Blog post 6

Wendy Drexler: The Networked Student


Wow!!  First off, I really liked the way the video was set up.  What I mean is the way the camera was focused on a white surface, and all that was done was someone was moving the pictures back and forth to demonstrate what the narrator was saying.  Something simple turned into something so wonderful.


What I personally got out of the video is the realization that students use so many other resources to do assignments, write papers, create blogs, and so on.  A student could simply google the information to learn how to do almost anything.  (Actually, I would venture to say that a student  could google the information to learn how to do ANY and EVERYTHING.)  So, why DOES a networked student need a teacher?

When I first thought of this question, I thought to myself; "Oh no, a networked student doesn't need a teacher".  But he or she does need a teacher!  Dr. Strange likes us to use the word "educators" instead of "teachers" and now I see why.  Educators are there for guidance, learning, discernment between good and bad information, and to help with communication.  I am well on my way to being an educator to a generation of amazing and very intelligent children.  It's exciting!






Once again, I am amazed that a 7th grader has done all of this!  When I was in 7th grade (which wasn't THAT long ago), I didn't know how to do ANY of this.  I am almost embarrassed that I am a junior in college and I just now heard of google docs, and this student who is much younger than I has been using  google docs.  Wow.

This is great, though.  She said at the end that she doesn't use paper or a pencil hardly ever.  I really think that this is the direction that our education in schools is going.  We all better get ready for the ride!




I actually liked this video, even though it was long.  I was interested because he compared classrooms to American Idol auditions.. literally.  It saddened me.  It showed how much excitement goes into bad singing, and how NO excitement goes into learning.  He talked about how the classroom is totally disengaged and what we can do to change it. 

He then started talking about the "MTV generation". He described that generation as having short attention spans and being materialistic.  Are all students described as this?

It really got interesting when he started talking about youtube.  The statistics alone on youtube are mouth dropping.  He insists that youtube isn't make up of only youngsters, there are oldies on youtube, too.. And then he played the "Charlie bit my finger" video, which is hilarious.  He really proved his point. 

All in all, I always enjoy his videos. He is an extremely intelligent man, and I know that his students learn so much from him.  He always speaks very well, and I hope that other people take the time to listen to him.