In Networked Learning people learn within networks as a part of them, receiving and contributing to the creation of knowledge. The Social Web and the Web2.0 tools have certainly contributed importantly to this way of learning. RSS feeds and comunicating in an online open way through blogs, wikis, twitter, facebook, and many other tools, has provided the learner with an environment within which to interact and connect, demanding a continuous exercise of autonomy and responsibility in their use to learn.
In Wendy Drexlers paper "A Networked Learning Model for Construction of Personal Learning Environments in Seventh Grade Life Science" (2010), its stated that in the 7th grade class networked learning environment the students success depended highly on their motivation and teachers strategic guidance, adding that it would "require considerable teacher professional development and possibly a philosophy different from that of most current educators".This issue is very important for me as a teacher to reflect about. It is not easy to build a PLE, or I might say it was not easy for me. I started last year (2010) in September to better understand what a PLE is, and to try and build my PLE. It was in one of the PhD class, and the tool asked for me to use was Netvibes. It was only then I truly understood the power of RSS feeds in updating me with all the content on the websites, blogs I consulted everyday or just randomly once in a while. I had used GoogleReader or Twitter to update some information, but to think I could have an open online space as a PLE was something new to me. I then began to search about PLEs in education, and soon enough I found the video 'Welcome to my PLE' with a 7th grader explaining how she built her PLE for Science class. The video is very good in showing how in the teaching practice we can integrate the PLE as a learning experience for the students, its very clear in showing how the student manages all the pages she consults for personal entertainment and school work. My first thought was that this must have been some special student achievement :)...could it be built by a 7th grader?! OK, lets have confidence on our 7th grade students :) The issue is that, it is possible! The questions are: Is it possible to apply Networked Learning in schools with large classes with students heterogeneous in the ability to use technology? My reflections take me to think that with numerous and heterogeneous classes the necessary balance demanded of the teacher between the necessary relinquish of their authority as intellectual managers and students autonomy, would be far greater and more difficult to obtain. In this type of learning its development lead to an increase of one-to-one or small group teacher facilitation, bigger classes will also have bigger difficulties to manage those supports in the frequency needed. Younger learners need more support in their learning, and the bigger the classes more computers will be used and consequently more technical support will be needed, and some frustration can lead to difficulties in students motivation towards this approach to learning.
On the other hand, a growing number of young learners outside formal education are using digital technologies, increasing their exercise for autonomy learning, autonomy to choose the tools that best suit their interests and needs to learn. This can facilitate the teachers challenge to integrate these tools in class and for the development of a PLE by students. Students are challenged to continue the learning process initiated in the classroom, and transfer that knowledge to the outside of school walls, or vice-versa, capable of developing their own PLE for all subjects of interest throughout their life, as a lifelong learner.
The definition of PLE I feel more connected to, is from Attwell, when he states that PLEs are the comprise of all the different tools we use everyday for learning formally and informally. Does this mean its every tool I use? Well...yes, why not? It seemed somewhat confusing and disperse the first time I thought about it, but after I tried to build up my own PLE by using Netvibes to aggregate all the feeds from the web places I was learning from or thought I would learn from, I began to understand how important was the idea of "all the different tools we use everyday". I felt that the Netvibes was one more tool, but not 'the' tool. I imagine a PLE as more organic, with an easy flow between the web references and tools I choose to aggregate and use. But as a teacher, I see Netvibes as one great tool to help me organize and aggregate content to share online with students.
To be more organic nowadays, I believe the person needs to be an excellent user of the tools. Maybe in a close by future, that excellence won't be necessary to go with the flow of online connected knowledge!
[Art Education is the topic for inquiry for me to build my PLE, in the PLEK12 course.]
