Reading through the subsequent chapters of Weller’s book, one lesson I have learned is the power of social media. I have always known that social media is a powerful tool, but I had not realized how far its influence can go. Weller highlights that when we use social media, we have one type of audience in mind, but we do not realise that the impact can spread beyond the target audience (Weller, 2020). For example, this blog post is targeted to my cohort members and the professor, but maybe in a few years, it might end up on someone’s computer screen who has never gone to Royal Roads or knows about the MALAT program. This makes me rethink the biases or generalizations I may put in my blog posts, bearing in mind that anything I post on the web can spread its tentacles far beyond my target group.
Weller also calls to attention the difficulty of personalizing learning. He states that it is convoluted and learning is more of a social activity, whereas personalization tends to individualize (Weller, 2020). At my current organization, we provide one-to-one instruction to students with various learning needs. This tends to have a more personalized focus so that each student can learn in a way that caters to them. Although this benefits most students who come to the organization, it tends to neglect the social benefits of learning, such as interacting with other learners. More social activities such as Chess clubs and Social camps, are now being introduced to the organization to help increase socialization.
Weller, M. (2020, February). 25 Years of Ed Tech. AU Press—Digital Publications. https://read.aupress.ca/projects/25-years-of-ed-tech