PLEs - What A Mashup !

'PLE' As I Understand It ( for now)

The squirrel has decided to store the nuts she has gathered, go with her instincts and listen to the inner voice, constructing some illuminations of her own. The urge to blow raspberries at dogs is already waning.

Julie Collareda's Personalised Learning Environments (PLEs) Wiki  documents that there is no 

 "....one size fits all' PLE solution for either student or teacher, if personalised learning is to be enabled. Individuals are now clamouring to design their own personalised space where they can access favourite sites, feeds, bookmarks and other generative tools......"  

The learner develops their own arsenal of tools as their needs are identified and refined and technical proficiency with each tool develops.The degree of learner autonomy within an environment is dependent on whether the personalisation has been engineered by the learner or by an external agent, as in an MLE. 

As learners, we use tools to facilitate the learning process. As far as I can ascertain, the PLE is a real Mashup a mix of people, services, artefacts, digital and non digital resources which foster the construction of knowledge in a learner. A positive PLE, its construction and maintenance is a crucial component of the learning process. Therefore PLEs are environments in which individual learners, or groups of learners represent a trend towards personalised social learning, an alternative to MLEs. 

I loved Jennifer Chesney's creative 'intuitive' interpretation as a PIM (personal intuitive map).It strongly reinforces my belief that we will achieve no ' one size fits all ' solution to the PLE/PLN debate or format, even with respect to the terminology used, because of basic learning preferences or styles. 

 image credit: Bill Browning: http://www.mnispi.org/cartoon/2001/index.htm

Richard Felder’s advice on how to address the spectrum of learning styles should provide food for thought to any educator, any learner for that matter.

At last-found a post today which makes complete sense to me. When reading Steve Wheeler's blog today I experienced so many 'Eureka' moments I thought I maybe able to take out a loan.

".....We propose a hybrid approach. Essentially, we argue that students require structure and scaffolding when they first venture into digital learning environments. No-one is a digital native (yay, the voice of reality), no matter how much the Prensky theory is talked up. Yet the average institutional Managed Learning Environment is by nature dull, uninspiring and difficult to navigate(Amen to that). Web 2.0 tools (Cloud Learning Environment) are more attractive, easier to use and free, but are unprotected and vulnerable (particularly for the K-6 age group who are my students). Further, the content sent to the application ends up becoming the 'property' of the Internet company and is difficult to delete, a target for data mining. Whilst CLEs will not fully address all of the tensions between iMLEs and PLEs, we argue that they provide a tentative bridge to provide the best of both worlds in terms of affordances and interoperability....."

Associate Professor Steve Wheeler, Faculty of Education at the University of Plymouth

 

 The diagrams were clear simple and exactly what I'd been envisaging after hours and hours of contemplation. The 'something not quite right' feeling I'd had at the outset of all this PLE/PLN debate was quieted.

Two great graphic organisers as well - this was almost too much !!!! 

 

 

 Clear, succinct, minimal jargon (no headaches) However I'm not sure Tony Buzan would approve of the straight lines !

Thank you Steve

The PLN/PLE differences debate loses impact for me once the PLN is viewed as a component of a healthy professional PLE. Now some prefer to view the PLE as a component of the PLN, however either view just as clearly reinforces the symbiotic connection. 

 

'One size does not fit all' in either approach or medium as far as I'm concerned. None of us learns inside a vaccuum, and the opportunity to function according to a preferred learning style can be a powerful aphrodisiac for the self directed learner. With this 'combination' PLN/PLE model the focus is not moved away from the collective social learners, but provides a balance between individual and collective needs, thereby satisfying both camps.

#PLENK2010

Personal Learning Networks - What's in a name ?

Has the PLN become the PLE or has the PLE become the PLN

Corinne Weisburger's slideshare presentation "How To Create Your Personal Learning Network For Professional Development And Research" helped to clarify somewhat my understanding of the nature of PLNs and demonstrated strategies which could be used for customising that network. 

