Flight Path

Current Coordinates

My background in personalized learning and social media for learning and education comes mainly from online schooling during the COVID-19 pandemic and from using social media and online platforms to help me understand difficult concepts. During the pandemic, most people had to quickly adapt to learning and communicating through screens. Although this was convenient for some people, I found that learning through Zoom and Microsoft Teams often left me feeling disengaged and unmotivated. 

Outside of online schooling, I have had more positive experiences with personalized learning. I have always used YouTube for concepts I need extra help understanding or practising. The Organic Chemistry Tutor is one of my favourite YouTube tutoring channels because it has helped me with mathematics and chemistry topics throughout highschool and university. I have also used social media to connect with classmates and collaborate on assignments as well as tutoring sessions through online platforms such as Zoom and Superprof. Additionally, i have used tools in the past such as powerpoint, canva and capcut to create presentations on complex topics. These tools have helped me develop skills on how to break down difficult or confusing topics into more understandable visuals which i find helpful as a visual learner. Because of these experiences, I currently have a mixed opinion about the use of social media in education. I recognize that it can be extremely useful, but I have also experienced some of its limitations. The skills I believe I bring to this course include communication and my ability to navigate different online platforms, locate information, and express my ideas effectively whether that be through my writing or creating visuals.

Mapping the route 

One of my goals in this course include wanting to be able to identify biases and gaps within social media platforms and understanding which groups are disadvantaged online and where this appears as well as why this tends to happen. I am interested in the algorithms within social media and why certain agendas and pushed often on certain apps. The implications of these issues are very interesting to me. This topic connects closely to the course objective of understanding that the internet is not a neutral or equal space for anyone. 

I am also interested in learning more about data ownership and licensing, specifically copyright. Most of my previous experience with giving credit has involved citing authors of academic articles, books, and scientific studies, so I am curious about how these rules apply to social media. I would like to understand how credit is given to online creators and influencers and how ownership works for digital content. I am also curious about how copyright applies to things such as brands, videos, music, and trends.

These goals matter to me and contribute to my growth since social media and online learning and becoming increasingly prevalent in academic and professional settings. Understanding these topics will set me up for success in my future and lead to me being a more informed and responsible student and/or employee.

Anticipating turbulence 

The technical skill that worries me the most is learning how to use GenAI appropriately as a tool. I have found that using AI can feel risky academically, and it is difficult to distinguish what is considered appropriate AI use and what could be considered an academic integrity violation, which has sometimes made using it feel like it is not worth the risk. I understand how helpful AI can be when it is used appropriately, so I would love to learn more about this.

To navigate this challenge, I plan to pay close attention to the course outline and expectations regarding AI use. I also look forward to learning more about what is considered acceptable use and applying that knowledge throughout the course. I hope to eventually feel more confident using AI as a tool while still making sure that my work is truely my own.