S e b l o g g i n g

Personal Learning Environments: Concept or Technology?

Our paper “Personal Learning Environments: Concept or Technology?” was finally published in the International Journal of Virtual and Personal Learning Environments (IJVPLE).

This paper reviews and critiques how the notion of PLEs has been conceptualised and discussed in literature so far. It interprets the variability of its interpretations and conceptualisations as the expression of a fundamental contradiction between patterns of activity and digital instrumentation in formal education on one hand, and individual experimentation and experience within the digital realm on the other. It is suggested to place this contradiction in the larger socio-historic context of an ongoing media transformation. Thus, the paper argues against the prevalent tendency to base the conceptualisation of PLEs almost exclusively on Web 2.0 technologies that are currently available or emerging, while underlying patterns of control and responsibility often remain untouched. Instead, it proposes to scrutinise these patterns and to focus educational efforts on supporting adult learners to model their learning activities and potential (personal learning) environments while exploring the digital realm.

Reference: Fiedler, S. H. D., & Väljataga, T. (2011). Personal learning environments: Concept or technology? International Journal of Virtual and Personal Learning Environments, 2(4), 1-11.

[Sebastian Fiedler]

Tags: personal learning environment, PLE

Working on “Modeling the personal adult learner: the concept of PLE re-interpreted”

Finally, we received the review comments for our text on “Modeling the personal adult learner: the concept of PLE re-interpreted”. The final version of this text will go into G. Siemens, S. Downes & F. Kop (Eds.), Personal learning environments and personal learning networks (working title): Athabasca University Press.

As usual, some of the review comments are helpful while others make little sense at all. What particularly amused me was the following: we make an explicit statement that we see our overall contribution as a reply to Johnson & Liber (2008) and that we want to extend the discussion of what these authors put forward.

Now, one of the reviewers actually wrote the following final statement commenting on our text:

“It seems to assume that the reader understands Johnson & Liber’s article on personal learning environments.”

Hell, yes… it does!!!

[Sebastian Fiedler]

References:
Johnson, M., & Liber, O. (2008). The personal learning environment and the human condition: from theory to teaching practice. Interactive Learning Environments, 16(1), 3-15.

Tags: personal adult learner, personal learning environment, PLE, writing

E-Learning Symposium 2010 in Dresden

On March 10. I will attend a workshop that is part of the E-Learning Symposium 2010 at the University of Technology Dresden (TU Dresden). The session will touch upon Personal Learning Environments, E-Portfolios, and Knowledge Management issues.

[Sebastian Fiedler]

Tags: personal learning environment, PLE, symposium

PLE book chapter proposal accepted

How nice. They accepted the chapter that I proposed together with Terje Väljataga (Tallinn University, Estonia) for the book “Personal Learning Environments and Personal Learning Networks”. The planned book is edited by George Siemens (Athabasca University), Stephen Downes (National Research Council Canada) and Rita Kop (National Research Council Canada) and will be publihed by Athabasca University Press. I am really looking forward to start working on this text after my return in mid-February.

[Sebastian Fiedler]

Tags: book chapter, personal learning environment, PLE

PLE Conference in Barcelona, July 8-9, 2010

Personal Learning Environments (PLE) include the tools, communities, and services that constitute the individual educational platforms learners use to direct their own learning and pursue educational goals. The idea of the PLE represents a shift away from the model in which students consume information through independent channels such as the library, a textbook, or an LMS, moving instead to a model where students draw connections from a growing matrix of resources that they select and organize. Because they emphasize relationships, PLEs can promote authentic learning by incorporating expert feedback into learning activities and resources. A PLE also puts students in charge of their own learning processes, challenging them to reflect on the tools and resources that help them learn best. By design, a PLE is created from self-direction, and therefore the responsibility for organization—and thereby for learning—rests with the learner. (7 things you should know about Personal Learning Environments, Educause 2009).

The PLE Conference is intended to produce a space for researchers and practitioners to exchange ideas, experience and research around the development and implementation of PLEs including the design of environments, sociological and educational issues and their effectiveness and desirability as (informal) learning spaces.

Whilst the conference includes a traditional research paper strand, we also encourage proposals for sessions in different formats including workshops, posters, debates, cafe sessions, hands on sessions and demonstrations. There will be a Spanish strand, so contributions in Spanish are also welcome!

We will also provide opportunities for unconferencing events, including the provision of spaces for informal meetings and discussions. Although the main conference takes place on 8th and 9th of July, there will be an informal launch event (with wine and tapas!) on the evening of Wednesday 7th.

As well as the face to face sessions, the conference will be supported by a variety of different online spaces. You can join the YouTube group for the PLE conference at
http://www.youtube.com/group/PLE2010CONF. The YouTube group will also be used for the Mediacast Contest: a celebration of User Generated Content with awards for the best three mediacast productions on Personal Learning Environments.

Selected papers will be published by the International Journal of Virtual and Personal Learning Environments.

[PLE conference Website]

Proposals can be submitted until March 26th, 2010. Notification of acceptance is scheduled for April 30th.

[Sebastian Fiedler]

Tags: conference, personal learning environment, PLE