Personal Learning Environments (PLE)

From ETEC 510

Personal learning environment (PLE) describes the tools, communities, and services that constitute the
individual educational platforms learners use to direct their own learning and pursue educational goals.[1]
The PLE approach is based on a learner-centred view of learning and differs fundamentally from the
alternative Learning Management System (http://etec.ctlt.ubc.ca/510wiki/Learning_Management_System)
or Virtual Learning Environments (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Virtual_learning_environment) approach
both of which are based on an institution- or course-centred view of learning. Van Harmelen
(http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/History_of_personal_learning_environments) describes Personal Learning
Environments as systems that help learners take control of and manage their own learning. This includes
providing support for learners to

set their own learning goals

manage their learning; managing both content and process
communicate with others in the process of learning

and thereby achieve learning goals.

Contents
1 History of PLE
2 Tools,
communities, and
services
3 Benefits of PLE
4 Limitations of
PLE
5 Implications for
teaching and
learning
6 See Also
7 References
8 External Links
9 Image Links

History of PLE
[2]The phrase “personal
learning environment” Personal Learning Environments
appears to have first been
mentioned at the annual
JISC-CETIS (Joint Information Systems Committee Centre for Educational Technology Interoperability
Standards) conference in 2004 (Martindale & Dowdy, 2009). The development history of the PLE concept
has been documented in resources such as Wikipedia
(http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/History_of_personal_learning_environments) and by Mark van Harmelen
(http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/History_of_personal_learning_environments) of the University of Manitoba. A
key event in PLE history was [3] Scott Wilson’s presentation of VLE of the future”
(http://personallearningenvironments.wordpress.com/2007/11/13/the-vle-of-the-future/“the). Soon afterward,
the PLE was a theme of the 2005 JISC-CETIS annual conference. As the PLE idea gained exposure,
researcher Scott Leslie (http://edtechpost.wikispaces.com/PLE+Diagrams)(2008)solicited and posted a
collection of PLE models [4] that would receive a great deal of attention.

Tools, communities, and services

PLEs can exist both online and offline. Many of the

online tools are Web 2.0 tools
(http://etec.ctlt.ubc.ca/510wiki/Social_Software). [5] The
development of Web 2.0 technologies, sometimes called
social software,has given learners a large collection of
tools for creating, organizing, and making meaning from
content. [6] Schaffert & Hilzensauer(2008) defined a
PLE as a collection of social software applications the
learner has collected that are useful for his or her own
specific needs. Example of these tools are Wikis
(http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wiki), Blogs
(http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Blog),YouTube
(http://www.youtube.com/),Google Docs
(http://www.google.com/google-d-s/b1.html/),Elgg (http://www.elgg.org/)Flickr
(http://www.flickr.com/),Skype (http://www.skype.com/intl/en-us/get-skype/), Twitter
(http://etec.ctlt.ubc.ca/510wiki/Twitter#Overview), Jaiku (http://www.jaiku.com/), Ning
(http://www.ning.com/), Myspace (http://www.myspace.com/) and Facebook
(https://www.facebook.com/about/login/) Using such software, learners can organize content that has
meaning to them and easily share that content and their own interpretation of it. The offline tools can be used
via mobile learning such as mobile phones and E-Book readers. Ray Sims included an interesting PLE
diagram that highlighted not only Web 2.0 technologies but also personal relationships. Sims included
meditation, book reading, and the physical spaces where people learn . This highly personalized version adds
a dimension to PLEs beyond social networking technologies[7] .

Benefits of PLE
The PLE will allow the learner to manage their own learning, and will function as the learner’s personal
educational record and online portfolio. Downes (2006)[8] claims that the heart of the concept of the PLE is
that it is a tool that allows a learner (or anyone) to engage in a distributed environment consisting of a
network of people, services and resources. It is not just Web 2.0, but it is certainly Web 2.0 in the sense that
it is (in the broadest sense possible) a read-write application. Important concepts in PLEs include the
integration of both formal and informal learning episodes into a single experience, the use of social networks
that can cross institutional boundaries and the use of networking protocols (Peer-to-Peer, web services,
syndication) to connect a range of resources and systems within a personally-managed space. The pedagogy
behind the PLE offers a portal to the world through which learners can explore and create, according to their
own interests and directions, interacting as they choose, with their friends and learning community[9] .

Limitations of PLE
[10]"Personal learning environment" is an evolving term, one without a single, widely accepted definition.
The concept remains somewhat amorphous, made up of disparate re¬sources—including people—often
beyond the boundaries of the institution or the user, that can come and go, creating a lack of continuity. For
academics, a simple reference to sources may not be enough in such an environment, as data can easily
disappear. As a learning platform that is by definition always evolving, a PLE requires students to engage in
ongoing decision making to maintain, organize, and grow their learning environments. The process of self-
directed learning requires a degree of self-awareness, and it must be given time to mature. Some students,
however, may have never taken the time to think about their own metacognition or to reflect on how they
learn best. These less experienced students may not be ready for the responsibility that comes with building
and managing a PLE.

