Current Coordinates
As a teacher, and particularly in my current role, my work is entirely centred around individual students, how they learn, what gets in the way of their learning, what helps them feel safe and successful, and how we can make school more accessible and meaningful for them. I have lived and taught in a number of different places. Those experiences have shaped how I think about education and learning. I bring my experience with teaching, pedagogy, relationship-building, and adapting learning to different people and contexts. I also bring a strong interest in art and storytelling. What I don’t bring is a deep technical background in creating multimedia or using social media intentionally as a learning tool.
Mapping the Route
I am interested in exploring what happens when some of the things I already value about education (personalization, creativity, connection, accessibility, and student agency) are brought into digital spaces. I am particularly interested in personalized learning and how technology can support learners who don’t necessarily fit neatly into traditional educational structures. I would also like to develop a better understanding of social media as something more than entertainment or communication. I am interested in how educators build personal learning networks and learn from people outside their immediate school or professional communities. I think there is a lot of potential there, but also a lot that needs to be questioned. The idea that the internet is not a neutral or equal space is especially interesting to me because questions of access, power, representation, and whose knowledge is valued are already things I think about in education.
I am also curious about GenAI and how it can be used appropriately in creative and educational work. I want to think about when these tools actually support learning and creativity, and what educators need to understand about privacy, ownership, copyright, bias, and authorship when using them.
Anticipating Turbulence
The most daunting part for me will probably be the technical and unfamiliar side of the course, as well as, of course, ensuring I’m able to carve out the time required to appropriately dedicate myself to this course.
I also have some hesitation about putting myself on the internet. I have had to navigate safety concerns in the past, so feeling exposed online does not feel comfortable to me. I am interested in participating in digital and networked spaces, but I also want to learn how to do that while maintaining reasonable boundaries around my privacy and personal identity.
My goal for this course is ultimately to leave with more than a collection of digital skills. I want to become more thoughtful and capable in the ways I learn, create, connect, and participate online, and to understand how those things can contribute to the kind of educator I want to be.
