that students will learn by making connections with ideas that they have already learned. Rather than lecturing, the teacher allows the students to explore the newest ideas, rather than learning in traditional methods. While this is good in theory, the way it is described seems to miss the necessary direction that you may need if you are totally unfamiliar with the topic. This method also may cause students to become sidetracked more often than if they were in a traditional classroom setting, even if they think that their focus is in the correct area.
The "Networked Student" video was quite interesting, as they focused on Connectivism in teaching a high school hybrid course. This is highly student-centered and greatly allows learners to discover, access, and create a pool of knowledge on the topic they chose within a general field. The issue you brought up in regards to a student becoming sidetracked I believe can be easily addressed by the teacher making sure she oversees the learner''s research and guides him/her in their process of exploring and producing their projects.
ReplyDeleteI agree that there would have to be some front-loading of the topic knowledge. The thing that I thought of too would be the front-loading of the tech skills as well for those who aren't up on all of the moving pieces of the assignment. I also agree with you and with Sheila that it would be easy to be side-track and so would have to be tightly monitored. On a side note: if anyone ever calls me a "Learning Concierge" or a "Network Sherpa" it's not going to be pretty. I think that is the opposite of how teachers should be viewed as professionals and personally I find it offensive to those of us who have built careers on the concept of shaping learners. Yes, in a Connectivist structure teachers allow students to shape and guide their learning but to label us as concierges and sherpas I think demeans the character building that we do to allow students to get to a place where they are confident and able to think for themselves and actually perform those tasks. I am pretty sure I just got way too mad about a 1-second clip of this video, but I had to get it off my chest because a lot of people who talk about this theory forget the role of the teacher in it. End of rant.
ReplyDeleteI'm one of those people that sees the benefit in the older ways of instruction. I am just wondering from reading your post which ways you would want to change instruction for your students to make it more modern.
ReplyDeleteI am starting to use chromebooks, and I'm still thinking of how to use them more effectively in instruction. It leads me to the question of how it can be used not just for the sake of using it, but for differentiation and knowing students' needs.
Thanks for the post! :) I hope you have an opportunity to talk about ways that you might use this in your classroom.
DeleteI agree with your take on The Network Student. As a fan of Constructivism myself, I worry that giving the students too much autonomy in the classroom will lead to a dispersion of focused learning which is essential for memory retention. In the video I watched "The Future Starts Now", integration ICT or Information and Communication Technology was discussed as a way to bolster up student enthusiasm about learning. I think using these technologies is the fastest and easiest way teachers can "connect" with their students from day one.
ReplyDeleteYour points were nicely made, especially the concern that students would get sidetracked. I have the same concern when I think about bring the technology into the classroom without sufficient guidance. Take myself as a adult for example, there are always times that when I take out my iPad and am 'supposed' to work with apps to learn something but I get distracted and start procrastinating. So I think we may need to spend some time thinking about in what ways to integrate technologies to turn the drawback to more advantageous.
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