PLENK10

Personal Learning Environments and Knowledge 2010

Course tags: PLENK10

Course Details
This open online course is sponsored and organized by Technology Enhanced Knowledge Research Institute at Athabasca University.

Course Description:

In the last five years, the twin concepts of the personal learning environment (PLE) and personal learning network (PLN) have been offered as alternatives to more traditional environments such as the learning management system (LMS) and institutionally-based courses.

During that time, a substantial body of research has been produced by thinkers, technologists and practitioners in the field. Dozens of studies, reviews, conference presentations, concept papers and diagrams are now available.

The purpose of this course will be to clarify and substantiate, from the context of this new research, the concepts of personal learning environments and networks. Course facilitators and participants will analyze the research literature and evaluate it against their own experience with the intent of developing a comprehensive understanding of personal learning environments and networks. Personal Learning Environments, Networks, and Knowledge is a course sponsored and organized by the Technology Enhanced Knowledge Research Institute (TEKRI) at Athabasca University.

Programs: This is an open professional development course. Crediti affiliation has not been established with a particular university or college

Date: September 13, 2010 - December 6, 2010

Technologies Used: Through out this "course" participants will use a variety of technologies. For example, participants will use blogs, Second Life, Elgg, attend Elluminate sessions, participate in discussions in Moodle forums, and so on. Additional technologies will be introduced as is required to attend to concerns or opportunities arising over the next 12 weeks. Course participants are encouraged to adopt and use additional technologies where they feel appropriate.

Facilitators: George Siemens, Stephen Downes, [Rita Kop], and Dave Cormier will co-facilitate this innovative and timely course.

Weekly Activities
Each week will consist of the follow activities

This course will be a different type of learning experience. Learners from around the world will be participating, creating an opportunity for peer-to-peer learning and feedback. While facilitators will be active in the conversation, and will provide feedback, the number of participants makes it impossible for traditional teacher-centric instruction to work well.

Each week will begin with a series of short readings, podcasts, or video recording by instructors. Course readings and online videos will be provided each week as well. These resources will accessible late Sunday.

Weekly reading lists are provided below. Additions will be made based on the nature of the ongoing discussion. Please visit the weekly reading list prior to the start of each week for the most updated version.

Monday morning (according to CST zone (GMT -6) you will receive an email with a link to a short podcast/paper/video or online presentation as well as links to the main readings for the week. These short presentations will serve to provide a brief introduction to activities during the week.

During the balance of the week, you will receive daily emails summarizing key aspects of the existing conversation in Moodle or blog posts that have been tagged with "PLENK10"

Wednesday will consist of an elluminate session with an invited speaker.

Friday will consist of an unstructured session and can best be seen as informal conversations with other participants. Rita, Dave, George, or Stephen will moderate the weekly discussion.

We want to move beyond didactic presentation of information. The discussion around readings and short presentations we provide will form the central part of the learning experience. As learners, you can participate in the Moodle forums, your own blog, or any other open forum.

A critical aspect of open courses is the need for participants to create and share - if you find an aspect of the course unclear, or if you create a table or mindmap to pull together important ideas, please share it with others. If you don't like interacting in a learning management system like moodle, set up a something in Second Life or Facebook or even physical get togethers.

For more information on how to participate in open courses, please see:

How this course works

The Technological Dimension of a Massive Open Online Course: The Case of the CCK08 Course Tools

Learner Assignments and Evaluation
Learners are encouraged to complete the following activities during the course (these activities will not be graded, but can be shared with others in the course for feedback):


 * Regular reflections on blogs or discussion forums about the weekly readings, discussions, or comments in the Daily Weekly
 * Participation in moodle forums and commenting on blogs by peer learners in the course
 * Visualizing your understanding of course concepts through concept maps (using a tool like CMAP), diagrams, or other means.
 * Artifact of your learning - video, podcast, presentation addressing "What role can PLE/N's play in my teaching? Or my personal learning? How has this course influenced your view of the role of networked technologies and learning networks? What types of questions are still outstanding?"

