Why does a networked student need a teacher? The same reason I do! There is almost too much information on the Internet. It is extremely difficult to recognize the difference between a blog factoid and an actual fact. Relying on old school sources for the truth is just not possible anymore. Everyone seems to have an agenda. A student needs to learn how to vet the accuracy of the information...as much as that is even possible. Navigating through those waters requires a guide. A 21st century teacher needs to point out the lurking pitfalls so the 21st century student is source savvy.
Vetting the massive amounts of information is just the first step. The obvious next step is how to render the data into useful pieces. How many diaries does a student need to peruse to get a feel for the thoughts of American soldiers in World War One? What about the German viewpoint? How can those bits of information clue a student into a soldier's anguish? Should that be the perspective? A wise teacher helps a student to funnel the information down to just what they need to successfully complete an assignment.
What tools will help a student? What social networks are safe? What programs will encourage a student's creativity? How does a student learn how to Prezi? To green screen? To iMovie? A teacher must be the trusted guide for a safe and wonderful web journey.
While a teacher's tools and information access has become global thanks to the Internet, the responsibility is still the same: point a student in the right direction and let them teach themselves while keeping them safe.
Hello Terri. This was a very well written post. I do agree with you about why networked students need a teacher. Just because students will be doing their schoolwork primarily on the computer/internet, doesn't mean they don't need guidance. The teacher is there to guide them through what is good and bad throughout technology. I like how you used the technique of adding questions through out your post and then adding a broad statement that answers them. Well, I enjoyed your post and keep up the good work.
ReplyDelete"It is extremely difficult to recognize the difference between a blog factoid and an actual fact. Relying on old school sources for the truth is just not possible anymore. Everyone seems to have an agenda." I assume you are using "fact" as "truth". What determines whether you can "trust" a website, a radio commentator, a TV news anchor, a magazine article, a professor, a politician?
ReplyDeleteWhat happens when the teacher/guide leave? Isn't one of the major responsibilities of that person to teach the student how to do these things on their own?
What about part 2 of the assignment?