Personal Learning Environments [PLEs]: Exploring Possibilities for Teaching & Learning

Personal Learning Environments [PLEs] are integrated systems and tools that allow individuals to take control of and manage their own learning. In this respect, PLEs embody the Web 2.0 philosophy of empowering individuals to actively construct their understanding and experience. This session will give an overview of PLEs within an educational context, and present some new ideas and ways that can help you customize your own PLE for teaching and learning. Anita Zijdemans Boudreau is an Assistant Professor in the College of Education at Pacific University. Her primary interest lies at the intersection of learning and technology and how they are integrated into practice. Her research activities have included professional and teacher development in Web 2.0 technologies, constructivist instructional designs to support learning communities in diverse contexts, as well as exploring immersive 3D virtual worlds, such as Second Life, in education