"....PLNs are deliberately formed networks of people and resources capable of guiding our independent learning goals and professional development needs.... "

Learning via a PLN may be connectivist or constructivist in nature(depends on which hat one wears and I'm not sure which suits me yet, then again perhaps I'll tend towards the constructionist by the end of the journey), multiple rather than single user generated. Then again, will a PLN by any other name smell as sweet? An interesting take on "What's new in the world?" raises the point that:

.......Personal Learning Networks are all the rage at the moment. As with a lot of “modern” things, they’re existed for a long time but have now got a snappy new name. It used to be called “advice from friends and colleagues”. But in the era of social media the word friend has taken on a new meaning. Social media has provided me with a lot of friends who I’ve never met and never spoken to. I’ve exchanged a few tweets with them, commented on or received comments on a blog article, or maybe read a few forum posts, and as a result these people are, in Web 2.0-speak, friends........     

It may simply be a case of 'everything old is new again'. Having been an educator for over 35 years now, I've been witness to the rebirth of many techniques and philosophies, each with a new glossy jargonistic name. The process, not the name, is what has ramifications for the learner, who becomes part of an increasingly global learning community.  This concept is not new, the global perspective is. With the advent of the Web 2.0 paradigm, and the accompanying digital explosion, the learning network has taken on a far greater significance, its value lying in its future potential rather than its current reality in many closed MLEs which fulfil institutional rather than individual needs. 

 

I enjoyed John Spencer's perception of a PLN as being a mindset not a 'thing' or a 'process'. Interestingly the author stated that he created it while doodling and feeling bored to death at a professional development meeting. I speak from personal experience when I state that professional development meetings are out of bounds for me. It's been many many years since I actually learnt anything of professional significance in one of those environments. They follow the same format: gratuitous long winded introductions; minimal input from the 'experts' who have been provided at great expense; the compulsory brainstorming sessions, followed by workshops and group presentations. Once the general consensus is reached with the lowest common denominator prevailing, gratuitous thanks are delivered and the obligatory, (again gratuitous), evaluation sheet distributed. Call me jaded, but I'd rather play polo with Genghis Khan than 'network' at one of these meetings. I believe we all should resist the sabotaging of our learning environments in such fashion, personal or otherwise.

I view the network as being ‘Janus like’, with one face representing the individual and the other, the group which provides the stimulus for looking at another perspective. This is of benefit to both the individual and the group. 

Discovered a most amazing widget "Garys Social Media Count" created by Gary Hayes (an Aussie resident) Just had to share !

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PLEs and PLNs - Watch your Ps and Ps

Confusion and Ambiguity Reigns Supreme

I'm meant to look at 'A Personal Learning Environment' as more of a concept than a particular toolset, and often presented in contrast to organizational learning management systems. For this course the term 'Personal Learning Network' has been defined as a structure that reflects relatedness to other people and grows when new people or connections are made. Information sources are seen as part of a PLN.

First understatement -A degree of overlap exists between these two terms !

I have been attempting to navigate the MOOC playing field and avoid the ambiguities engendered by acronym overdose. The readings have only generated more questions, but I'm somewhat comforted by the knowledge that I'm not alone in my confusion. 

 Wendy McGrath's blog comment resonated with me: 

....My take is that striving to draw lines of distinction between ple’s and pln’s isn’t useful to me. There are basic interdependencies here, and if there are boundaries, they are soft ones....http://wmcgrath.edublogs.org/

For me it would appear simple enough to define a PLN as a network of people who facilitate the individual’s learning and a PLE as the environment within which this growth occurs(although environment doesn't really hit the mark with me either, the term is too closely aligned to a specific area. I would prefer something like Personal Learning Resources). However simple doesn't ever appear to be the 'scholarly way', otherwise it would be unambiguous and accessible to all wouldn't it ? (I feel the cynic is starting to take a hold, so as it's early days yet, I'll exert restraint) 

Having pondered on the readings and following the discussions on the forum I too am less inclined to persist with attempting to differentiate between PLEs and PLNs. I see them as intertwined, with the network existing as a component of the environment. However, for the learning experience I'll consider them as distinct, and see where that takes me. If I start to look at it from the squirrel's perspective, at least I can say I've given it my best attempt.

#PLENK2010