--- title: "BYOT SERIES: PERSONALIZED LEARNING & THE WORLD OF WORK #6" description: ".@ansorensen sharing with us how #personalizedlearning helped him find his career path as a #webdeveloper" image: https://www.edelements.com/hubfs/Blog_and_SM_images/Freepik.com/02_preview-476917-edited.jpg --- [Skip to content](https://www.edelements.com/blog/byot-series-personalized-learning-and-the-world-of-work-6#main-content) [![EE-Logo-e2L](https://www.edelements.com/hubfs/e2l/EE-Logo-e2L.svg "EE-Logo-e2L")](https://www.edelements.com) - [Solutions](https://www.edelements.com/k12solutions) Show submenu for Solutions - [Survey Suite](https://www.edelements.com/blog/byot-series-personalized-learning-and-the-world-of-work-6#) Show submenu for Survey Suite - [Survey Suite Overview](https://www.edelements.com/survey-suite-offerings) - [The 7Cs of Effective Teaching](https://www.edelements.com/the-7cs-framework-of-effective-teaching) - [The Data Triangle](https://www.edelements.com/the-data-triangle-survey-suite) - 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[ReadWorks](https://www.edelements.com/readworks-overview-ed-elements) - [Great First Eight](https://www.edelements.com/great-first-eight-stand-for-children-and-education-elements-fulfillment-partner) [ Get a Consultation ](https://www.edelements.com/get-a-consultation) ![](https://www.edelements.com/hs-fs/hubfs/Blog_and_SM_images/Freepik.com/02_preview-476917-edited.jpg?width=1600&height=600&name=02_preview-476917-edited.jpg) # BYOT SERIES: PERSONALIZED LEARNING & THE WORLD OF WORK #6 Published: August 22, 2015 Read Time: 6 min [Personalized Learning](https://www.edelements.com/blog/topic/personalized-learning) [Education Elements](https://www.edelements.com/blog/topic/education-elements) [Classrooms](https://www.edelements.com/blog/topic/classrooms) --- WRITTEN BY [Alec Sorensen](https://www.edelements.com/blog/author/alec-sorensen) SHARE ![Facebook](https://www.edelements.com/hubfs/theme-assets-s2/icons/fb.svg) ![X](https://www.edelements.com/hubfs/theme-assets-s2/icons/x.svg) ![LinkedIn](https://www.edelements.com/hubfs/theme-assets-s2/icons/li.svg) ![Mail](https://www.edelements.com/hubfs/theme-assets-s2/icons/mail.svg) **BEING A WEB DEVELOPER **   # ![Webdeveloper at Education Elements](https://www.edelements.com/hs-fs/hubfs/Blog_and_SM_images/Freepik.com/02_preview-476917-edited.jpg?width=400&name=02_preview-476917-edited.jpg "Webdeveloper at Education Elements") Looking back on the periods when I grew the most as a web developer, both in college and later in the workforce, I was involved in some form of personalized learning. This personalized learning was a middle ground between the tendency of colleges to over-structure learning and the organic chaos of professional communities of practice that had little or no instructional framework. I discovered my chosen profession in a web development class senior year. As an English major accustomed to the read-lecture-essay-test format of classes, I was entranced by my first truly project-based class. The class was focused on a personal project chosen by the student: a website. Students were free to choose the type of website, but they had to include certain steps: project analyses and proposals, image editing, building webpages in HTML/CSS, some flash animation/programming. All of the assignments were a step in creating this project. The specific skills needed for each stage varied based on the nature of the website. The feedback for each stage of the project, which came from both teacher and peers, was individualized to each website as well. Because the class focused on developing a personal project that would be public, enduring beyond finals into my professional life, I was immediately engaged. When I found myself working 13 hours straight on the project, for a class that I was only auditing, I realized that web development was something I wanted to do for a living. Having a personal stake in the project, experiencing the work first-hand, and getting individualized feedback taught me more than just the basic skills for building a website. I learned what it felt like to be passionate about my future career. After I graduated, I lost the scaffolding and feedback provided to me by the class. Learning was still personal, but it was no longer personalized.