• Home
  • Free Resources
    • Storyboard Depot
    • Instructional Design Programs
    • Best Stock Photo Sites
    • PowerPoint Grids
    • eLearning Examples
    • Glossary of Online Learning Terms
    • Graphic Editing Tools
    • Icon Collections
  • My Books
  • About
  • Book Store
  • ON-DEMAND COURSES

The eLearning Coach

For designing effective learning experiences

  • Podcasts
  • LXD
  • eLearning Design
    • Audience
    • Instructional Design
    • Learning Objectives
    • Storyboarding
    • Tests
    • User Interface
  • eLearning 2.0
  • Cognition
  • Multimedia
    • Audio
    • Graphics
    • Video
  • Reviews
    • Book Reviews
    • Software Reviews
  • At Work
You are here: Home / eLearning 2.0 / Models For Designing Your Personal Learning Environment

Models For Designing Your Personal Learning Environment

by Connie Malamed

Tweet131
Pin22
Share61
214 Shares

personal-learning-environmentA personal learning environment (PLE) is a solution for keeping up with the rapid pace of knowledge change. Some say it is a concept, while others say it is a technology.

I think a good definition is this: a self-directed and evolving environment of tools, services and resources organized by a person seeking a way to accomplish lifetime learning, to create, and to connect with others of similar interests.

Because it is personalized, everyone’s PLE will be unique. Because it is collaborative, information may be continually created and shared. In the workplace, designing a personal learning environment has the potential to partially replace conventional courses.

Organic Design Versus Planned Design

Perhaps your personal learning environment, like mine, emerged organically. You heard about Twitter and decided to try it out. You found helpful websites and tutorials so you decided you needed an online bookmarking tool. Then you realized you could help others by sharing with a social bookmarking tool. All of this probably occurred without much planning. At least it did for me.

But what if you wanted to consciously design and build the most effective personal learning environment that would meet all of your needs? Or what if you wanted to teach others in your workplace how to create a personal learning environment so they can better manage self-directed learning and collaborating? Then, it seems like having a model for building a PLE would be valuable.

Advantages of Using a Model

There are some advantages to relying on a model for building a personal learning environment.

  1. First, having a model narrows down your options, which can be good when starting out. It’s a big wide Web out there and sometimes it can feel like you’re grasping at straws.
  2. Second, using a model gives you some direction. For example, if the model you choose calls for collecting, you know to look for a curation tool.
  3. Finally, using a model makes the process more methodical. With a model, it’s clear what you have and what gaps you need to close.

How To Use a Model

When you find a model that your resonate with below, use it as is or modify to suit your needs. Or create your own. Then think about the tools, services, and resources you can access to fulfill each part of the model. Do some research, try out tools and resources, get connected with people and start to adopt the approach, making it part of your learning flow. Start simply and add components as needed. This approach can work for helping others design their PLE too.

As an example, I used to bookmark websites with articles of interest in my browser. Those were the old days. It was cumbersome to access the bookmarks as I had so many. Then when RSS technology became standard, I switched to an RSS aggregator, so I could create my own magazine of RSS feeds organized by topic. This type of service would fall under the “Collecting” or “Gathering” part of the models below.

Now let’s get started and look at four of the many models that exist. Although some of these models were developed several years ago, I think they stand the test of time.

A Generic Model

The characteristics of a PLE were described by Milligan and others in a way that I think can be used as a model (I modified it slightly). The authors wrote that the PLE uses tools that would allow the learner to:

  • Learn with other people: manage and create relationships, forming connections between contacts that are not part of a formal learning network.
  • Control their learning resources: allow them to structure, share, and annotate resources they find or have been given.
  • Manage the activities they participate in: provide opportunities for them to create as well as join activities that bring together people and resources.
  • Integrate their learning: allow them to integrate learning from different institutions and sources, re-using evidence of competency and making links between formal and informal learning. (Milligan et al., 2006).

Collecting-Reflecting-Connecting-Publishing Model

This PLE model created by Jeremy Hiebert takes into account learning in the past, present and future. It consists of:

  • Collecting: aggregating, storing, organizing and filtering contacts, artifacts and information
  • Reflecting: reviewing, connecting concepts, synthesizing, blogging, working in private/public groups
  • Connecting: people and information, group-forming, shared goals and interests (and information)
  • Publishing: select, modify, combine and publish; e-portfolios, blogs, etc.

See a (dated) diagram of the Collecting-Reflecting-Connecting-Publishing Model.

The Seek, Sense, Share Framework

This framework developed by Harold Jarche is based on the concept of Personal Knowledge Mastery (PKM), a way to direct one’s own professional development in the context of a network of connections.

  • Seeking involves searching and exploring and staying current in your field. Building a network of trusted people and resources is important here.
  • Sensing is how we make sense of things. We personalize information by reflecting and putting it into practice. We learn by doing.
  • Sharing involves the exchange of resources and ideas with our personal network. It may include collaboration and shared experiences.

Read more about the Seek > Sense > Share Framework.

The Four C’s Model

In this model, created by Chris Sessums, the blog is the personal learning space that serves as an activity hub and is informed by the individual (node) and collective activities (network). The model consists of these activities:

  • Collect: gather articles, tools, data, images and resources
  • Communicate: share ideas, convey information, ask questions, reflect, respond, comment and clarify
  • Create: generate ideas, research, write, bring content into being
  • Collaborate: synthesize, working with peers, engaging one another

See the diagram of this model.

