xWeb, its looking for me...

In today's session, and in this week's reading we are looking at the eXtended web.  The eXtended web or xWeb can be defined as the web where not only you search for information, but data searches for you as well.  Here's my visual take on that.

Oh no, the data is looking for me!!!

I was going to draw the data as a hunter...


On a side note, this was my first drawing using a tablet.  Not as easy as it looks, but I am happy with the result.

Recommenders - What?

I just finished reading Rita Kop's blog post called The eXTended Web and PLEs. One of things she talks about are Recommenders. I think that the idea of having a tool / resource that would recommend things I was interested in would be great. But what does a recommender look like? Do they already exist? If so, what do they look like?

Thinking of my PLE, I tried to identify what, if any recommenders did I have in there?

•  Friends and Colleagues - they know my interests and often share links, movie clips etc 
• The Oldaily.  To me, this is a recommender.  I am interested in many of the same things that Stephen is, so when he thinks a link is good enough to be placed in the Oldaily, I take notice.
• My RSS feeds, again, to me, these are recommenders.  I don't have a lot of them, but I am very interested in what ever they turn up.
• My Twitter Searches - I have a coupe of twitter searches set-up in Netvibes which feed me twitters based on hash tags (#plenk2010 is one of them).  Again, these are to me recommenders.

What are some more recommenders out there?

My PLE - first crack at a visual representation...

I created this using Cmap, a free concept mapping software. Not sure I did it right, but here it is...

Shifting Power between LMSs and PLEs

I just finished reading Dave Cormier's blog post PLE vs. LMS – disaggregate power, not people. and I have to agree that the difference between the two is who holds the power. As Dave says, an LMS gives the Institution the power, and PLE gives the individual the power. However, I believe that a LMS can be part of a PLE. If as a student at an institution, I am required to use an LMS, then it most certainly does become my PLE. I just have to make sure, that i can move my learning from the closed LMS to my LMS when i am no longer at the institution or when the course is completed.

I would also raise the point, that some learners may feel safer learning in a protected environment provided by a LMS, as oppose to using similar tools in an online, open environment. Not all learners are the same or have the same tech level (for lack of a better term) which would make their use of a LMS a better option for them.

Defining PLEs and PLNs – My current working definition / explanation….

I thought I knew what a PLE and a PLN was prior to this week, but I have had to adjust my thinking based on the readings I have done, the posts I have viewed and the Wednesday Session.

Prior to this course I thought of a PLE being a blog, my RSS feeds, etc, the more tool part of an PLE, and then the PLN was a group of people whom I would read what they had written or watch them present. I also felt that my PLE fit into my PLN, kind of like another hub in the network. I was also very much a lurker/observer, consuming and rarely if ever engaging or even commenting (creating) on something. But I now am seeing that a PLE and a PLN are something much more.

So, one week in to the course, I am seeing PLEs and PLNs differently. I think it would be interesting to express what I think a PLE and a PLN means to me now, and then revisit it towards the end of the course and see what has evolved.

So, a PLE is indeed, my personal learning environment, but it is not course based, or even institutionally based, but rather a tool/resource bag that is always evolving and changing which I use to manage my learning, whatever my current learning may be about (raising my son, Photoshop, PLEs, etc) regardless if it is some my professional development or for my personal life.

(I intend to create a diagram of my PLE and insert it here)

My PLN, and I am not sure I am totally comfortable with the Personal part, so for now I think I will call it just my Learning Network (although does not the “my”, make it personal?) is the group of people I consult with and interactive with to further my understanding. I think I was definitely missing this part. Because this involves connecting with the network and creating (even if its just a comment or a question) whereas I tended in the past to more just consume (lurk/observe). I need to get out there and interact / dialogue more. More Sensemaking…

I will endeavour to visit this topic in eight weeks, and see what has changed (if it can change so much in one week, I can not wait to see what it will be like in eight).

Notes from Dave Cormiers 5 points about PLEs and PLNs

I have decided to store this type of note, as well as my Session notes in a Google Doc. You can access this note in particular here.

To see all my notes, consult the link on the side.

PLENK2010 - A World Wide Course!!!

Am looking at the course intros…. Very cool we have learners from all over the world, Germany, Mexico, Fiji, Argentina, Australia, UAE, Oman, Philippines, Hungary, Georgia, Portugal, Canada, Uruguay, Greece, England, Ireland, Romania, China, Spain, Chile, and the USA just to name a few!!

UPDATE (2010-16-09): Just came across this map in the Moodle Forum. Very cool.

Am back...

Well what can I say... I am not much of blogger, but I have chance to bring this unused blog back into action. I have signed up for a MOOC on Personal Learning Networks, Personal Learning Environments and Networks Knowledge 2010. I think registration is till open.