[![Tweet: After I graduated, I lost the scaffolding provided http://ctt.ec/S1b70+ was still personal, but it was no longer personalized http://ctt.ec/f5M1Y+](http://clicktotweet.com/img/tweet-graphic-1.png)](http://ctt.ec/S1b70) I found it difficult to determine what skills to learn next and how to improve on the basic skills I had already developed. In class, I’d had a curriculum to provide me with a basic structure and a teacher to recommend additional skillsets and technologies to learn. Out of college, I cobbled together a few avenues for feedback and direction. I gleaned from job postings common skills to create my own personal, core curriculum. I went to interviews for the kinds of jobs I’d like (not just the ones for which I was qualified), and that feedback helped me evaluate my progress. Progress was much slower than when I’d had a thoughtfully designed curriculum with regular feedback and coaching sessions. Eventually, while working at LinkedIn, I found coworkers that had thoughtfully implemented personalized learning systems. Web developers at LinkedIn did code reviews for all edits to the website, which became an awesome avenue for learning. My work group frequently engaged in ‘pair-programing’ and otherwise collaborating on complex projects. Communities of practice focused on different areas of web development provided curricula for areas of future learning.[![Tweet: Communities of practice focused on different areas of web development provided curricula for areas of future http://ctt.ec/Lq741+](http://clicktotweet.com/img/tweet-graphic-1.png)](http://ctt.ec/Lq741) Finally, I not only had excellent 1:1 coaching sessions from my immediate supervisor, but I also had regular Q&A sessions with a mentor to learn what my career options a few years down the road might look like.[![Tweet: I had excellent 1:1coaching sessions, but also had regular Q&A sessions to learn what my career opts might look like http://ctt.ec/49Lai+](http://clicktotweet.com/img/tweet-graphic-1.png)](http://ctt.ec/49Lai) My technical skill sets grew by leaps and bounds. In addition to the basic ‘hard’ skills for my trade, I learned communication, project management, career planning, and found my passion for working on educational projects. Looking at the personalized learning experiences in both academia and the workplace that led me to be a web developer at Education Elements, I noticed several commonalities.[![Tweet: Looking at the #personalizedlearning experiences in both academia & the workplace, I noticed several commonalities http://ctt.ec/Qe02b+](http://clicktotweet.com/img/tweet-graphic-1.png)](http://ctt.ec/Qe02b) In each environment I could: - Focus on applying skills in projects that had personal relevance to me - Learn in a flexible, high-level structure environment that also gave me freedom to explore different specific skills or topics - Receive feedback personalized to my individual project Those bullet points may seem like a tall order for teachers and mentors, given all the current requirements of our educational system. However, the teachers and mentors that have personalized learning for me have made space for this time-intensive method of instruction by: - Spending less time presenting information to make room for time coaching students during actual practice.[![Tweet: Spending less time presenting information to make room for time coaching students during actual practice http://ctt.ec/T2eb9+ #plearning](http://clicktotweet.com/img/tweet-graphic-1.png)](http://ctt.ec/T2eb9) A little bit of knowledge attached to practical context can frequently go farther than a lecture on the chapter of a textbook.[![Tweet: A little bit of knowledge attached to practical context can go farther than a lecture on the chapter of a textbook http://ctt.ec/EPsH7+](http://clicktotweet.com/img/tweet-graphic-1.png)](http://ctt.ec/EPsH7) Also, students motivated by personal projects are much more likely to research needed information on their own outside of the instructional environment.