Use Of Personal Learning Environments Research Articles

The Use of Personal Learning Environment to Support an Online Collaborative Strategy in Vocational Education Pedagogy Course

Online distance learning, on the one side, makes the learning process more efficient and flexible. However, on the other hand, it produces learning loss within a particular educational period and makes students less enthusiastic about building a collaborative attitude. In general, online learning platform providers have provided support for collaboration activity features, but in reality, they have not been able to support effective interaction. Experts believe that using the Personal Learning Environment (PLE) as an IT tool in the learning process can help create an effective online collaboration environment. This study found that PLE was proven to increase collaborative activities in online learning significantly. The reflection feature is the type of PLE that has the most significant influence on creating a good collaboration environment. The research also found that suitable collaborative activities can increase students' understanding of TVET pedagogy.

THE FEASIBILITY OF A PERSONAL LEARNING ENVIRONMENT (PLE) TO SUPPORT ACADEMIC WRITING: ESL PRE-SERVICE TEACHERS’ PERSPECTIVES

A recent trend has highlighted the need for a personal learning environment (PLE) in education as a system that helps learners take control of and manage their own learning. The current system which focuses on standardized learning support in the form of Learning Management System (LMS) is seen as restrictive and does not allow to accommodate the different needs of learners. Therefore, more language educators have started developing their own PLEs by focusing on two crucial elements: supporting learners’ needs and allowing more learner control. This paper presents an attempt to explore ESL pre-service teachers’ experience via PLE designed to support their writing needs. The researchers hoped that such a positive experience would influence the teachers’ pedagogical strategies and approaches in their teaching once they go into practice. In this qualitative case study, thirty-six third year ESL pre-service teachers at a tertiary education institution embarked on a fourteen-week course via the PLE. Qualitative data were gleaned from focus group discussion transcripts and written reflections. Thematic analysis was used to analyse the qualitative data. Overall, students have positive perceptions towards the PLE by detailing its benefits and usefulness. They also narrated some challenges and proposed suggestions to ensure prolonged engagement. The findings give support to the use of PLE, especially the instructor-made innovation for teaching and learning which allows more learner control and access.

Online Tools for the Creation of Personal Learning Environments in Engineering Studies for Sustainable Learning

This work describes an educational experience in which personal learning environments (PLEs) were created as a tool for the acquisition of subject contents in the science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) areas. For this, the same methodology was developed for different subjects in order to teach the use of some digital tools, learn about the concepts related to the PLE, and apply the PLE to educational content promoting sustainable learning. Two questionnaires were designed to obtain information about the tools, activities, and subjects. The results of the questionnaires were analyzed using the Kaiser–Meyer–Olkin test and Pearson’s correlation. Then, several factors and the relationships between them were defined. In addition, this paper shows that because the PLE is based on a learning model in which the learner is the protagonist, its use is linked to sustainable learning. Therefore, the use of PLEs allows the development of the competences of “collaborative work” and “information management and organization”, which are both related to sustainable learning. In addition, the use of PLEs promotes understanding of the subjects and academic results in the subjects.

Use of Personal Learning Environments in English Learning: An Example of Anadolu University Open Education Faculty

