This presentation is from the 2014 USDLA National Conference. In today's rapidly changing world, it is more important than ever that each of us becomes a life-long learner and that we help the learners we work with to follow that path. While some environments still provide active professional development plans, others do not. If an environment does provide an active professional development plan, too often it will focus on keeping skills needed for your current position up-to-date rather than increasing or enhancing your skills to expand your future opportunities. This issue is compounded in the many environments where active development plans are not offered; therefore, much of the development falls to you. One way to prepare yourself for whatever comes your way is by developing and nurturing your own Personal Learning Environment (PLE). While the definition of a PLE may not be firmly established, at this point the focus is learner-centric and it provides ways for the learners to control and manage their own learning. A PLE is comprised of all of the tools, processes (formal and informal), and methods that individual learners use to expand their knowledge, skills and competencies. This would include, among other things, Web 2.0 applications, LMS, books, and people they connect with personally or professionally.

1. If You PLEs …
You’ll Thank Me Later
@valarywithawhy
#usdlaPLE
valaryo@gmail.com
about.me/valary

2. http://bit.ly/Pui6sw

4. Personal
Learning
Environment

5. Image created with http://www.tagxedo.com/ Cloud content from http://learnrinserepeat.tumblr.com
Learn, Rinse, Repeat: Where the learning never stops

6. http://bit.ly/1jCs0R0
Steve Wheeler’s diagram from Learning with 'e's

7. http://bit.ly/1k7gn7N
Dr. Mark Bilandzic’s diagram …

8. People
Learn
Everywhere

9. Progressive
Learner-controlled
Enduring

10. Perpetual
Learning
Experiences

11. Proactive
Learning
Experiences

12. http://www.kiostark.com/dont-go-back-to-school/
“many more ways to
learn outside of
school than within”

13. YOUR PLE IS AN ALTERNATE ROUTE

14. http://bit.ly/1rmQMJ4

15. YOUR PLE KEEPS YOU RELEVANT

16. Median tenure of
U.S. employees is
4.4 Years
http://bit.ly/1iZ2yIw

17. Image from http://bit.ly/RMxcvr
“… knowledge is like milk. It has a shelf
life … *if you don't replace it+ … your
career is going to turn sour fast."
Louis Ross, Ford Motor Company

18. YOUR PLE IS A FILTER

19. http://bit.ly/1mAqDGw

20. TAKE A SNAPSHOT OF YOUR PLE

21. What is in my current PLE?
Formal / Informal
Consumer / Producer
Digital / Analog
Personal / Professional

22. What is in my current PLE?
Formal / Informal
Consumer / Producer
Digital / Analog
Personal / Professional
Process of developing your PLE
Curate | Contemplate | Contribute
Formal Learning
+ Work LMS
+ UMBC
+ MOOCs
(also informal)
Social Media
+ Google+
+ Facebook
+ Twitter
– hashtags
– microblog
– backchannel
– join chats
+ Tumblr
+ LinkedIn
– professional
profiles
– join groups
– ask/answer
questions
Me
Digital Content
+ Blogs
– comment
– add value
– start
conversations
+ Webinars
+ Safari online
+ Kindle reader
+ Google reader
– aggregator
– tag posts
In Person
+ Friends/Family
+ Work Colleagues
+ Conferences

23. Process of developing your PLE
Curate | Contemplate | Contribute

24. “… my PLE has
become my lifeline. I
placed the learners
… where the heart is
because they are
why I do what I do!”
http://bit.ly/1jCtBWU
Nona Barker’s PLE

25. DEVELOP YOUR PLE

26. #1 TAKE 5 … BLOGS THAT IS

27. http://www.scoop.it/t/learn-rinse-repeat

28. http://www.usergeneratedlearning.com/
“I routinely declare
‘Google Reader
bankruptcy’ (aka
marking all my
posts as read and
just starting over) to
easy my anxiety!”

29. #2 GET ALL A-TWITTER

30. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=57dzaMaouXA
#Hashtag

31. https://www.tagboard.com/

32. #3 BUILD A BRIDGE

33. http://www.thenewsociallearning.com/
“Training often gives
people solutions to
problems already
solved. Collaboration
addresses challenges
no one has overcome
before.”

