PersonalLearning Environments ...

What do Students Think?

How do you define personal learning environment?

What words come to mind?

2 minute brainstorm…

What some smart people say about PLEs...

Participants?

Panel?

Others?

what another smart person says about PLEs …

Graham Attwell of the UK

“PLE are based on the idea that learning will take place in different contexts and situations and will not be provided by a single learning provider...

the idea of a Personal Learning Environment recognizes that learning is continuing and seeks to provide tools to support that learning.”

• He blogs here: http://www.pontydysgu.org/

• Graham Attwell 2008: From Personal Learning Environments on Slideshare: http://www.pontydysgu.org/category/ples/

PLEs will change/evolve as learners do ...

Reference: Magolda, Marcia M. Baxter. Evolution of a Constructivist Conceptualization of Epistemological Reflection. Educational Psychologist, Vol. 39, No. 1. (2004), pp. 31-42.

How have your networks evolved over time?

What role do your networks play in your learning?

How has this changed from a year or two ago – or has it?

On making connections...

“Systemic, big picture thinking starts with the ability to make connections to what you have learned or revelations you have had prior to what you are learning now. It is the ability to connect ideas and scaffold that produces innovation. Using these tools to help you learn from your "past self" is strategic and will result in the kind of deep thought that produces genius.”

Snbeachcommenting on a blog post at http://thefischbowl.blogspot.com/

Things we do in the process of learning...

research

reflect

rememberanalyze

create

share

collaboratesocialize

communicate

organize

discover

make connections

selectdefend

make decisions

seek feedback

contemplate

search

present

experiment

How do you build the competencies that you’ll need in order to be effective in the world?

Do you have a sense of what they are?

What role does your PLE play?

Questions from the group?

“[we] must not start with the question what should someone learn but with the question, What kinds of things and people might learners want to be in contact with in order to learn?”

Ivan Illich - Deschooling Society (1970)

Consider this...

How effective are PLEs without complete educational reform?

What do you you think universities should know about how best to support PLEs?

•it’s personal

Your PLE is like your bike because...

•it will get you to your destination if you keep it tuned up

•it’s centered around you but you ride with others often

•it evolves as you do

•doesn’t have to be high-tech, just needs to get you where you want to go

•needs someone to pedal

•better if it’s custom fitted to the cyclist (learner) and terrain (context)

•requires maintenance!

just like your bike, your PLE ...

What do you plan to do about PLEs?

Build on your own?

Help learners build theirs?

Advocate for integration of a PLE process in your Faculty?