Personal learning
environments (PLEs) are defined as an approach that integrates informal and
formal teaching with tools and technologies which are part of web 2.0. Web
2.0 refers to the collection of applications common to internet users such as
blogs, wikis, social media, and other forms of collaboration and instant
communication. The force behind the momentum to make PLEs available to our
students is a belief that students are younger and more technologically adept,
sometimes termed “digital natives.” The argument is that these digital natives, who were born into a total
digital age, will learn better if they have the tools they commonly use, such
as social networking and IM, to complete their school work. PLEs involve
collaboration among peers through a variety of technologies. While much of the
academic research seems to have accepted the premise that our younger students
think and learn in a unique way, other research supports the idea that a total
dedication to PLEs might be an error and might work against the ability of
students to learn. These arguments, pro and con, are found within this paper as
well as a brief discussion of the challenges the implementation of PLEs might
have on a university’s ability to support such a process. There are significant
concerns about the readiness of faculty for the implementation of PLEs. There
is concern, as well, regarding the ability of universities to pay the costs of
modifying their online learning system infrastructure to support full access to
web 2.0 within the university’s current technology and security systems.
Cite this paper
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