The Networked Student

FutureWatch Reflection#1:

The “Networked Student” video presents a revised view of the roles of teachers and students in the 21st century classroom. This view is based on the learning theory of connectivism in which students take a more active role in planning their educational and professional careers. Connectivism hangs its hat on the notion that students can be empowered to take charge of their own learning while simultaneously building academic and professional networks that will serve them well beyond the years spent in the classroom.

The advent of the Internet in the 1990s has given rise to the next generation of web-based learning and communication software that surfaced in this current decade. These so-called “Web 2.0” tools are becoming an increasingly consistent presence in the social and academic realms of our society. Connectivism gives credence to the hope that tools such as hand-held PDAs (i.e. the iPhone, Blackberry, or WiFi MP3 players) used in conjunction with emerging web-based technologies (i.e. blogs, wikis, podcasting, RSS readers) will provide students with the tools needed to develop their own learning strategies and experiences.

Given the ideal situation in which a student would have access to all of the technologies noted above, he/she would then be able to learn any given subject by seeking out his/her own subject matter experts via the Internet. From there students would then be able to forge their own connections with subject matter experts while also participating in on-going dialogue with their student peers around the world.

What are the implications for teachers and school districts should connectivism indeed prove to be the wave of the future? The role of the teacher would shift from a more traditional role to one of a learning mentor or coach. The teacher of the 21st century connectivist classroom would become a teacher of information management, guiding students in locating relevant sources and helping them develop relationships with subject matter experts.

While there is undoubtedly tremendous upside to the benefits of the connectivist model one has to consider that any shift to connectivism in the classroom will be met with its share of obstacles. One major obstacle on the horizon would be the financial constraints facing schools since the arrival of the current economic crisis. What would it cost to ensure that the “networked” student has access to all of the tools of the connectivist trade? Sure, most schools have computers connected to the Internet, but are all these computers compatible with Web 2.0 tools? Can schools handle the costs of re-training teachers to act as learning coaches? What we are facing as an educational community is a risky investment opportunity at a time where risky investments are largely frowned upon. The proponents of connectivism would have to prove that connectivism is not only a worthy investment, but also an investment that could play a role in creating part of the solution to the current economic troubles facing our society.