defining ple
2008 October 29
<rant>
If we have to talk about PLE (Personal Learning Environments) (blech. why does every damned thing need a name and/or acronym?), can we at least not define it to death?
“PLE” is a verb, not a noun.
“PLE” is something you do, not something you have. It’s an action, not a thing. It’s a way of interacting with others, not a way of “getting personalized learning.”
You can’t go out and set up your PLE. You are part of your PLE. You have it already. You can’t seek to personalize your learning – if your learning isn’t already personalized, you’re not learning.
</rant>
7 Responses
Trackbacks & Pingbacks
- Making sense of PLEs and understanding new approaches | Workplace Learning Today
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Comments are closed.
Love the rant, especially the part about “if you’re learning isn’t already personalized, you’re not learning.” Exactly. I love it.
Your way ain’t the only way, D’Arcy… arguably not even the best way! But that’s what makes all these spots to participate great, right?
To me. learning is a verb… the PLE is a noun, an assemblage of tools that provide a personalized structure to facilitate learning.
I agree that learning is personal. But not all learning environments are. Blackboard anyone?
I think, for instance, that the PLE session Scott Leslie, Jared Stein and I are doing– despite being all wrong in D’Arcy’s world– will turn out to be a good thing for the participants. In the end, that’s what I care about and how I will use the term– to effect the greatest change possible.
I’m saying right now, though, that I’m not going to go round and round about this with you (or anyone else) again
cheers!
my way is the only way. there is no other.
of course there are other ways, and other people may find the verb/noun thing backwards, but I can’t visualize a learning environment as a thing – it’s an act. learning is not a property that you attain, it’s a process of interaction and adaptation.
and I would argue, strongly, that Blackboard is about as far from a learning environment as is possible to construct.