Creating a PLE

Creating a Personalized Learning Environment Using Pageflakes

William F Perry, MA, RN

Kettering Health Network

What’s this presentation about?

Explore the concept of Personal Learning Environments Create a PLE using Pageflakes

The Challenge

How can I find information when it’s stored in a dozen different places?

How can I share it? How can I add to it?

And by the way….

I want to get to it from any computer

At work At home At school And it has to be easy to use

Learning has changed

Old way = linear, classroom based New way = networks of people and online resources

Information R/evolution by Michael Wesch http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-4CV05HyAbM

Where do you find answers?

No single repository No single best medium Resides in multiple human and electronic networks Expert is becoming blurred

individual vs consensus

Learners have changed as well

Meet Charlene by Janet Clarey http://www.slideshare.net/jclarey/meetcharlene

Workplace learning characteristics

More electronic resources and tools Searching can be a blessing or a curse Changing methods of communication/collaboration Ongoing process to recognize, evaluate, synthesize, and

communicate patterns from multiple sources

How can we facilitate this learning style ??

Connectivism

Learning is a process of connecting specialized nodes or information sources. A learner can exponentially improve their own learning by plugging into an existing network.

Knowing where to find information is more important than knowing information.

Choosing what to learn and the meaning of incoming information is seen through the lens of shifting reality. While there is a right answer now, it may be wrong tomorrow due to alterations in the information climate impacting the decision.

George Siemens, Connectivism: A learning theory for today’s learnerhttp://connectivism.ca/about.html

New critical skills

Because information is changing rapidly and located in so many places, the ability to find, collect, connect and sort information among a multitude of human and computer networks is a critical skill.

Technology - cause and cure?

Technology is a reason for information proliferation AND an information management tool.

A PLE is not

A specific software application A substitute for institutional or regulatory agency

required documentation of education/training compliance A method for creating e-learning applications

A PLE is

A concept rather than specific software A group of techniques and a variety of tools.

to gather information explore/develop relationships between pieces of

information browser based (potentially)

A PLE helps to

View the subject as a landscape as well as individual pieces of information

Create a personal repository of materials and relationships clustered around a unifying topic or concept

Document, reflect, communicate, collaborate

A PLE supports adult learning

Autonomy Practicality Relevancy Building on prior knowledge Goal directed

Where does your information live?

Non-electronic sources

Books & journals Classroom based courses Professional meetings Live interaction with colleagues

Electronic sources

Locally produced files & notes Internet/Intranet E-Learning courses “Reference” sites Text, audio, video,

graphics files Shared presentations RSS Feeds

What’s RSS?

Really Simple Syndication A way of “subscribing” to information and having it

automatically delivered to you RSS in Plain English

http://www.commoncraft.com/rss_plain_english

More electronic sources using RSS

Discussion boards and email lists Social networking sites Social bookmarking sites Blogs Wikis

And how about…

Literature searches from PubMed Table of contents from my favorite journals

Personal Start Pages

Pageflakes http://www.pageflakes.com iGoogle http://www.google.com/ig Netvibes http://www.netvibes.com

Key attribute

Key attribute of all these applications is a central container or map (whether defined or conceptual)

Filled with YOUR files, links, notes, documents, and connections.

http://www.pageflakes.com

Adding preconfigured “flakes”

Adding a RSS feed

Tools to consider

BlogsTumblr - microblog http://www.tumblr.comBlogger http://www.blogger.com/

Ecto Learning - http://www.ectolearning.com/ecto2/Default.aspx

Diagrams - Gliffy http://www.gliffy.com

More tools!

Mind MapsMindmeister http://www.mindmeister.comMindomo http://www.mindomo.com

Multiple tool sitesZoho http://www.zoho.comGoogle Docs http://docs.google.com

RSS readersGoogle Reader http://reader.google.comBloglines http://www.bloglines.com/

Still more tools!

Social bookmarking - http://del.icio.us Social networking - http://facebook.com/ Shared presentations - http://slideshare.net Wikis

WetPaint http://www.wetpaint.comWikispaces http://www.wikispaces.com

Authors to search and sites to visit

Graham Atwell http://www.slideshare.net/GrahamAttwell/personal-learning-environments-46423/

Stephen Downes http://educationaltechnology.ca/couros/813

Robin Good http://www.masternewmedia.org/learning_educational_technologies/learning-environments/PLE-personal-learning-environments-present-future-20070615.htm

Michelle Martin http://michelemartin.typepad.com/thebambooprojectblog/exploring-personal-learni.html

George Siemenshttp://www.connectivism.ca/

Thank You!

Any Questions?

wfperry@gmail.com