From his posting , Stephen Downes sounds like he didn't really enjoy giving his talk on personal learning environments here in Boston yesterday, what with all that having to connect with "corporate e-learning industry types". I can understand that, but if I were Stephen I wouldn't give up, because his perspectives really are valuable in the context of work-based learning and there's a great deal of good thinking and practice that has arisen from a more educational context ... personal learning? Perhaps Stephen was suggesting something much more, but I didn't quite understand what it was.

Donald Clark left the following comment on my posting about personal learning environments: "The term PLE is, in itself, suspect. Personalised - OK but stating the obvious. Learning - well no, it's more about a two-way, working window - learning is at best a small part of it, a by product, not it's sole purpose. Environment - the PLE isn't the environment, the internet is." It seems that what Donald is describing is essentially a customised home page, an individualised window onto the web, for all sorts of interesting purposes, only one of which is learning. I really can't conceive ...

In my quest to realize a Star Trek-ian society within my lifetime I wish to promote free tools, eLearning tools at that. One of the great recent repositories is Jane Hart's Centre for Learning & Performance Technologies. Everyone could build a repository with free eLearning tools, but she did it by distilling the top 100 tools that were provided to her by expert eLearning colleagues from all around the world. While surfing to her list, you get a nice bonus: each tool has a small tutorial linked to it. Nice. The top 10 free tools lists Firefox, delicious, Google reader, Gmail, ...

Chris Brannigan of Caspian Learning alerted me to Cognitive Fitness , an article by Roderick Gilkey and Clint Kilts in the Harvard Business Review, which you can download online for US$6.50. The byline to the article gives you the gist: "New research in neuroscience shows you how to stay sharp by exercising your brain." Now brain training is already in vogue, but Gilkey and Kilts (try saying that with false teeth) are aiming this at the executive, particularly one who is getting on a bit. In essence they're emphasising the importance of keeping your brain active and stimulated ...

Personal Learning and Personal Learning Environments As part of the recent discussion on personal learning and personal learning environments, I went back to find my posts on these topics and on personal knowledge management and related. Personal Learning Environments and personal learning environments The future of learning is personal learning PKM and Personal Learning Personal Learning for Learning Professionals - Using Web 2.0 Tools for Personal Learning Improving Personal Learning - A Continuing Challenge for Learning ... Do Learning Professionals Make ...

There's been quite a bit of discussion going on around Personal Learning Environments (PLEs) and personal learning ... Downes - Personal Learning I can talk about webs and networks and personal learnings and PLEs but there's a disconnect ... . When Stephen and I are agreeing on something ... Note: Stephen and I don't agree on using the term Personal Learning Environment (PLE) with capitals to mean a put together system that integrates and supports your personal learning and a personal learning environment (lower case letters, no acronym) as the set of tools you use to help yourself learn ...

Learning Trends eLearning 2.0 LMS Web 2.0 Enterprise 2.0 Personal Learning Informal Learning ... Personal Learning Environments and personal learning environments : eLearning Technology Theres been quite a bit of discussion going on around Personal Learning Environments (PLEs) and personal learning environments. We talked about this briefly during a session with Tony ODriscoll ... blog posts on the topic: Stephen Downes - Personal Learning I can talk about webs and networks and personal ...

This is WAY off topic, but so cool that I had to share.  These little mini business cards are full color and so personalized.  I'm hoping to have a bunch ready for the DevLearn2006 conference.  Enjoy! MOO We Love to ...

... mostly because I'm much more focused on my personal life and the many transitions I'm handling there. If I were to blog it ... who don't interject their personal lives into their blogs (ala Cathy Moore as reported to Michelle Martin ), then I don't think I'll make that list. Which is fine. Really. Blogging's not a contest... But personally, I like the personal. And yet, I also like my boundaries. Of course, I do see some connections that bridge the gap between my personal ...