[![Tweet: Students motivated by personal projects are much more likely to research needed information on their own http://ctt.ec/L8nJ4+ #plearning](http://clicktotweet.com/img/tweet-graphic-1.png)](http://ctt.ec/L8nJ4) What they can’t get on their own is coaching. - Not attempting to be ‘the expert’ in the details. My professor forwarded students to other resources to learn JavaScript, if we were interested. My LinkedIn supervisor helped me find education-related work projects without having studied instructional design himself. What they needed was a high-level view of the subject to know what kinds of skills are needed and where those skills can be learned. - Allowing peers to participate in feedback. Not all feedback had to come from the instructor;[![Tweet: #personalizedlearning allows peers to participate in feedback. Not all feedback have to come from the instructor http://ctt.ec/3x4u2+](http://clicktotweet.com/img/tweet-graphic-1.png)](http://ctt.ec/3x4u2) most of the daily feedback came from peers, with regular check ins from the instructor to help students stay on track. My personalized learning experiences have been some of the most memorable and transformative experiences of my career.[![Tweet: My #personalizedlearning experiences have been some of the most memorable  experiences of my career.. http://ctt.ec/C5kDN+](http://clicktotweet.com/img/tweet-graphic-1.png)](http://ctt.ec/C5kDN) I’m excited to be part of the EE Team, helping instruction to shift from lecturing to coaching.[![Tweet: I’m excited to be part of the @edelements team, helping instruction to shift from lecturing to coaching http://ctt.ec/9rsam+ #plearning](http://clicktotweet.com/img/tweet-graphic-1.png)](http://ctt.ec/9rsam) With access to lots of self-paced, level-appropriate content for students, teachers can spend less time being the expert presenter and more time doing the coaching with individualized feedback![Tweet: W/ #personalizedlearning Teachers can spend less time being the expert presenter & more time doing the coaching W/ individualized feedback.](http://clicktotweet.com/img/tweet-graphic-1.png).We’re already looking forward to creating new tools this year that will help teachers and students get more out of their instructional time. And as the web development team at EE has recently grown, I look forward to refining some of the code reviews, pair-programming, and other peer, personalized learning strategies that I’ve enjoyed. *Image: [Designed by Freepik](http://www.freepik.com/free-vector/web-programmer_761683.htm)* Written By Alec Sorensen #### All Posts [All Resources ](https://www.edelements.com/blog) [![](https://www.edelements.com/hs-fs/hubfs/music-work-and-personalized-learning.jpg?width=352&name=music-work-and-personalized-learning.jpg) ](https://www.edelements.com/blog/byot-series-personalized-learning-and-the-world-of-work-5) [Personalized Learning](https://www.edelements.com/blog/topic/personalized-learning), [Education Elements](https://www.edelements.com/blog/topic/education-elements), [Classrooms](https://www.edelements.com/blog/topic/classrooms) August 8, 2015 #### [BYOT SERIES: PERSONALIZED LEARNING & THE WORLD OF WORK #5](https://www.edelements.com/blog/byot-series-personalized-learning-and-the-world-of-work-5) [![](https://www.edelements.com/hs-fs/hubfs/Blog_and_SM_images/DDA.png?width=352&name=DDA.png) ](https://www.edelements.com/blog/byot-series-personalized-learning-and-the-world-of-work-10) [Personalized Learning](https://www.edelements.com/blog/topic/personalized-learning) September 19, 2015 #### [BYOT SERIES: PERSONALIZED LEARNING AND THE WORLD OF WORK #10](https://www.edelements.com/blog/byot-series-personalized-learning-and-the-world-of-work-10) [![](https://www.edelements.com/hs-fs/hubfs/Blog_and_SM_images/super-mom-real-order-professional-organizing.png?width=352&name=super-mom-real-order-professional-organizing.png) ](https://www.edelements.com/blog/byot-series-personalized-learning-and-the-world-of-work-4) [Personalized Learning](https://www.edelements.com/blog/topic/personalized-learning), [Education Elements](https://www.edelements.com/blog/topic/education-elements) August 1, 2015 #### [BYOT SERIES: PERSONALIZED LEARNING & THE WORLD OF WORK #4](https://www.edelements.com/blog/byot-series-personalized-learning-and-the-world-of-work-4) ### Get the latest from Education Elements. 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