"I'll tell two people, then they'll tell two people, and that's like ten people right there!"

Ahoy there, studio mateys! Obaratone is in a mighty maritime mood with all this fine weather rolling in, bearing the temperature doesn't drop below 60. On to this week's tracks on the networked student. What is the networked student? Is it a student who is working the net? Is it a student who is netting the work? Is it a student who makes more sense than this? Possibly, though I have yet to meet one who does. In all seriousness, when I think of the networked student, I think of a student who is connected to many different sources and can pull information from those sources. "So you mean the student is connected to a lot of different people by ropes?" Sort of, if those ropes were phone lines and internet connections. Before going more into the networked student, let us discuss the human network. The human network is basically the sense that everyone in the world is connected to everyone else by internet and phones and all that cool gadget stuff. It can also encompass the strange concept of talking to someone in person, which I didn't know people still did.

So when talking about the networked student, it fits real nicely into this definition of the human network. The student is sent out to collect information from people all over the place who are preferably experts in their field. This means using blogs or wikis or podcasts or finding a webstie or Twitter or some other means to contact an individual. It can also mean simply looking for ideas and taking them. In turn, the experts respond back with information related to the project the student is doing (or the student takes information, legally of course) and thus the student is connected to people and can go do his or her project. "So does this mean that there is no need for teachers anymore?"

HAHA! How you make me laugh, dear reader! No, there is still a definite need for teachers. Why you ask? Well I'll tell you why! In order for all of this to occur in the first place, the student needs to have some sort of digital literacy, as well as a means to connect to those people. We can't expect kids who only know how to text and call to post something on a forum or follow a teacher on Twitter and see a link and further get closer to contacting the person they want to in the first place. There needs to be some sort of background knowledge or learning to make sure the student knows what to do. Thus enters the teacher of the future! This teacher does not merely spew information out, they guide the student to find information for themselves. They help the student setup accounts and keep an eye out for him or her to make sure he or she isn't messing up or doing something wrong ("Hello, Soviet Union? I need- (click)- hello?")

"So Mr. Obaratone, can you see yourself as a digitized networking teacher that is not a teacher that is a teacher?" First, no need for the mister. We're all friends here. And there is a possibility I could use some of these techniques. I am guarded in some areas since there are still a lot of things and topics that I would like to cover in an entertaining lecture and assignment and test and all that traditional stuff. There is definitely a place for a good network of people and using cool things in the class though. The student should be pushed to make decisions and come up with information on their own instead of merely taking my word for it (even though I'm always right.) So I will definitely make sure my students use every possible resource and I will also do my best to provide these resources to them. That's what being a good teacher is all about! Do I see this trend becoming more and more involved in the schools? Yes I do, and I think it is a matter of time before most of our teaching will come down to this and our jobs will be more emphasized to guide rather to give information.

But now my friends, is time for me to say adieu. Before I go though, here is a nice little place on Delicious that has many different topics and articles and whatnot related to networked learning. Have fun with it! I would also like to pose the same question to you. Will schools become more like gateways to information rather than schools of information? Intriguing I know! Until next time, stay classy. I must text my pizza order to the pizzeria in Italy who will forward my pizza to a cheese farm in Norway who will then overnight it to a mushroom farm in California before arriving at my door. In fifteen minutes or it's free.

-JPO