Networked Education

Want to participate lectures from UPenn? Want the world to hear your own voice? Want to manage your own learning pace? Want to debate with someone who is miles away? Then, it’s time to get networked!

The most benefitted group is the students. “ The Future ofLearning, Networked Society – Ericsson” said that the online social networking provides possibility for education system to be a “system for the kids”. Students can get what they want from open courses, lectures and other shared information online. By skyping or other distant conferences, students can get more exposure to knowledge beyond textbooks. Another benefit is that online education allows students to manage their own study process. It is them to decide when is the best time to learn and what to learn. After building their knowledge, like what “Networked Students” said, they can choose to create blogs to share what they have got, and accept comments from others from all over the world.

On the other hand, teachers should assist students in using Internet and maximize its value. According to the Networked Students, a teacher should provide guidance and teach students how to

       1) communicate properly; 

       2) find out useful information and differentiate what is good and bad;

       3) ask respectfully for information from other expertise;

       4)  “turn web search into a scavenger earn”; 

       5)  organize mountainous information.

At the same time, teachers should also

       1) maintain learning network;

       2) creatively solve problems;

       3) navigate students’ learning in the future.

The networked society provides such a great opportunity for students to get connected not only with their own teachers but with the whole world. Also, at the same time, the teacher plays an important role in students' network development.