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I will use this blog to publish my participation and reflections about the learning in the open course PLEK12. All related posts will have a PLEK12 tag. As soon as I find out how to share this link with the rest of the group I'll feel connected :)
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Hoje marquei presente na sessão Elluminate PLENK2010 com a convidada Wendy Drexler, e sobre o tema Personal Learning Environment em escolas do ensino básico ao secundário (aceder ao slidshare da sessão). A abordagem de Drexler foi frontal e deu início à sessão abordando os obstáculos para a integração da tecnologia nas escolas destes níveis de ensino. Identificou a dificuldade de acesso à Internet, os filtros da Internet que bloqueiam sites, e os mais reveladores para mim, as crenças dos professores relativamente ao controlo e dos alunos sobre a aprendizagem. Para superar estes obstáculos, afirma que a integração da tecnologia é necessária em todas as aulas de modo a que seja possível lançar as bases para o PLE, pois actualmente os professores gastam muito tempo inicial para capacitar os alunos para a utilização das ferramentas web e para lhes apresentar os processos necessários para a construção de PLEs.
O exemplo do vídeo 'My PLE' (compartilhado antes da sessão) ilustra como pode ser um PLE construído por alunos do nível de ensino básico ao secundário, e no qual uma aluna do 7º ano explica como construiu o seu PLE.
Quais são os principais objectivos para um PLE, indicados por Wendy Drexler? A autonomia do aluno, a sua capacidade para ter mais responsabilidade e controle sobre a sua aprendizagem, a extensão da aprendizagem para além da sala de aula, e a criação da base estrutural para a aprendizagem contínua. Várias ferramentas podem ser utilizadas e geridas.
Algumas das dicas dadas para os professores que desejem trabalhar o PLE com os alunos na sala de aula, aproximam-se de algumas que certamente quem tenta integrar tecnologias na sala de aula já aprendeu como essenciais: fazer amizade com o administrador de rede na escola:); esperar dificuldades técnicas; desfrutar da experiência de aprendizagem compartilhada. Mas as são as seguintes dicas que na minha opinião as que constituem maior desafio: pôr de lado o controlo; comunicar aos pais as vantagens de aprendizagem; comunicar com os alunos sobre as expectativas do seu trabalho; ter um plano e comunicá-lo aos dirigentes escolares.
Com a explicação positivamente contagiosa feita por Wendy Drexler, conhecedora da realidade escolar e dos desafios para a integração da tecnologia, não parece complicado trabalhar o PLE. Acredito ser perfeitamente possível trabalhar o PLE na sala de aula do ensino básico ao secundário... uma realidade a qual espero poder vir a experimentar.
O meu próximo passo no universo dos PLE é tornar-me numa aluna activa do Open Course for educator around the World, PLE for inquiry in K-12 a iniciar em Fevereiro de 2011.
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I've just been present at the PLENK2010 Elluminate session with special guest Wendy Drexler. She talked about Personal Learning Environment in K-12 schools (here is the slidshare shown at the session). Wendy's approach began with a very forward talk about the hurdle to integration of technology in k-12 schools: difficulty of access to Internet, Internet filters that block websites, but most revealing to me was, the teacher beliefs about control and student beliefs about learning. In order to overcome those hurdles, technology integration is needed in every class so it is possible to lay the foundations for PLE. Teachers using PLE with students have to spend much time presenting the students to the skills and processes necessary to construct PLEs, and time consuming to solve the hurdles mentioned.
To illustrate with one example of what a PLE for K12 students can look like, the link to the video 'My PLE' was shared (prior to the session). This video shows a 7th grade student explaining how she built her PLE.
So what are the main goals for a PLE? Wendy Drexler, presented goals like student autonomy, the capacity for student to have more responsability and control of his/her learning, extension of learning beyond the classroom, and building foundation for long life learning. Several supporting tools can be used and managed.
Some of the tips for teacher that want to work with PLEs in the classroom are more or less what teachers that are already integrating technology do: make friends with the network administrator at school :), to expect technical difficulties and enjoy the shared learning experience. In my opinion the most challenging tip to meet is the one about relinquishing control, but from my experience I can testify that this challenge does create more engaging moments of teacher learner. The last tip is to communicate to parents the learning advantages, communicate with students about the expectations of their work, and last one to have a plan and communicate it to school leaders.
It seems easy doesn't it? Wendy Drexlers explanation was positively contagious, in my opinion mainly because of her knowledge of schools reality in the context of technology integration.
I believe its perfectly possible that PLE will grow in K12 classroms...grow yes, in the future towards which I will certainly contribute. My next step is to be an active student at the Open Course for educator around the World, PLE for inquiry in K-12 starting in February 2011.
. Reflections about Network...
. Reflections about PLE too...
