This week when I was going through the many
examples of other Personal Learning Environments I got kind of
intimidated. Most of the other examples had a million different resources that
people used, many of which I had never even heard of. However as I continued to
read I came across a definition that put some of my worries to ease, it was as
follows; ‘A PLE is about giving you control over how you learn’ . I started to realize
that my PLE did not need to contain a ton of sites and programs to be
effective, as that is not how learn. I will admit my PLE could use some
updating as I have been using the same programs since first year, but at the
same time they work quite well for my needs (If it’s ain't broke, don’t fix it).
I know as I grow and move on to different chapters in my life my PLE will
change and expand, and I am excited for that. I can already see how much it has
changed since high school.
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| Carovillano, O. (CC) 2014. |
I think that my current PLE can be described
as simplistic, organized and maybe a little old fashioned. Although I use my computer to look up
information, edit and comprise final copies of papers, my PLE is not as
computer based. I personally choose to
learn from books when possible and find hand writing notes and rough drafts
most effective. I also use an agenda to stay organized. Although I feel I tend
to use more physical tools rather than digital ones I realized through creating
my PLE for every old fashioned tool I use I also have a digital equivalent. For
example as mentioned I love my agenda, but I also could not live without my
‘sticky notes’ feature on my PC or how I love using books but I locate them
using a web based search or have to often
on sites to retrieve articles. I do however use the digital environment
all the time for communication whether it is texting, emailing or getting in
contact with classmates and friends through Facebook and Skype.
Not only
did my PLE help me view my learning environment differently but making a word
cloud this week also showed me a new tool I may be able to add to my PLE in the
future. The wordle program was very user friendly and quickly generated a word
cloud using the text I input (in this case it was my first blog post). I loved
how easily I was able to pick out the main themes of my post, and how it
provided me with a way to visually see if all my main themes were presented
clearly.
After
discussing my current PLE I think one great and completely terrifying question
is: “where do you envision yourself in
5-10 years?” because to be completely honest I have no clue. I feel like since
entering my 4th year at university the most common question I get is
“So Olivia, what is next?” Every time I hear this question I think my answer
changes haha. With this being said there are a few things I know I want for
sure such as; to attend a graduate program and begin a career. After I made these decisions a started to
research ways my PLE should grow and change to accommodate these goals. I read
many articles but could not relate, I then went back to the start of this
week’s session and came across a resource that said something really simple “one size does not fit all”. I guess this has been
quite the theme throughout this post. I again realized that; my PLE can be as
big or small as I want as long as it suits my needs, and also that there is not
set way to grow your PLE, it must happen organically. As sources are needed
they will be added, when you just add sources to add them you end up with more
confusion than anything.
Now don’t
get me wrong I know based on my first few posts I may seem a little
‘anti-digital’ but I really am not. I am really excited to learn about all
these new programs and hopefully expand my PLE I have just never been exposed
to many of these programs or features. I guess I never explored these options
because I was intimidated but as I learn how to use them I realize how they can
enhance my learning and how simplistic they really are to use.
- Olivia :)
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| Carovillano, O. (CC) 2014. |
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