İnternet, eğitim alanında giderek önem kazanan eğitim teknolojilerinin önünü açarak, öğrenme sorumluluğunu öğrenciye bırakmıştır. Bu sürecin devamında, Kişisel Öğrenme Ortamları, öğrencilerin çevrimiçi platformlarda kendi öğrenmelerini organize etmelerinde aktif rollerini desteklemek adına önem kazanmıştır. Kişisel Öğrenme Ortamları, öğrenmenin kişisel boyutta yapılandırıldığı, planlandığı, paylaşıldığı ve yaşam boyu arşivlendiği platformlardır. Web 2.0 araçlarıyla oluşturulan bu ortamlar bireyselleştirilmiş izlencelerin tasarımına izin veren ve çevrimiçi katılımlı, bireysel ve grup etkinliklerini teşvik eden yapısıyla Açık ve Uzaktan Öğrenmeyi desteklemektedir. Bu çalışmada, kampüs dışında eğitim gören uzaktan öğrenenlerin yabancı dil olarak İngilizce öğrenmelerine yönelik oluşturdukları Kişisel Öğrenme Ortamları incelenmiştir. Bu bağlamda, bu çalışmanın temel amacı açık ve uzaktan öğrenme çerçevesinde Kişisel Öğrenme Ortamlarının İngilizce öğrenmede nasıl etkili, verimli ve çekici şekilde geliştirilebileceğine yönelik alan uzmanlarının ve uzaktan öğrenenlerin görüşlerini almaktır. Çalışma, tasarım tabanlı araştırmanın geliştirme döngüleri çerçevesinde yapılandırılmıştır. 2016-2017 Güz Döneminde (Mart-Eylül 2017) gerçekleştirilmiş olan araştırmanın katılımcılarını uzaktan öğrenenler ve alan uzmanları oluşturmaktadır. Tasarım tabanlı araştırma sürecinde nitel veriler toplanmış ve analiz edilmiştir. Araştırma sonunda, Kişisel Öğrenme Ortamlarına ilişkin bir tasarım çerçevesi önerisinde bulunulmuştur. Araştırma sorularına bağlı olarak ulaşılan verilere göre, Kişisel Öğrenme Ortamı, açık ve uzaktan öğrenme bağlamında kişisel öğrenme deneyimini destekleyen, tasarlanan ortamın benimsenmesini sağlayan ve İngilizce öğrenmeye yönelik genel beklentiyi karşılayan bir ortamdır. Ancak, öğrenmedeki bireysel farklılıklar nedeniyle her bir Kişisel Öğrenme Ortamı bireysel öğrenme gereksinime yönelik olarak oluşturulduğundan kişiye özgü olarak değerlendirilmelidir.

Identifying vocational student teachers’ competence using an ePortfolio

The claim of advancing the use of Personal Learning Environments arose from the ideas of an ongoing learning process which lasts throughout a lifetime and informal learning being a meaningful part of the development of an individual’s expertise. In order to develop expertise, the following steps are necessary: first, one must explore the competences related to the profession; second, one must discover what these competencies and skills involve; and third, one must reflect on how to master the techniques involved. In addition to this kind of individual process, it is also important nowadays to acknowledge that demonstrating that one has achieved the necessary competences is important information for many audiences, such as workplaces, networks and employers. Nowadays, the most effective way to show one’s competence to a wider audience, as well as to review one’s skills oneself, is to create a digital record or portfolio (an ePortfolio). However, making an individual’s competence transparent in a digital format has proven complicated. This study focuses on exploring vocational student teachers’ competence through their ePortfolios, mainly using a theoretical framework of the pedagogical infrastructure design. The study reveals that there is a lot of variation in the quality of ePortfolios and therefore more scaffolding is needed to support student teachers in making their teacher competence visible through ePortfolios. The study advocates both creating a workspace ePortfolio as well as making competence transparent through a showcase ePortfolio.

Teachers’ Opinions on the Use of Personal Learning Environments for Intercultural Competence

Background: The aim of the present study was to evaluate teachers’ opinions on the use of Personal Learning Environments (PLE) for the development of students’ intercultural competences. Methods: This investigation carried out a thematic analysis of semi-structured interviews applied to a sample of n = 100 Compulsory Secondary Education teachers in Andalusia (Spain) with an average teaching experience of 13.13 years (SD = 6.63). The interview shows excellent content validity (Content Validity Index for the interview overall, S-CVI = 0.94). The concordant codes and sub-codes were established in the analysis with the participation of two researchers and an external expert. Then, the data was analyzed using NVivo software. Results: The results show the opinions of the teachers grouped into six separate codes: intercultural learning communities, learning improvement, intercultural development of the student, disinformation, inapplicability, and inappropriate use. Conclusions: In general, it is concluded that the teachers consider the benefits of using PLE in the development of students’ intercultural competences. Despite this, some opinions reveal a lack of training and motivation, or the lack of ability teachers have on the subject, as well as in their classrooms, with the result that the PLE is not applicable for intercultural education.

