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gives 7 things to consider in personal learning networks; what they are (a learner-centric approach to learning), major universities who utilize PLEs, why they are significant (extension of classroom learning) and some of the downsides (constant need to maintain, organize, and grow learning networks), where PLEs are headed and their implications in education (deeper engagement with content)

I think the 'who's doing it' section is very useful. It's helpful to see how it is being implemented.

Teaching us about PLEs through a story and simple bulleted points is an ingenious idea to get straight to the point. Rather than a long dissertation, writing a short article can sometimes be more powerful.

Interesting blog post about developing PLN examples.  Provides a bit on how, a bit on why and a few examples of the PLN

Hey Ben. I was lucky enough to go through the PLP program and have heard/talked to Will on a number of occasions. His energy and ideas are what have me heading in this direction.

This is a nice post. Good information on developing my own PLN and the examples are useful. I too have seen that name out there and after reading this article I think I may need to research these Authors a bit further.

Explores how personality affects interactions and perception of interactions amongst learners. Noting that there is sometimes tension between being connected enough to benefit from plethora of choices on the internet & still experience individual, personal development. An important component of understanding connectivism is to never assume that those who do not show overt involvement are not as engaged as those who do.

This articles provides an important model for understanding the personal learning networks that students can create as part of the learning process. It incorporates Connectivism learning theory as part of the PLN creation.

In a different twist, this article discusses personal learning environments as a part of activity theory. This theory encompasses connectivism, but also adds in other elements such as rules and division of labor. The paper goes on to analyze the parts of a personal learning enviornment which include the person and the tool being used.

Summary: This article examines the distinguishing features of PLEs. The authors assert that PLEs are complex activity systems; therefore, they want to prove that key elements of PLEs can be described using Activity Theory. Section 2.3 provides a nice overview on Activity Theory, while section 4 reflects their findings. To read the article click the MSWord link. I appreciate the fact that they include diagrams and charts -- these make the article user-friendly.

This blog post (linked to the book, Digital Habitats) discusses creating ones "personal technology configuration," which is a topic we'll be covering later in the semester. The author describes the tools in his "PTC" that he uses to "close triangles" (aka- network individuals to one another; Skype, LinkedIn), share information (blogs, Twitter), and curate information (tagging). Personal identity on the web is an important aspect of developing PLNs and CoPs.

I like how he has coined the phrase "network weaving practices", and also shows how he "weaves" in and out of other networks by using three different PLN configurations: closed triangles, sharing information, and curating resources.

I've never heard of this before with that term. I know it because of the general idea. I think it it great to weave our thoughts and information together with other professional. Teachers love to use materials and ideas from other and this would help make it easier to collaborate with them.

This detailed paper presents a model for creating a personal learning network based on an investigation using a literature review, semi-structure interviews and survey and includes an extensive reference list. Three stages of the networking process- building, maintaining and activating- are described and the nine factors influencing decisions in each of these areas are outlined. The authors schematically represent a personal professional networking model.

I really like how this article focused on research results and the factors that emerged for the researchers during their study. It made understanding how the theory of PLN's has become relevant. The three stages of networking model also helped drive home the concept. Establish, maintain and activity was a great visual representation. Quality find!

This article discusses the importance of personal learning networks. It defines them as finding and connecting with others that are a part of your field. These interactions with others can promote life-long learning; which is beneficial in any working field.

Authors discuss advantages of personal learning environments in facilitating collaboration and fostering learner control. PLEs are facilitated by technology, networking, and self-regulation by learners. Open network learning environments from instructors allow PLEs to form. Focus of PLE is not information consumption, but information creation and participation. Authors relate PLE and ONLE to the theory of connectivism and discuss various applications and limitations.

Fantastic quote: "Educators perceive the instructional value of integrating Web 2.0 tools include autonomy, diversity, openness, and connectedness (van Harmelen, 2006); yet, they find multiple technologies daunting, which may affect their attitudes toward online learning. The integration of multiple Web 2.0 tools has created frustration among educators and students because they lack knowledge of the tools (Lee, Miller, & Newnham, 2008), difficulty learn- ing different tools (Weller, 2007), conducting multiple authentications (Suess & Morooney, 2009), visiting multiple sites for different tools, etc. This phenomenon results from a lack of understanding of the social networking learning paradigm and inappropriate integration." This article describes the role of Personalized Learning Environments (PLEs) and how Open Network Learning Environments (ONLEs) are instrumental for creating a PLE. The authors indicate that connectivism is a key underlying principle for developing such a PLE--seeking connections to learners and sources of information. They cite Siemens ("the pipe is more important than the content in the pipe"), which surprised me, as I read that comment from Siemens as hyperbolic. Practical advice for creating your own PLE are also incorporated, as well as examples of how to work and learn within a PLE. The authors suggest that PLEs (operating through ONLEs) disrupt LMSs in the same way that technology disrupts learning in general. Interesting analogy.

The Activity Theory model breaks down PLE's into subject, object, tools, rules, community and division of labour.Context is not an external container but it is constituted through an activity.The most common context for PLE's takes place through Higher Education (31%) and Lifelong Learning (15%), followed by enterprise,organisations and workplace (9% each).