Image via Wikipedia WHY #2 : Social Learning Personalizes Learning. The next verb of Social Learning is that it will personalize your learning.  I don't know how many training classes I have been to that I was told ... ! (or so) So we need to ask ourselves, who's agenda is it that a person learns a particular subject or information.  If ... is discovered by the learner. Like BarCamp, social learning is personalizes the learning to the individual, not to the ... that I can give back. This experience we very personal to me. I didn’t have to take a class on ...

Interesting post by Harold Jarche on PKM and Informal Learning . His sentiments echo much of what I've been saying around Course and Courseware Fading - The Future of eLearning and Improving Personal Learning - A Continuing Challenge for Learning Professionals . I'm looking forward to seeing more and more help emerge in how we can become better at our own learning so we can turn that around and help people in our organizations become better learners.

... traditional educational models: eportfolios and personal learning environments. Eportfolios have great potential, but little uptake. Personal learning environments have similar potential, but the concept is a bit difficult for educators to grasp.

What the heck is a PLE and why would I want one? What the heck is a PLE? Whats special about web 2.0?                         A PLE (personal learning environment) is: a system that helps learners take control of and manage their own learning. This includes providing support for learners to set their own learning goals, manage their learning, manage both content and ...

And I also sympathize with the "no its personal" beat down he took. There is certainly value in sharing methods and ... Social Network Operating Systems Personal Work and Learning Environments (PWLE) - More Discussion Personal ... With A Blog (T+D article) Personal Learning Strategies Personal Learning Learning Systems EPSS and ePerformance Personal Learning for Learning Professionals - Using Web 2.0 Tools to Make Reading & Research More Effective Personal Learning Knowledge Work Environment Personal and Group Learning Using Web 2.0 Tools ...

I've been reading a lot over the past few months around Personal Learning Environments and a lot of related material ... - Managing Personal Knowledge: Setting a Foundation for Transformation? In it, he points out that a stepping stone to Enterprise 2.0 adoption is getting folks to manage their personal knowledge and adopt practices like blogging for personal knowledge management (PKM) and personal learning. What this has come to make me realize is that for the vast majority of knowledge workers (including myself), there should be no separation between my Personal Learning Environment (PLE), ...

Ray Sims has a great post on Personal Learning Environment and personal learning environments . His diagram and description that states that we not only each have our own personal learning environment, but that we are interconnected in all sorts of ways and need to be able to group things together for certain kinds of groups (organizational, informal, etc.) very much aligns with my mental model. Ray tells us... What I am reaching for is an optimized environment for ... personal learning support - but starter versions that head you in the right direction longer term. Great stuff Ray.

... person; and he does it through blogging. In May 2008 his book "ProBlogger: Secrets for Blogging Your Way to a Six-Figure ... !). Darren recently got interviewed by Dan Shawbell who is an expert in personal branding. As the world becomes smaller recognition on the basis of a clear identity (or personal brand if you like, I know it is not exactly the same, maybe ... really good in personal marketing and we get our names posted everywhere. Others - with equal knowledge in our own field of ... to the expertise I would like to be known for). Now I know I am not good in personal marketing, but I want ...

A couple of interesting recent posts and my experience in my Collaborative Learning Class has me thinking about the usefulness of Tags both personally and in workgroups. From Bill Ives - Where Tagging Works and Where Tagging DoesnÂÂ't Work ÂÂ- Search Engine Lowdown I guess I tend to agree with Danny Sulliivan about the tagging and search ... be found at What are the Personal Benefits of Tagging? - One thing that the most useful of these reasons all have in common is that they allow the user to express tags using personal vocabulary. I personally have found that because ...

I was able to sit in on a session this year and I so listened to Stephen Downes talk about PLEs. I've been following Stephen for a couple years and so it was a pleasure and honor to not only hear him speak, but to sit on a panel discussion with him (I'll cover more on the panel discussion in another post). But reading The Bamboo Project blog reminded of how our digital lives are spread all over, and the idea of a PLE is quite compelling. Michele's post My Personal Learning Environment is GREAT! If you are new to the whole idea of PLEs then you should check out a PLE in action. I ...

