Adam's home stretch

When I set out to observe two PC-building communities across both Reddit and Discord, I felt like I knew what I was getting into since I'm no stranger to either community. There would be the lost souls trying to resurrect their computer from whatever they did to break it, the posts showing off obnoxiously professional-looking PC builds from people claiming it's their first time building a computer, and endless posts debating what the proper  strategy for airflow is. This time, though, I was engaging with each community to gauge how one could learn from them. On Discord, I jumped in as an active participant since lurking on Discord has always felt strange to me, like watching from behind as your friend texts someone else. The server’s real-time chatrooms move quickly enough that contributing with small messages didn't feel like much of a time investment. I asked a few quick questions, got a few quick answers, and went about my day. It was all very human, and the fast pace o...

Let me put this out there: I didn't originally head to South Korea because I always wanted to become an English Teacher. I wanted to travel, see the world, and mainly just get out of Arizona and try to figure out my life a little bit. The best way to do all of those things was through teaching ESL. I was far from the only person adventuring, and over the years, I met all sorts of people from different countries who were teaching ESL for some such reason. These people, for the most part, weren't career educators. I know I wasn't; All I had was a degree in Journalism. But for some reason, we were allowed in the country to teach, and that is what we all did, to varying degrees of success. Since a few expats teaching ESL in South Korea had an educational background, we often drew a blank on what to teach (assuming we weren't being supplied with lessons by our schools). This led to the natural formation of Facebook groups and email chains where expats would share lessons and...

When I landed my job at TikTok, my friends and family congratulated me. A half second later, the jokes started. “So you're a spy for China? Does it pay well?” “Guess I better watch what I say around you.” “Are you wearing a wire?” I expected the comments to be preludes to political conversations, but the more I heard them, the more I realized that they were really commenting on data security. And honestly, I get it. I'm a private person. Well, I am now,  but it wasn’t all that long ago that I was posting Facebook updates with regularity. Stories that ranged from dorm room antics to reflections on living abroad in South Korea. I don’t regret most of what I posted. Well... I don’t regret about 90% of it. Everyone has a 10% digital footprint they’d prefer didn’t exist. But I digress. Despite my preference for lurking more than posting, I now find myself working for a company that profits (at least in part) from the data users freely give it. That irony isn’t lost on me. Reading...

When I design learning experiences in a corporate setting, I'm doing so with certain expectations in mind. The foremost one being that if I build it, I expect participation. This represents a fixed mindset. Every aspect of my lesson needs to be experienced, otherwise the learner won't succeed. Optional content often feels like wasted effort, or at the very least, something that won't yield consistent results. But this course (and the articles I've read along the way) challenge that mindset. Dennen et al. (2024) examined a system of optional embedded microlearning challenges (OEMCs) designed to promote self-directed learning. The findings showed that the learners who opted in reported high levels of enjoyment and perceived value. What stood out to me was that these low-stakes, optional activities encouraged deeper engagement despite not being mandatory. In fact, learners engaged in these optional challenges because they wanted to! The rewards weren't mind-blowing (a...

Gamification isn't only for children. That was my response to a peer the other day when I mentioned strategies that might motivate the staff at our company. She heard the word gamification and wrote it off, saying that "making a point system" or creating "silly badges" will be a drain on resources and won't do much to drive engagement. And to some extent, she's right. Gamification is more than slapping points and badges onto a course. But even the most carefully designed gamification strategy can be a non-starter in a corporate setting. The challenges are many: time, attention span, cost, leadership buy-in, etc. But is it truly impossible to gamify corporate training? Sousa-Vieira et al. (2022) performed research proving that blending gamification with social learning significantly boosted engagement and performance. In a workplace setting, collaboration happens regularly, and gamifying collaborative challenges and scenario-based simulations with clear p...

Before reading Collins and Raman (2017), I never seriously considered whether or not hashtags could enhance the online learning experience. In truth, I hadn't considered the academic potential of hashtags at all since I’ve never engaged with hashtags in a particularly meaningful way. I’ve always understood their purpose and appeal on social media, but I never saw how they might serve in an academic setting. What the article helped me realize is that when students use hashtags in discussion posts, they’re essentially creating navigational breadcrumbs. A hashtag can highlight a key idea, theme, or even a question, allowing others to follow that trail to related content. Instead of sifting through discussion threads, students can search or scan for specific tags and quickly connect with relevant conversations. Collins and Raman observed that graduate students used hashtags not only to stay engaged but also to organize their ideas and strengthen their sense of connection with peers. Th...