Personalized Learning & Tech

This week my Google Alerts took me on a tour of personalized learning technologies and methods. The first article that I read is called "AI, big data will enable personalized education." This article focused on CEO and founder of Classting, Cho Hyun-gu. Classting is a social media app/site that allows teachers to create and manage class pages which they can share with parents and students to post links to lesson materials, share pictures, and connect with other classrooms around the world. Students and parents can also post on the page; students can ask questions, "light up" a post or send stickers to express their feelings about a particular post. They can also ask questions under the "Counseling" tab if they are confused about something or need help and may be too shy or embarrassed to ask out loud. Cho explained that he hopes to add on AI to Classting to create personalized learning environments for students, help students find a future career, and set them on the path to that goal. The AI, called "Sam," will send students test questions based on the data it collects about students' abilities and readiness.

I think the ability to connect with classrooms around the world through Classting would be a valuable experience for L2 students, especially if those classes are also learning English alongside the American class. They can share struggles, achievements, and personal experiences in a safe environment that is monitored by adults. I know many of my ESL students feel like they do not fit in with the other kids in school so it would be great to connect them with people from their cultural background who they might identify with. L2 students would also benefit from the personalized learning aspect of Classting if it can effectively target areas that they need enrichment in and provide resources to support them.

The next article that I read discussed teacher leadership and student-centered learning in the Salisbury school district in PA. The superintendent, Randy Ziegenfuss, described what his district has done to encourage movement toward more personalized learning opportunities for students. He describes how the change to 1:1 technology impacted his district's teaching methods and caused them to think about effective practices to keep kids motivated and excited about what they learn. Salisbury started with student internships which were captured on media and shared with the community. Ziegenfuss explained that students need to have more choices to encourage curiosity and passion for learning.

Learning a language can be a daunting task, so any opportunity that students are given to work on a difficult skill through a method that they are passionate about will increase the likelihood of their success with that skill. While personalized learning is still a growing trend, I think this is an incredibly important development in education that needs to be given an extensive amount of time and thought to be constructed. I have seen so many students who give up on school or are happy with a "D" because it is a passing grade that gets them to the next level. Students have lost all excitement for learning and aren't motivated to explore educational topics on their own. We need to meet kids at their interest level and incorporate things into education that are personally relevant to their lives. It may take several years to develop effective personalized learning programs, but I think it is worthwhile because the end result will be creative, compassionate, productive people who can contribute immensely to society.

References:

Ji-hye, J. (2018, October 17). AI, big data will enable personalized education. Retrieved October 18, 2018, from https://www.koreatimes.co.kr/www/tech/2018/10/133_257052.html

Vander Ark, T. (2018, October 17). Randy Ziegenfuss on teacher leadership and student-centered learning. Retrieved October 18, 2018, from http://blogs.edweek.org/edweek/on_innovation/2018/10/randy_ziegenfuss_on_teacher_leadership_and_student-centered_learning.html