Gathering-Processing-Acting

I’ve always liked Michele Martin’s model since the first time I saw it, because it includes the cognitive steps of processing and taking action. It goes like this:

  • Gathering: collecting information from blogs, search engines, bookmarks, journals, contacts
  • Processing: blogging, note taking, sketching, bookmarking, repurposing
  • Acting on Learning: doing experiments, trying things out on clients (with permission)

See the diagram of this model.

References:

  1. Chatti, M.,  Jarke, M., & Specht, M. “The 3P Learning Model.” Educational Technology & Society, 13 (4), 74–85, 2010.
  2. Milligan, C, Phillip B., Johnson, M., Sharples, P., Wilson, S. & Liber, O. “Developing a Reference Model to Describe the Personal Learning Environment” in Lecture Notes in Computer Science, Volume 4227, 506-511, 2006.

Get smarter about online learning with articles, tips and resources delivered to your Inbox once a month.

Comments

  1. Connie Malamed says

    May 6, 2017 at 3:17 pm

    Excellent. You’re welcome!

  2. The Wildcats says

    May 5, 2017 at 6:28 pm

    Hello, we are a group of students of Primary Education degree in the University of Murcia and this week, in the subject of School Organization and Educational Resources we have done a task related to PLE, and informing ourselves, we found this page and it helped us to better understand Personal Learning Environments, so thank you for that!!

    Kind regards.

Trackbacks

  1. My PLE – Your Daily Inspiration says:
    December 12, 2017 at 2:22 pm

    […] the earlier concept of Web 2.0 and represents the potential for new learning. For example, this article on a professional PLE provides a fantastic roadmap to planning and changing your own PLE to […]

  2. Module 5 Assignment “PLE Diagram and Reflection Assignment” – Scott McKee: EDTECH Learning Log says:
    October 23, 2017 at 10:29 pm

    […] This was an interesting experience. I feel like I am typically a very creative person. Sometime back during this class, I had read a quote describing PLE. It was described as a “A self-directed and evolving environment of tools, services and resources organized by a person seeking a way to accomplish lifetime learning, to create, and to connect with others of similar interests” (Malamed, 2014) […]

  3. Personal Learning Environments – An Overview | Teaching and Learning in Health Sciences says:
    April 25, 2017 at 5:03 pm

    […] Malamed, C. (n.d.). The eLearning Coach. Models for designing your personal learning environment. Retrieved from https://theelearningcoach.com/elearning2-0/designing-personal-learning-environment/. […]

  4. Case Study 1 | Trish's PLE says:
    February 20, 2017 at 11:20 pm

    […] Malamed, C. (2016). Models for Designing Your Personal Learning Environment. Retrieved from https://theelearningcoach.com/elearning2-0/designing-personal-learning-environment/ […]

  5. EdTech 543: Personal Learning Environments | Jasmine Quezada: EDTECH Learning Log says:
    October 23, 2016 at 10:28 pm

    […] to accomplish lifetime learning, to create, and to connect with others of similar interests” (Malamed, 2014) I thought of a Christmas tree because just like we collect ornaments over time to enhance our […]

  6. My Personal Learning Evironment | Terry Shaneyfelt: EDTECH Learning Log says:
    October 22, 2016 at 1:24 pm

    […] In this module of EdTech 543 (Social Network Learning) I was asked to reflect on my personal learning environment (PLE) and create a visual representation of it. There are variable definitions of what a PLE is but I like this one by Connie Malamed: […]

  7. From Knowledge Workers to Learning Workers – Personal Learning Environments – Liz Kosinski says:
    September 4, 2016 at 10:58 pm

    […] am fond of Connie Malamed’s take on a PLE, “a self-directed and evolving environment of tools, services, and resources organized […]

  8. All of the PLEs please | Aoife's Language Blog says:
    December 4, 2015 at 8:04 am

    […] A definition of a PLE is offered by Connie Malamed : […]

  9. A DIY Approach to Learning: The Personal Learning Environment | Megan Gooding says:
    July 27, 2015 at 12:07 pm

    […] advice from this article’s approach, which described the organic development of a PLE, I considered the way I work to locate knowledge […]

  10. Professional Learning Communities | Jamaican Teacher says:
    May 10, 2015 at 6:58 am

    […] thus far, this one resonates the most – Models For Designing Your Personal Learning Environment https://theelearningcoach.com/elearning2-0/designing-personal-learning-environment/. I hope you too will find it […]

  11. Models For Designing Your Personal Learning Environment says:
    December 4, 2014 at 1:49 pm

    […] Source: theelearningcoach.com […]

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.

Writing for Instructional Design

Subscribe to my newsletter AND get my eBook, Writing for Instructional Design.

Get the latest articles, resources and freebies once a month plus my free eBook, Writing for Instructional Design.

The Learning Guild

CSUN Instructional Design Program

CSUN Instructional Design Program

Fullerton Instructional Design Program

Fullerton Instructional Design Program

Learn ID at University of San Diego

u of san diego id program

ANSWERS TO QUESTIONS ABOUT A CAREER IN ID

answers to 5 key questions about a career in instructional design

NOW AVAILABLE AS AN EBOOK

You can now buy the email course as a PDF to get all the lessons at once. Price: $15.00 US.

eBook Cover
Click the image to buy the book.

SITE MENU

Home
Resources
My Books
About
Book Store
Membership Community

TOPIC MENU

Podcasts
LXD
eLearning Design
eLearning 2.0
Cognition
Multimedia (Graphics & Audio)
Reviews
At Work

RESOURCES

Storyboard Depot
Instructional Design Programs
Best Stock Images
PowerPoint Grids
eLearning Examples
Glossary of Online Learning
Graphic Editing Tools
Icon Collections

© Copyright 2021 Connie Malamed · All Rights Reserved