Reports | Vol. 52 | No. 8 | Aug. 3, 2006 Growth of Online Personal Learning ... the Internet expand from a network of silo-ed content sources to nurturing personal spaces (weblogs, electronic portfolios) where we maintain a social presence, and personalized content and communications are brought to us. The network ... foreshadows is a shift in focus from course-specific websites and resources to the development of online personal ...

The latest edition of Personal Computer World (PCW) magazine includes an interesting review of the key events and changes that have occurred in the thirty years since its first publication. Here's a quick summary of what PCW has reported over this period (bear in mind that PCW is a UK magazine and its focus is heavily PC): 1978: Launch of Commodore Pet, with 9" monitor and 16K RAM. Launch of Apple II, with 16 colours, a cassette drive and a resolution of 280x160. All for $2500. Intel develops the 8086 processor. 1979: Space Invaders console arrives. Pacman hits ...

... and came up with some interesting points.  At the personal level was to be nimble, strategic, and develop yourself.  ...

... yesterday a new scope seminar started on personal learning environments . and an online conference on the future of education started at the University of Manitoba. all this accessable knowledge... viva Web.

... create personal work learning environments. Enterprises that love PLE's Cross battles Downes: is corporate learning ... Blogging Inside or Outside the Corporate Firewall Stephen Downes Personal Work and Learning Environments (PWLE) - More Discussion Jay Cross - Semantics & the first place Personal Work and Learning Environments PLEs are power tools Be the Node The Psychology and Skills of Personal Learning Environments Stephen Downes PLEase Stop Corporations aren't Allowed to be Personal This has made me wonder... if people will adopt ...

... the main differences between in person and online conferences? I have a bunch of random thoughts on this and I'm hoping ... rapidly increase and will slow down in-person conferences Prediction 2 - Smaller, targeted, short-burst, rapidly planned conferences will emerge. Now, don't get me wrong, I still very much like to do in-person conferences. I believe ... Aggregator or other things to make this a bit better. But really, when you think about what you do at an in-person ... in-person conferences. Threaded discussions are more effective and normally you don't have these in-person. You do ...

Early last year, Sue Waters of the Mobile Technology in TAFE podcast posted her video about the use of “spy glasses” (glasses or sunglasses with a built-in video camera), and how these can be used for recording first-person video footage for gathering assessment evidence or creating demonstration video clips. While the cost of one of the ... workplace hazard. If you have a particular need for capturing portable, mobile, first-person video for an educational ... -Sunglasses/ Tags: spyglasses video first person tutorial capture assessment mlearning m-learning mobilelearning ...

Found via Jack Vinson - 9 Mistakes That Can Kill Your Personal Growth - definitely worth a read. But I read it with the context of Personal Learning . The 9 mistakes are: Thinking you already know everything Being confused by the marketing hype Not taking action Giving up Worrying about/listening to what others think Dabbling with it Having unreasonable expectations Failing to/not wanting to (at least start to) understand yourself Not taking responsibility for yourself The one that really jumped out the most for me was: 3. Not taking action - Thinking ...

Learning Trends eLearning 2.0 LMS Web 2.0 Enterprise 2.0 Personal Learning Informal Learning ... Tags, Search Effectiveness, Personal Benefits : eLearning Technology ... thinking about the usefulness of Tags both personally and in workgroups. From Bill Ives - Where Tagging Works and ... found at What are the Personal Benefits of Tagging? - One thing that the most useful of these reasons all have in common is that they allow the user to express tags using personal vocabulary. I personally have found that because ...

... trying to do in: Personal Learning for Learning Professionals - Using Web 2.0 Tools to Make Reading & Research ...

I've recently been dealing with naming for a start-up and ran across a WSJ article - You're a Nobody Unless Your Name Googles Well . Given how hard it is to figure out business names, reading this was a little scary: So when Ms. Wilson, now 32, was pregnant with her first child, she ran every baby name she and her husband, Justin, considered through Google to make sure her baby wouldn't be born unsearchable. Her top choice: Kohler, an old family name that had the key, rare distinction of being uncommon on the Web when paired with Wilson. "Justin and I wanted our son's name to be as special ...