Making learning personal –
enhancing technology to
meet the needs of 21st
Century learners
Karen Velasco
Deputy Chairman
British Institute for Learning and Development
and Member of ROLE Project Board
© www.role-project.eu
Agenda
Trends in learning
Personal Learning Environments (PLEs) – a potted history
The barriers and constraints of PLEs
From PLEs to ROLEs
The ROLE project (inc case study)
Question time
25 February 2010
L&D 2020: Shaping change in learning
© www.role-project.eu
The changing shape of learning
25 February 2010
L&D 2020: Shaping change in learning
© www.role-project.eu
Five learning trends for 2009*
Mobile learning
DIY learning
Flexible learning environments
Virtual worlds
Games and simulations
* According to Brandon Hall, Chief Learning Officer magazine, January 2009
25 February 2010
L&D 2020: Shaping change in learning
© www.role-project.eu
First a question ...
How many people have:
• Heard of a Personal Learning
Environment (PLE)?
• Used a PLE?
1 October 2009
What is a PLE?
A Personal Learning Environment is not:
• A specific software application
• A system for creating or delivering e-learning content
• A learning management system
• A content management system
• A virtual learning environment (in its strictest sense)
A Personal Learning Environment is:
• A concept, based on Web 2.0 technology
• A collection of tools and systems
• Browser based
• An environment where learners access information from a
variety of sources
• Personal to the user – learner-centric
• Distributed and social
25 February 2010
L&D 2020: Shaping change in learning
© www.role-project.eu
PLEs – definitions
A Personal Learning Environment is a facility for an individual to
access, aggregate, configure and manipulate digital artefacts of their
ongoing learning experiences.
Personal Learning Environments are systems that help learners take
control of and manager their own learning. This includes providing
support for learners to:
• Set their own learning goals
• Manage their learning – both content and process
• Communicate with other in the process of learning
And thereby achieve their learning goals.
PLEs are based on the idea that most learning takes place
informally, in different contexts and situations, and not by one single
provider.
25 February 2010
L&D 2020: Shaping change in learning
© www.role-project.eu
PLE elements
PLEs may be made up of:
• Production tools
• Collaboration and sharing tools
• Communication
• Storage tools
• Aggregating content
• Aggregating people
• Aggregating software
• Identity management
• APIs and protocols
25 February 2010
L&D 2020: Shaping change in learning
© www.role-project.eu
Discussion topic
• What are the benefits to (a)
you personally and (b) your
organisation of using a PLE?
• What are the
drawbacks/limitations of PLEs?
1 October 2009
Benefits of PLEs
PLEs allow you to:
• Create a repository of material about a particular subject matter
• Communicate and collaborate
• Organise material in a way that is personal to you
• Learn formally and informally
• Learn at a time and place to suit you
• Learn throughout your life
• Use whatever tools and devices you want (eg mobile phone, PS3, Wii)
• Interact with friends and wider communities
• Explore a subject in an informal manner
• Reflect on your learning
• Submit work for assessment and review
• And much more ...
25 February 2010
L&D 2020: Shaping change in learning
© www.role-project.eu
Drawbacks of PLEs
• Numerous tools may be overwhelming
• Skill levels
– Computer literacy
– Information literacy
• Differing pedagogical viewpoints
• Access to technology and software may be limited
• Reconciling the structured nature of formal education with the informal
attributes of networked learning
• Data privacy and security issues
• Still mainly linked with FE/HE sectors
• Take-up in the workplace
• Do blogs, wikis, and podcasts qualify as a PLE?
• Just how responsive and intuitive are PLEs?
25 February 2010
L&D 2020: Shaping change in learning
© www.role-project.eu
iGoogle – is it a PLE?
“Google is the most-used e-learning application.”
Graham Attwell, Pontydysgu
25 February 2010
L&D 2020: Shaping change in learning
© www.role-project.eu
From PLE to ROLE
Responsive
Open
Learning
Environments
“an adaptive, predictive learning tool”
25 February 2010
L&D 2020: Shaping change in learning
© www.role-project.eu
Who is ROLE?
1.
Fraunhofer FIT DE
2.
RWTH Aachen University DE
3.
Technical University of Graz AT
4.
Katholieke Universiteit Leuven BE
5.
University of Koblenz DE
6.
Uppsala University SE
7.
École Polytechnique Fédérale de Lausanne CH
8.
University of Leicester UK
9.
Open University UK
10. Vienna University of Economics & Business Administration AT
11. Festo Lernzentrum Saar GmbH DE
12. imc AG DE
13. British Institute for Learning and Development UK
14. Shanghai Jiao Tong University, China
15. Zentrum für Soziale Innovation AT
16. U&I Learning BE
25 February 2010
L&D 2020: Shaping change in learning
© www.role-project.eu
ROLE vision
• Empower the learner to build their
own responsive learning
environment
ROLE Vision
Responsiveness
User-centred
25 February 2010
• Awareness and reflection of own
learning process
• Individually adapted composition of
personal learning environment
L&D 2020: Shaping change in learning
© www.role-project.eu
The ROLE Video
1 October 2009
Today’s PLEs
FE/HE
Companies
Courses and Content
in LMS
Courses and Content
in LMS/LCMS
Corporate
Corporate
Blogs
Resources
Institute
Services
Private
Add-in
Education
Applications
25 February 2010
Communities / Social Network
Groups / Experts
L&D 2020: Shaping change in learning
Search and
Open Resource
Repositories
© www.role-project.eu
From PLE to ROLE
25 February 2010
L&D 2020: Shaping change in learning
© www.role-project.eu
Case study – English Language Learning Scenario
25 February 2010
L&D 2020: Shaping change in learning
© www.role-project.eu
Case study – English Language Learning Scenario
25 February 2010
L&D 2020: Shaping change in learning
© www.role-project.eu
Case study – English Language Learning Scenario
25 February 2010
L&D 2020: Shaping change in learning
© www.role-project.eu
Case study – English Language Learning Scenario
25 February 2010
L&D 2020: Shaping change in learning
© www.role-project.eu
Case study – English Language Learning Scenario
25 February 2010
L&D 2020: Shaping change in learning
© www.role-project.eu
A few questions ...
• Are we in danger of relying on “total
technology”?
• What about the digital divide?
• Should we rely on technology alone to
promote knowledge and social
inclusion?
• Do we have the infrastructure to
support it?
• What about diversity issues?
• What about assessment and
accreditation of learning?
• Is it truly global?
• If we build it, will they come?
25 February 2010
L&D 2020: Shaping change in learning
© www.role-project.eu
ROLE website – www.role-project.eu
For more information
ROLE website:
http://www.role-project.eu/
LinkedIn ROLE group:
http://www.linkedin.com/groupInvitation?gid=1590487
British Institute for Learning and Development:
http://www.thebild.org
Contact me:
karen.velasco@peoplesolve.com
25 February 2010
L&D 2020: Shaping change in learning
© www.role-project.eu
Any questions?
25 February 2010
L&D 2020: Shaping change in learning
© www.role-project.eu