35. #4 SHARING IS CARING

36. “Blog, blog,
blog, blog, b
log …”

37. Curate Contemplate Contribute

38. “I write to discover
what I know.”
Flannery O’Connor
Image from http://bit.ly/1f53JqT

39. #5 ADD TO YOUR TOOLBOX

40. Jane Hart’s 10 Tool Challenge
1.Bitly
2.Scoop.it
3.Scribd
4.Voicethread
5.Tagboard
6.Haiku Deck
7.FeedReader
8.Picmonkey
9.Degreed
10.Tapestry

41. #6 TRY SOMETHING NEW

42. Попробуйте
что-то новое

43. “In the beginner’s mind there
are many possibilities, in the
expert’s mind there are few.”
Shunryu Suzuki
http://bit.ly/1rmSWsa

44. MAKE A COMMITMENT

45. Review content
Reflect and writeComment on posts
Respond to comments
Share a link
Got an hour? Get online

46. ❑ 2 retweets
❑ 2 new tweets
❑ 1 tweet about you or your business
❑ 3 replies to new people
❑ 3 replies to people you already know
❑ Give thanks
Workout from http://bit.ly/1f53VGQ Image from http://bit.ly/1nHcbMC
Daily Twitter Workout

47. Image from http://bit.ly/1tHrLMF

48. If You PLEs … You’ll Thank Me Later
@valarywithawhy
#usdlaPLE
valaryo@gmail.com
about.me/valary
Slides
Handouts 

49. 10 Ways to Find Blogs You'll Love, Retrieved from http://mashable.com/2011/04/11/blog-discovery/
Bingham, T. & Conner, M. (2010). The new social learning: Guide to transforming organizations through
social media. San Francisco, CA: Berrett-Koehler and ASTD.
Clifford, M. (Jan. 2013). “20 tips for creating a professional learning network.” Retrieved from
http://gettingsmart.com/2013/01/20-tips-for-creating-a-professional-learning-network/
Did You Know 2014, Retrieved from https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XrJjfDUzD7M
Hart, J. “Take the 10 tool challenge.” Retrieved from http://www.c4lpt.co.uk/blog/2013/01/08/take-the-
10-tools-challenge/
Kamenetz, A. (Jan. 12, 2012). “The four-year career: Lessons from the new world of quicksilver
work, where ‘career planning’ is an oxymoron.” Fast Company. Retrieved from
http://www.fastcompany.com/1802731/four-year-career
Kamenetz, A. (2010). DIY U: Edupunks, edupreneurs, and the coming transformation of higher education.
White River Junction, VT: Chelsea Green Publishing Company.
Kop, R. & Fourier, H. (2013). Developing a framework for research on personal learning environments.
Retrieved from http://openeducationeuropa.eu/en/article/Developing-a-framework-for-research-
on-Personal-Learning-Environments-?paper=13343
Resources

50. Morrison, D. (Jan. 5, 2013). “How to create a ‘Personal Learning Environment’ to stay relevant in
2013, Retrieved from http://onlinelearninginsights.wordpress.com/2013/01/05/how-to-create-a-
personal-learning-environment-to-stay-relevant-in-2013/
PLE Diagrams, Retrieved from http://edtechpost.wikispaces.com/PLE+Diagrams
Richardson, W. & Mancabelli, R. (2011). Personal learning networks: Using the power of connections to
transform education. Solution Tree. Kindle Edition.
Skrabut, S. “Personal learning environments: The natural way of learning.” Retrieved from
http://www.uwyo.edu/skrabut/docs/aded5050_project.pdf
Shirky, C. (2008). “It’s not information overload. It’s filter failure.” Retrieved from
http://blip.tv/web2expo/web-2-0-expo-ny-clay-shirky-shirky-com-it-s-not-information-overload-it-
s-filter-failure-1283699
Social Media Workout. Retrieved from http://lightspandigital.com/wp-
content/uploads/2010/09/DailySocialMediaWorkouts_0910.pdf
Thomas, D. & Seely Brown, J. (2011). A new culture of learning: Cultivating the imagination for a world of
constant change. CreateSpace. Kindle Edition.
Resources