Important Course Links
Course Moodle site

The Daily - Please subscribe to this daily newsletter around course topics/posts and general discussions

Link to Elluminate Sessions

Week 1: A tour of PLEs and PLNs - diagrams, discussions, examples (September 13-19)
Readings

EDUCAUSE: 7 Things you should know about PLE's (.pdf)

Personal Learning Environments: Martindale & Dowdy (.pdf)

Developing Personal Learning Networks for Open and Social Learning (.pdf)

Scott Leslie's Mother of All PLE Diagram Compilation

Optional Readings:

Introduction to Personal Learning Networks

Weekly Activities:

Live sessions will be held here in elluminate

Wednesday: Guest Speaker:

Friday: Open conversation

Week 2: Contrasting personal learning with institutional learning, PLEs with LMSs (September 20-26)
Readings

Are PLE's Ready for Prime Time?

Learning or Management Systems?

Optional Readings:

Weekly Activities:

Live sessions will be held here in elluminate

Wednesday: Guest Speaker:

Friday: Open conversation

Week 3: Understanding the neXt/eXtended Web (September 27-October 3)
Readings

The eXtended Web and Personal Learning Environments

xWeb

Optional Readings:

Weekly Activities:

Live sessions will be held here in elluminate

Wednesday: Guest Speaker:

Friday: Open conversation

Week 4: PLE/PLN and learning theories (October 4-10)
Readings

Optional Readings:

Weekly Activities:

Live sessions will be held here in elluminate

Wednesday: Guest Speaker:

Friday: Open conversation

Week 5: Evaluating Learning in PLE/Ns (October 11-17)
Readings

Optional Readings:

Weekly Activities:

Live sessions will be held here in elluminate

Wednesday: Guest Speaker:

Friday: Open conversation

Week 6: Using PLEs successfully - skills, mindsets, and critical literacies (October 18-24)
Readings

Optional Readings:

Weekly Activities:

Live sessions will be held here in elluminate

Wednesday: Guest Speaker:

Friday: Open conversation

Week 7: PLE/N Tools - What Exists, What is Being Built? (October 25-October 31)
Readings

Optional Readings:

Weekly Activities:

Live sessions will be held here in elluminate

Wednesday: Guest Speaker:

Friday: Open conversation

Week 8: PLE/Ns and personal knowledge management (November 1-7)
Readings

Optional Readings:

Weekly Activities:

Live sessions will be held here in elluminate

Wednesday: Guest Speaker:

Friday: Open conversation

Week 9: PLE/Ns in the classroom (PLE/Ns and blended learning) (November 8-14)
Readings

Optional Readings:

Weekly Activities:

Live sessions will be held here in elluminate

Wednesday: Guest Speaker:

Friday: Open conversation

Week 10: Critical perspectives on PLE/PLN (November 15-21)
Readings

Optional Readings:

Weekly Activities:

Live sessions will be held here in elluminate

Wednesday: Guest Speaker:

Friday: Open conversation

Learner self and peer-evaluation
Concept Map

Details:

This course will require you to use a concept map to capture and express relationships between ideas. Concept maps are an opportunity to relate ideas and concepts and demonstrate connections that are often not noticed in more linear instructional processes. Throughout the course, you will be asked to take the key ideas discussed each week and detail how the concepts are connected. You may find that you only add a handful of items per week, or you may find that you get quite detailed in expressing conceptual relationships and add dozens (or more) items. Tools: You can create your concept map by downloading CMAP (free tool) or using TheBrain (free trial version). Throughout the course you will be asked to export (with CMAPs) your concept map and post online for feedback. If you use TheBrain, you can export your entire "brain" and post on a site (via ftp)

Final Project - Artifact of your Learning

Details: Your final presentation can be handled in a variety of formats: podcast, slidecast, Articulate presentation, video recording, Second Life presentation, or, if your feeling creative, an approach of your choosing. The presentation could answer any of the following: "What role can PLE/N's play in my teaching? Or my personal learning? How has this course influenced your view of the role of networked technologies and learning networks? What types of questions are still outstanding?" Midway through the course, you will be given the opportunity to voluntarily form small groups to bounce around ideas on how to handle this assignment and to submit your work for peer-review before your final submission.