Implications for teaching and learning

[11]The concept of the PLE marks a fundamental change in the role resources (people and media) play in
teaching and learning. In an environment where information is easy to find and needs only to be located,
there is a greater premium on skills that support fast and accurate access to information and on the ability to
assess that information. In this regard, teaching is less a matter of data trans¬mission and more a
collaborative exercise in collection, orches¬tration, remixing, and integration of data into knowledge
building. The goal for the student shifts from a need to collect information to a need to draw connections
from it—to acquire it, disseminate it, and collaborate in its use. Furthermore, the use of PLEs may herald a
greater emphasis on the role that metacognition (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Metacognition) plays in
learning, enabling students to actively consider and reflect upon the specific tools and resources that lead to a
deeper engagement with content to facilitate their learning.

PLE is very supportive of learning systems including adult learning

(http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Adult_learningadult), informal learning
(http://etec.ctlt.ubc.ca/510wiki/Informal_Learning), lifelong learning
(http://etec.ctlt.ubc.ca/510wiki/Lifelong_Learning) and workplace learning
(http://thaiteachers.info/2009/07/what-is-workplace-learning.html). Moreover, the concept could be extended
to support learning organizations that see knowledge as the most significant resource to remain current and
competitive. [12].

See Also
PLE’s versus LMS: Are PLEs ready for Prime time? (http://terrya.edublogs.org/2006/01/09/ples-
versus-lms-are-ples-ready-for-prime-time/)
The future of online learning and personal learning environments
(http://www.slideshare.net/Downes/the-future-of-online-learning-and-personal-learning-
environments/)
Personal Learning Networks (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Personal_Learning_Networks/)

References
 1. ↑ Petrushyna, Z. (2008) Personal Learning Environment (PLE) – a new learning concept or a new learning system?.
Retrieved June 15, 2011 from http://www.prolearn-academy.org/Events/Past%20Events/summer-school-
2008/workshops/personal-learning-environment-ple-2013-a-new-learning-concept-or-a-new-learning-system
2. ↑ Martindale,T.,&Downdy.M.(2009) Personal Learning Environments Retrieved June 23, 2011 from
http://teachable.org/papers/2009_ple.pdf
3. ↑ Wilson, S. (2005, 4 October). Architecture of virtual spaces and the future of VLEs. Message posted to
http://zope.cetis.ac.uk/members/scott/blog view?entry=20051004162747
4. ↑ Leslie, S. (2008, 4 June). A collection of PLE diagrams. Retrieved June 22, 2011 from
http://edtechpost.wikispaces.com/PLE+Diagrams
5. ↑ Martindale,T.,&Downdy.M.(2009) Personal Learning Environments Retrieved June 23, 2011 from
http://teachable.org/papers/2009_ple.pdf
6. ↑ Schaffert, S., & Hilzensauer, W. (2008). On the way towards personal learning environments: Seven crucial
aspects. eLearning Papers, (9)
7. ↑ Sims, R. (2007): Personal Learning Environments (category). Sims Learning Connections. Retrieved June 18, 2011
from http://blog.simslearningconnections.com/?p=50.
8. ↑ Downes, S. (2006). Learning networks and connective knowledge. Instructional Technology Forum. Retrieved
June 22, 2011 from http://it.coe.uga.edu/itforum/paper92/ paper92.html
9. ↑ Educause learning Initiative. (2009).7 things you should know about Personal Learning Environments . Retrieved
June 20, 2011 from http://net.educause.edu/ir/library/pdf/ELI7049.pdf
10. ↑ Educause learning Initiative. (2009).7 things you should know about Personal Learning Environments . Retrieved
June 20, 2011 from http://net.educause.edu/ir/library/pdf/ELI7049.pdf
11. ↑ Educause learning Initiative. (2009).7 things you should know about Personal Learning Environments . Retrieved
June 20, 2011 from http://net.educause.edu/ir/library/pdf/ELI7049.pdf
12. ↑ Arenas, E. ( 2008) Personal learning environments: Implications and challenges retrieved June 20, 2011 from
http://webfuse.cqu.edu.au/Blackboard/plePapersSymposium2008.pdf

External Links
Adult Learning (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Adult_learning)

Collection of PLE Models (http://edtechpost.wikispaces.com/PLE+Diagrams)

Personal Learning Environment (PLE) – a new learning concept or a new learning system?
(http://www.prolearn-academy.org/Events/Past%20Events/summer-school-2008/workshops/personal-
learning-environment-ple-2013-a-new-learning-concept-or-a-new-learning-system)

Workplace Learning (http://thaiteachers.info/2009/07/what-is-workplace-learning.html)

7 things you should know about Personal Learning Environments

(http://net.educause.edu/ir/library/pdf/ELI7049.pdf)

Image Links
Personal Learning Environment framework (http://eiche.informatik.rwth-aachen.de:3333/PLEF/index.jsp)

Using electronic resources to enhance teaching and learning

(http://advancedenglishii2010ii.wordpress.com/our-final-project-using-electronic-resources-to-enhance-
teaching-and-learning/)

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