Personal Learning Environments

Personal Learning Environments (PLEs) can be defined as the phenomenon that is continuously redefining the domain of e-learning. According to Wikipedia definition, Personal Learning Environments (PLEs) are 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, both content and process 
  • communicate with others in the process of learning 
As per this article, The term 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.

Since last few years, there is an increasing attention towards Personal Learning Environments (PLEs) as an effective framework to support lifelong learners. PLEs also implies to the personal collections of tools and resources a person assembles to support his or her own learning, and they can consist of various learning resources (blogs, wikis, Moodle), learning artifacts, interactions, and thus could be both formal and informal.

As mentioned in this years ‘The NMC Horizon Report: 2012 K-12 Edition’; Personal Learning Environments (PLEs) is among six featured trends in emerging technologies placed along three adoption horizons; that are the suggested time-frames for their mainstream entrance for use in schools for teaching, learning and creative inquiry.

According to the report, the conceptual basis for PLEs has shifted away from centralized server-based solutions to distributed and portable forms as newer emerging forms of technologies. This means that the smartphones, tablets, and apps (in general terms mobile devices or cloud computing) have begun to emerge as a compelling alternative to browser-based PLEs and e-portfolios. In addition, the variety of open source platforms and free learning applications on the web are also offering powerful tools to the lifelong learners that further enable them to construct their own PLEs. 

Certain school board’s initiatives (such as Peel School Board’s BYOD-Bring Your Own Device) where they encourage students to bring their own device is the next step in channelizing the students to be lifelong learners. The goal of the PLEs is for learners to have more control over how they learn, and it also enables teachers to set expectations that their students will be actively engaged in designing and supporting their own learning strategies. 

The following video by a 7th  grade science student gives excellent demonstration of her learning using social networks and  how she creates her personal learning;


One more video that has a chat between Personal Learning Environment ( PLE ) and Learning Management System ( LMS );



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