This paper included many diagrams documenting personal learning environments. The PLE is broken down into six distinctive parts. The subject is the person with the object leading the subject to the outcome. Tools connect the subject and object within a community where the subject acquires knowledge. Rules are present to minimize conflict and help to guide the subject toward the object and possibly most importantly, the PLE has a division of labor. This is how the community is organized and includes contributions from all subjects. Without any one of these parts, the PLE would not function which would lead to the loss of knowledge within a community of practice.

A helpful--if lengthy--article explaining what a PLE is, and how to conceptualize the structure and role of a PLE in terms of Activity Theory. Helpful section distinguishing PLEs, PLNs, and CoPs on p. 24.

The primary focus of this article is on the way blogs, wikis, and RSS can be used to create personal learning networks and communities of practice in the field of public affairs education. There are useful definitions of both PLNs and CoPs and an overview of how connectivism is contributing to collaboration within the classroom environment.

This article provides insight into personal learning environments by answering seven basic questions about them. A scenario in which an avid car enthusiast uses a PLE to help him gather knowledge to restore a car provides a helpful image as an introduction. Additionally, an overview of PLEs is provided, along with some examples of institutions that encourage their use and how they are used. Web 2.0 allowed the evolution of the PLE into a digital world. One drawback mentioned by the article is that students who have never practiced metacognition in their own learning practices are said to have difficulty at times with the format of PLEs.

This article provides a concise look at personal learning networks in education. Benefits and reasons for educators and students to utilize are outlined.

This guide provided the benefits to PLNs, and both teachers and students can use PLNs effectively. The benefits outlined were, student preparedness, engaging, students have to take ownership of learning, individualized instruction, problem-solving skills, safety, and saves time and money. Ways teachers can use PLNs are for resource allocation, collaboration, and help. Students can use PLNs to find credible information through RSS feeds, share blog postings, about reflections and offer feedback for improvement.

This post is light on theory, but does a nice job explaining the whats, whys and hows of PLNs

The author of this article, Ilona Buchem, is a co-author of a PLE study titled Understanding Personal Learning Environments: Literature review and synthesis through the Activity Theory Lens. In the study the authors propose a framework they call the Activity Theory Triangle. The theory attempts to define the main dimensions of a PLE in order to study their impact.

The true impact of PLEs needs to be measured/documented/observed/shared in order to ensure their sustainability. Great image and important components of documentation are noted.

As students construct personal learning environments, teacher instruction and support is likely to be needed. PLE's must be constructed based on needs, and students may or may not be able to articulate what their learning needs are.

Today, students already have personal learning environments, but as teachers we have the ability to forge new pathways to learning by utilizing what kids already know and modeling collaboration and exploration.

Wow! What a cool article. I really enjoyed the picture of the Networked student. This article is like a how to for a teacher wanting to teach the 21st century student. It makes me wonder if our school system should provide a class on how to set up a method for each student to display their learning or their personal learning environment.

This is a simple resource that explains personal learning networks for those being introduced to it.

The first section of this resource is great for someone new to PLNs. It expresses how PLNs provide the tools and resources that allow for an educators continuous growth. I also like that this resource explains that teachers may still have face-to-face PLNs within their district or subject area. However, it is beneficial to have the digital PLN as well to allow for growth that can expand further and can be accessed at all times. In addition, this article emphasizes how it is important to remember the "personal" part of PLNs, you can adapt your PLN to your changing needs.

This article, and more specifically, the video within, explains Personal Learning Networks. The emphasis on connectivity makes it clear how PLNs and connectivism are related.

I liked the simplicity of this source Jill. I does a nice job clearly explaining just what a PLN is and what its core aspects are. Thanks for sharing!

To the point and very clear. More than the reading, the video did an excellent job of explaining what a PLN is and how you can best use it to your own advantage. Great source.

There are four main aspects to a successful PLN: 1. Tools - depend on learners ability level but commonly include social media 2. Connection - groups of people with similar interests and goals. There is no boundary for location of group. 3. Delivery - can be through any method the learner prefers 4. Opportunity - with the development of technology, this can happen anywhere the learner has access.

This wiki site was one of the most simplest definitions displaying the elements of a PLN: tools, connections, delivery, and opportunity. Tools allow the learner to use what is most familiar, connections provide the ability to build relationships with others, delivery includes how information is disseminated, and opportunity is when the learner has the time to practice.

This is a great site for someone new to PLNs. It provides a description of what makes up a PLN along with visuals. I also like the "growth" section of the wiki. In the first paragraph it discusses district PLCs. Many districts like to have vertical meetings, where all of the math teachers from elementary through the high school meet to see how their coursework aligns. These meetings are inconsistent because it is difficult to get all of the teachers out of class at the same time. Digital PLCs for vertical meetings would be a great way to allow for more constant collaboration.

This article explains activity theory model as a good tool for understanding the interpretations and conceptualizations of personal learning environments. I like the graphical representation of the elements of PLE. I like the set of questions researchers leave at the end of the article; some of them I already had in mind.

This site provides a paper written about the connections between personal learning environments and information literacy. It outlines how information literacy intersects with the goals of personal learning environments.

Position learners in active, participatory roles with authentic learning opportunities. The research paper assignment has failed to keep up with modern literacies. A PLE is informal learning and learner driven. The learner makes choices.

The Keirsey Temperament Sorter®-II (KTS®-II) is a personality and career assessment tool that will make suggestions on careers that fit the students personality traits as answered in the assessment.