Flight Path

Current Coordinates

Throughout school, I have constantly had to find resources outside of class material that would work best for my understanding. Because my courses move so quickly, I had to learn to personalize my learning so I can study efficiently and fully understand the material. When instructors didn’t provide enough resources, I looked for explanations on YouTube, educational websites, forums, or any media that matched the way I learn. Since I am a visual learner, I tend to look for videos or step by steps explanations with clear examples.

Taking EDCI 335 helped me understand why it’s important for instructors to offer different learning opportunities so all students can find what works best for them. When I look for resources outside of the materials provided in a course, I’m often worried that I might be learning something incorrect or not fully aligned with the class content. But when instructors don’t offer multiple ways to engage with the material, I end up taking that risk because I need alternative explanations to understand the content clearly.

I have used social media for learning in many parts of my life. For my degree, I use YouTube, Discord, and Reddit for explanations and community engagement. I use Instagram to learn new recipes or find recommendations for things like hair care.

I have worked in customer service roles for several years, so I have become a strong communicator and am comfortable helping people in ways that suit their needs. My background in computer science also makes me tech-savvy and confident using digital tools. I am excited to combine both strengths in EDCI 338.

Mapping the Route

In this course, I want to develop a deeper understanding of how social media can support personalized learning in the perspective of someone designing learning experiences for others. I already know how to personalize my own learning, but I want to understand why certain approaches work and how to apply them in an intentional way. I am also interested in the risks and limitations of social media, especially on why the internet is not a neutral or equal space for everyone, and how privacy practices help keep online behaviour safe and ethical. Since I already use social media, I want to understand what impacts my posts, interactions and recommendations might have on other users.

I am looking forward to exploring different forms of social media through the Personalized Learning Experiences Group Project. I want to experiment with platforms I already use and see how I can apply them in a guided educational context. This project will give me the opportunity to see if the tools I rely on for my personal studies are equally effective when designing learning for others.

The course objectives connect to my goals by giving me the opportunity to look into how social media supports learning, understanding personalized learning more deeply, and follow guidelines around privacy and equity. I also want to be able to identify if there are any gaps in my own personalized learning by the end of this course.

Anticipating Turbulence

The concepts that feel most daunting to me are the ones I am least familiar with which are data ownership and licensing, and how to use GenAI as a support tool in creative activities. I have only ever added citations to the end of papers, and I have never had to think about creative commons, fair dealing, or what I’m allowed to reuse when creating or sharing online resources. To make myself more comfortable with these topics, I plan to pay closer attention to the licences attached to digital materials I might use in my group project or other assignments, and understanding what each license allows or restricts.

With GenAI, I feel like I will struggle the most because it is still new in academic contexts. I want to keep track of how I use AI so I can see whether it’s supporting my learning or replacing it. By paying attention to how and when I rely on AI, I’ll be able to understand its role in my own learning and make more intentional choices. This will also help me figure out how to encourage others to use AI as a tool rather than a replacement.