What If Technology Were to Personalize Explanations?

PERSONAL ANSWERS: “[T]he biggest advantage of a tutor is not that they personalize the task, it’s that they personalize the explanation,” opines Mike Caulfield in the e-Literate blog. The Director of Blended and Networked Learning at Washington State University challenges us to expand our definition of the industry’s latest buzzword—“personalization”—beyond simply delivering the right content at the right time. What if technology were to offer explanations based on a student’s experience or interest, such as indie rock music? Instead, Caufield laments, the industry seems focused on digitizing textbooks, courseware and assessments.