Using Personal Learning Environment (PLE) Management to Support Digital Lifelong Learning

Personal Learning Environment is a promising pedagogical approach to integrate formal and informal learning in social media and support student self-regulated learning. The use of PLEs to support lifelong learning can be expanded to the formal, non-formal, or informal learning environments. This study empirically examined how PLE management predicted the use of PLE to support three types of lifelong learning (i.e., formal, non-formal, or informal learning). This study concluded that PLE management was predictive of each type of learning respectively. PLE is not only a technical platform but also a new digital learning literacy, conceptual space, pedagogical process, and social networks that enable and support learners to achieve their lifelong learning goals. While Open Educational Resources (OERs) are perceived as a solution for social justice in digital lifelong learning, PLE and Open Network Learning Environment are identified as the key pedagogy and instructional strategies to empower learners gaining network-learning literacy and becoming competent digital lifelong learners.

Imagine a proposal for a personal e-learning environment (PLE) to support the research skills of undergraduate students

The study aimed at identifying the degree of use of undergraduate students in some of the applications of mobile personal learning environments in their academic life, and the opportunities available to these programs and electronic applications when used to support scientific research skills and the most important challenges facing them. The aim was to present a proposed scenario for a training program that aims to employ the use of personal learning environments (PLE) in mobile devices (smart phones, tablets or laptops) to support the scientific research skills and academic skills needed by The study consisted of (154) female students from the Faculty of Applied Medical Sciences. The researcher used a questionnaire consisting of (32) words distributed on three axes after verifying their validity and stability. The researcher also constructed a proposed training program aimed at Use mobile personal learning environments to support scientific research skills. The study concluded with a set of results. In light of this, recommendations were made to activate the use of smart phones and tablets and to encourage students to use them in supporting scientific research skills, dissemination and academic skills. Develop appropriate plans to train students and faculty on what is new in the field of e-learning and mobile education.

ANALYSIS OF FEEDBACK IN PERSONAL LEARNING ENVIRONMENT

The article discusses the approach to the use of personal learning environment for obtaining and analyzing feedback from students. The study was conducted on the basis of assessments and feedback from students, collected over six semesters. A total of 1200 students from the Institute of Space and Information Technologies of the Siberian Federal University took part in the research. An algorithm is proposed for selecting reliable estimates of students, allowing to clear the source data from interference and emissions, as well as to increase the relevance of these estimates. The results of the analysis of data from the students, showing the possibility of their use for the formation of control actions on the educational process are presented. Examples of real data reflecting interference, numerical characteristics of disciplines formed from the results of the survey, as well as the effect of interference on the results of data processing, are considered.

Use of personal learning environment in introduction of law courses

Use of personal learning environment in introduction of law courses

Principios éticos en investigación educativa con PLE aplicados a una experiencia internacional

Los avances en el uso de las Tecnologías de la Información y la Comunicación (TIC) en contextos educativos nos sitúan ante docentes y estudiantes que enseñan, aprenden y colaboran utilizando sus Entornos Personales de Aprendizaje (PLE). En este contexto, se demandan principios éticos que orienten los procesos docentes e investigadores. Este trabajo pretende identificar esos principios y concretar medidas para su consideración, respetando así valores fundamentales como la privacidad, la igualdad y la colaboración, y los llamados derechos humanos de cuarta generación. El método seguido se ha basado en la revisión de las aportaciones de expertos y su aplicación en un proceso de investigación-acción, con seguimiento on-line, sobre la utilización de los PLE para la mejora de las competencias digital y lingüística en un centro educativo italiano. Se concluye con unas recomendaciones sobre las prácticas éticas a seguir al inicio, en el desarrollo y en la comunicación de los resultados de investigación.

