Response Blog Entry

After reading chapter one of Personal Learning Networks: Using the Power of Connections to Transform Education by Will Richardson and Rob Mancabelli, I must say that I agree with much of the key ideas these authors bring to light.  As we move forward in time, technology changes exponentially as new ideas and innovations begin to mold the framework of modern education.  Classrooms are becoming more technologically equipped and students are becoming  more adept to these changes.  We as teachers need to start Rethinking Learning.  Richardson and Mancabelli state two conditions, that as we have connection to the internet:  1) We now have two billion potential teachers and 2) The sum of human knowledge will soon be at our fingertips. 

I agree that the sum of human knowledge will soon be at our fingertips.  The internet is so vastly important today in the sharing of information.  When at one time if a student had a question on a particular topic, the only answer was found on the shelf of a library or conveyed by an educator.  But today, however, most students are connected to the internet in some way whether by computer, laptop, or even most handheld devices.  This puts even the most complicated and obscure of answers at the students fingertips.  Personally, I feel like this shift in technology is vitally important to the education field and if utilized correctly can help significantly in the education process.  I feel that some students may learn more efficiently and faster if the curriculum was integrated into something they were more interested in.

However, as much as I support the movement towards more technologically integrated classrooms, we as current and future educators must remember that we are still the educator, not the computer.  I agree with Richardson and Mancabelli’s argument that “learning, whether online or off, is still social...”.  This statement really seems to drive home the fact that even if we are technologically integrated, learning is still best understood in person to person social interactions.  I believe that using the internet and computer technology as an aid to formal instruction is the best way to allow all students an equal learning opportunity.  I also feel that some students just aren’t as tech savvy as others and adding in new components of technology could simply confuse these students more than help. 

In conclusion, I believe that the new era of technology in the classroom is vitally important in the role of better education for all students and educators alike.  However, I do feel that it is important to remember that technology itself is not the educator. Though the sum of human knowledge may soon be at our fingertips, it’s up to the educator to properly utilize these resources to formulate an efficient and informative lesson.