PLE Diagram

Here is the link to my PLE diagram, my post on the class Facebook page, and my Tweet.

What did you learn about yourself when looking at your PLE?

This was probably my favorite project in the 543 class thus far. I think I enjoyed it so much because it allowed me to reflect on where I truly get my information from and how I build and take responsibility for my own learning experiences. I am an extremely organized person so I thought the organization of a desk would be most appropriate in representing my personality. I was also forced to think about the places I frequent. I would like to say I’m the “cool” educational professional that uses lots of blogging outlets or contributes to academic sites, but I’m not. I tend to think the online community has a lot of options that can be extremely overwhelming. Therefore, I’d rather go deep than wide. The tools, communities, or sources I put in my diagram represent those to which I am an active use or participant in. The beautiful thing is that several of these bleed into my personal life thus I become far more proficient and consistent about using them in my professional life. In looking at my diagram I also see how many of these tools cross paths. For example, what I bookmark in Diigo, might be shared on Twitter, included in a Prezi, and then posted to my WIX site. There are endless combinations and possibilities for how these tools can be connected. Again, I believe the “big idea” to be taken away from all of this is the importance of investing well in a few rather than investing poorly in a large amount.

Below is my analysis of 6 classmate's PLE diagrams.

Nick Urban: Nick’s PLE diagram was a solid picture of five distinct categories that connect to build his individualized learning. I appreciated that Nick and I shared similar resources, yet he also had several that I wasn’t aware of. This led to my research of a few new technology tools. I found it interesting his idea of having two globes with the arrow linking them. The arrow was accompanied by text that said “sort and decipher information” which pointed to the second globe which stated “Share information through social media and online communities.” I like this because Nick points out that we must decode information using our personal perspectives and views, and then share our interpretations with our PLNs. I failed to recognize or create this association in my diagram so I am thankful it appears in Nicks.

Renee Phoenix- Renee’s diagram sent me on a scavenger hunt to learn more about the different resources she posted. While I have viewed TED talks before I don’t use them very often. Yet, I see so many people rave about them. So I decided to do a little more depth in research and was excited to find so many TED talks that relate to my subject matter. In fact, through the Language Arts community on Linkedin, I found a talk hosted by author John Green which really peaked my interest. I also hadn’t looked very closely at MOOC. I was excited to see so many different course that are offered for educators online. I enjoy learning in the online environment because it fits my learning style. A great resource and I’m thankful Renee reminded me.

Jennifer Oestreich-Frost- As always I enjoyed Jennifer’s post and learned something new. I realized in looking at Jennifer’s PLE diagram I had missed two HUGE resource tools in my own: Dropbox and TweetDeck. Dropbox is a lifesaver for me. I use it not only to organize files, but to organize the different content on my different devices. Moreover, I often share my dropbox with close friends and family to host important content. The tool is an excellent resource for both personal and professional settings. Before entering this class I had yet to use Twitter. TweetDeck definitely made Twitter a lot more user-friendly. I especially love the setup when participating in Twitter Chats. It is really neat to see the live progression of a Twitter chat and far more easy to navigate using TweetDeck.

Cassie Davenport- This might be might favorite PLE diagram posted by my classmates. I love the symbolism behind the picture of the open road. Moreover, the diagram is clean and neat which I appreciate. I think part of this assignment reveals personality types and Cassie’s very much matches mine. I also appreciate that Cassie incorporated a handful of tools that I neglected to include in my own PLE. She brought to my attention Feedly, Google Scholar, and Moodle, all of which are tools I use on a regular basis. Google Scholar is a resource that I haven’t seen displayed on any PLE diagrams and yet something we should in higher regard, especially when teaching our students academic research. Google Scholar helps to assure that we find information that is accurate and credible, things that are hard to find in traditional Google searching.  

Elizabeth Wood- What I appreciate most about Elizabeth’s diagram is the simplicity of it’s nature. Her diagram makes it clear that each network has distinct features, but yet can be connected based upon choice. For example, YouTube and Google Plus are separate and distinct tools; however, partnership between the two can exist to build the individual’s Personal Learning Network. Also, I wasn’t sure what a handful of icons represent. I posted to Facebook asking Elizabeth to clarify. I am excited to hear her response as I am interested in learning about new tools I have yet to experience.

Darin Gray- I found Darin’s diagram to be particularly interesting. Majority of the resources he chose to post I have either not heard of or have not personally used. It was actually a bit challenging to understand his PLE because I am so unfamiliar with many of the tools, but this nudged me to do some research and become educated about the resource he uses. I really liked his idea of the new world and the old world being like a ship sailing the ocean. This is a very creative display because the road of educational progress is not a smooth or clear path. It is full of storms and all sorts of chaos, yet when it finds stillness it often experiences peaceful fruit. There is great depth behind the imagery of this diagram.