Analysis of PLEs’ implementation under OER design as a productive teaching-learning strategy in Higher Education. A case study at Universidad Nacional de Educación a Distancia

This paper shows some research which analysed the didactic functionality of Personal Learning Environments (PLEs) and Open Educational Resources (OERs). They were created by students from the Master’s Degree in Information and Communication Technologies applied to language teaching and processing, at Universidad Nacional de Educacion a Distancia (UNED, Spain). A thorough analysis has been carried out based on a virtual ethnography methodological framework, with a twofold qualitative dimension: on the one hand, by using the Atlas-Ti program and on the other hand by following a reticular, category-based social network analysis with UCINET and yED Graph Editor. Results show that the joint use of PLEs and OERs designed by students improves their digital competence, mainly in capabilities such as: accessing and searching for online information; articulating information needs; finding relevant information; selecting resources effectively; navigating between online sources; and creating personal information strategies. Furthermore, the scrutiny of the forums using the reticular social network analysis shows how the main benefits of the implementation of PLEs and OERs are: a student-centric approach, the development of personal knowledge management strategies and the formation of a self-regulated learning model.

Personal Learning Environments: A Solution for Self-Directed Learners

In this paper I discuss personal learning environments and their diverse benefits, uses, and implications for life-long learning. Personal Learning Environments (PLEs) are Web 2.0 and social media technologies that enable individual learners the ability to manage their own learning. Self-directed learning is explored as a foundation for the use of PLEs. I outline the optimal criteria for social media tools to be used as PLEs: they must be easy to use, open, dynamic, and offer collaboration options. I discuss individual PLE tools with examples and possible uses. I list implications for educators and individual learners. I conclude the discussion with ideas for future study of PLEs in formal and informal learning.

Preservice Teachers’ Perception and Use of Personal Learning Environments (PLEs)

Personal learning environments (PLEs) are Web 2.0 tools and services by which users’ access, construct, manage, and share educational contents in order to meet their learning needs. These environments enable users to manage their learning according to their own personal preferences. They further promote socialization and collaboration with their broad user networks and interaction facilities. In this study, with a case sample from a public university in Turkey, student teachers’ PLE use and their perceptions regarding these environments are examined. For data collection, the PLE Perception Scale and PLE Use Scale developed by the researchers were used. It was observed that all participants used various PLEs and found them easy and practical on the whole. However, it was found that this utilization mostly had the aim of access and sharing knowledge in learning, while use of constructing and managing it remained limited. Emailing, social networking, file sharing, video sharing, Internet searching, and social encyclopedias were found most commonly used PLEs. Our findings also show that gender and grade level do not have an effect on the perception and use of PLEs.

Introduction: Personal Learning Environments in the context of formal education / Introducción: los Entornos Personales de Aprendizaje en contextos de educación formal

This article introduces the monograph on Personal Learning Environments in formal education and presents six papers addressing, both theoretically and empirically, the use of these environments as learning spaces. The six papers contribute to reflection and discussion of the challenges that the new scenario derived from the information society poses to formal education. The common thread of the work is the idea that, to address these challenges, we need new approaches and proposals. In this context, Personal Learning Environments are presented as an innovative approach that can contribute to transforming learning and teaching. All articles focus on the design, construction, appropriation and use of Personal Learning Environments, as well as on the possibilities, limitations and difficulties of implementing this type of learning environment in formal educational settings.

Roadmap to PLE – A Research Route to Empower the Use of Personal Learning Environments (PLEs)

In this position paper we argue that in order to design, deploy and evaluate institutional Personal Learning Environments, a system-level Roadmap should be developed accounting for the progressive expansion towards the following evolutions directions: from closed (VLE) to Open Learning Environments (OLE); from the individual-group, to individual-network and individual-collective relations; from using structured learning resources to using any type of content; from being instructor/institution-led by being self-regulated and self-managed; from being aimed at learning in the university system to supporting work-based learning; from being centered around web 2.0 to being empowered by web 3.0 tools and technologies. In order to accompany the development of such a Roadmap, an operational definition and hexagonal model of the PLE is presented in this paper together with its three-steps evolutionary process.