Who Are Creator Educators?
During the pandemic, more people ventured online than ever to work, study, shop, and communicate with friends and family. This led to new opportunities for content creation, and thus, creator educators were born. These people with expertise in different fields share their knowledge and skills through online platforms and social media. They usually create educational content in various formats, like videos, infographics, podcasts, blogs, and online courses. In this article, we’ll discover what led creator educators to go viral and how they can transform the way people engage in lifelong learning online.
3 Factors That Led To The Rise Of Creator Educators
1. Democratization Of Knowledge
Everyone should have access to information on the internet, regardless of their background and financial status. Video-sharing platforms, like YouTube and TikTok, for example, allow anyone with internet access to create and watch content for free. This gives creator educators a chance to reach a global audience and share their expertise with millions of people because there aren’t any geographical limitations.
2. Changes In The Workplace
The modern economy calls for people to constantly expand their knowledge and skills in order to stay competitive in the job market. This is known as reskilling and upskilling. Since not everyone can enroll in online degree programs or certification courses, many have started searching for ways to self-educate from the comfort of their home. For example, some might turn to social media and online platforms, seeking educational content that meets their needs and helps them advance their careers.
3. Different Learning Preferences
Certain people may find traditional methods of learning boring or tedious. For instance, some prefer bite-sized information to understand the learning material more effectively, while others are looking for comprehensive hands-on demos to facilitate hands-on experience. Creator educators create resources that apply to different learning preferences and requirements. Whether you want to listen to a podcast or just check out an infographic, there’s something for everyone.
How Do Creator Educators Affect Online Learning?
Personalization
Creator educators often use interactive tools through their social media profiles, like polls and asking users what topic to cover next. They also gather feedback from comments and reviews. This way, they create a meaningful learning experience that’s more individualized. Additionally, even if someone can’t find the content they’re looking for in their favorite creator’s work, they can easily search the platform and discover other relevant alternatives. Keep in mind that most social media and online platforms have algorithms that adapt the content they show to the users according to their preferences so that they always have access to relatable resources.
Engagement
Social media posts and user-generated content are, by default, engaging, so it’s only logical for creator educators to easily attract audiences through educational posts. They create learner communities through social media and connect millions of people wanting to share and receive knowledge based on the same interests or subjects.
Innovation
Creator educators are always experimenting with new digital tools and techniques. Some even implement Virtual or Augmented Reality in their content, making the learning experience more immersive. On the other hand, some have started using AI tools to provide learners with unique learning content that’s custom-tailored to suit their needs.
Diversity
Online educational content creators come from different backgrounds and experiences, which are often reflected in their work. They become the voices of thousands of people who may be underrepresented. They offer different perspectives on learning topics and often educate others about their diverse experiences, cultures, and characteristics. This way, online learning becomes inclusive and enriched due to the fact that there are various points of view.
What Are The Challenges Of Online User-Generated Educational Content?
Credibility And Quality
Anyone can create content online, and when it comes to educational posts, users must be careful to check their credibility. People shouldn’t trust everything they see on social media and online platforms, and they’re advised to do their homework before deciding on which creator educator they’ll follow. Learners can start by discovering the creator’s qualifications, education level, and experience to decide if they’re the right person to provide reliable info. Qualitative content is also essential, as not all creators have the same approach. Learners can determine if the content is academic or informative and if it’s relevant and up to date. There are many ways of confirming the quality of online content, like comments, reviews, and ratings.
No Personal Interaction
Online courses and media content are self-paced and don’t offer learners ways to communicate with educators and peers directly. This can make the learning process difficult for some who would prefer to collaborate with others and share questions and opinions. The lack of personal interaction also obstructs learners from having a structured learning process, thus not receiving proper feedback for their progress. However, some creators do live Q&A sessions and discussions to address questions that arise along the way.
Technical Issues
Online learning is affordable, but some people can be restricted from accessing it if they don’t have the right equipment and other resources. For example, not all countries have internet access privileges; some have regulations, and others don’t have access at all. Also, not everyone can afford devices like smartphones and tablets to be able to view educational content anytime, anywhere.
Too Much Content
Learners can be confused since they come across a lot of information from many sources. The best thing learners can do is cross-check with multiple reliable sites or platforms, especially when there are conflicting opinions or ideas on the subject. Ideally, you should not rely solely on one creator. In fact, it’s a good idea to have a list of go-to resources on hand so that you can cross-check and verify the facts.
Conclusion
Creator educators transform typical internet users into enthusiastic learners just by grabbing their attention. This makes online education more accessible and engaging, allowing learners to discover a broader range of material using their device of choice.
