Week 2, Blog #4-PLN's

よこそう

Welcome

I have personal experience with "Personal Learning Networks," as my daughter, Maggie, has been engaged in one for the past year, or two or three. She fell in love with Anime' and computer animations almost overnight, and asked me to buy her a Japanese dictionary. I, of course, thought it was a stage, but I bought her the dictionary anyway.

She is now involved in several internet groups, too many for me to keep up with. She has books, Japanese language sets, and she has moved beyond conversational Japanese to the more advanced levels. When we visit EPCOT, we have to go to the Japanese pavillion, and eat at the Japanese restaurants.

She is still interested in Anime' and has begun to create her own artwork, both on the computer and off. She also asked me to buy her a scanner, so she can scan her drawings onto the internet to share with her "netwrok" of friends. I never thought my daughter could be that committed to learning anything. The funny part of all this, is that her grades in the general education classes at school have also improved, along with her Japanese. She is more motivated in her school work, and would like to attend college in Japan, or thorugh Full Sail, where she can study graphic arts and animation.

I know from personal experience that this type of learning is not only good for kids who lack that type of motivation, but it is high-interest to the students who are involved with them. Who wouldn't want to succeed in creating your own artwork and animations?

As I have discussed my daughter's self-challenge with other educators, it is highly disappointing when they remark," What's she going to do with that?" Even her own grandmother asks these narrow-minded type of questions, and I have to try to explain the neccessity , in our current economic climate, of creating your own skills. Educators aren't providing kids wiht hte skills they will need for the future.

In example, my school cut out many of the reading classes this year because of budget cuts. According to the site provided by Dr. Siegel, Warlick's CoLearners, by David Warlick(2008), the skills like reading, writing and arithmetic only scrath th esurface of th eskills that will be required of the students graduating form school in the near future. He states,"the concept of literacy in the 21st century will be far richer and more comprehensive than the 3 Rs of the one room school house, a legacy that still strongly influences today's education environment."

Based on this assumption, the entire educational system would need to be revamped, starting with the tools and skills a child will need in kindergarten. But teachers will need ot play catch-up with all the rest of the grade levels.

Reference List

Blair,Maggie (2009) daughter of Bonita Blair

The Art & Technique of Personal Learning Networks http://davidwarlick.com/wiki/pmwiki.php?n=Main.TheArtAmpTechniqueOfCultivatingYourPersonalLearningNetwork