PhD JourneyPhD JourneyStarted: January 2012End: December 2015?

Area of StudyArea of Study• eLearning & Learning Technologies in self-

directed work-based learning• Personal Learning Environments (PLEs) in

Continuing Professional Development• To understand the digital literacies required for

learners to develop their PLEs.• … or not

What is a PLE?What is a PLE?• Depends who you talk to (or read)• A concept or approach and/or a technology/tool• Found many promoting as concept are just

playing it “lip service” (Fiedler & Väljataga, 2010)• Concept, but need to recognise other positions

• “Personal Learning Environments are not an application but rather a new approach to the use of technologies for learning…. the argument for the use of Personal Learning environments is not technical but rather is philosophic, ethical and pedagogic” (Attwell, 2007).

My PLEMy PLEEncompasses•Personal Learning Network•Online and offline resources•Software and online tools•Computer for access and storage

Literature Being Literature Being ExploredExplored

• Work-based learning• Adult learning, including informal/formal & self-

directed, online• Personal learning environments• Situated learning

o Communities of practiceo Learning groupso Individual connections

• Critical literacies

Digital LiteraciesDigital Literacies11 literacies identified by Jenkins et al. (2006)11 literacies identified by Jenkins et al. (2006)

• Collective intelligence• Judgment• Transmedia navigation• Networking• Negotiation

• Play• Performance• Simulation• Appropriation• Multitasking• Disruptive cognition

Formal or Informal?Formal or Informal?• Or non-formal?• Definitions vary, including whether you can

distinguish between them• Formal – curriculum, teacher (or other term),

assessment/certification (Hager & Halliday, 2006)• Informal – not formal

Informal LearningInformal Learning• Difference between informal & non-formal not

clear• Four organising principles:

o Context: learning that occurs outside of classroom-based formal educational settings

o Cognisance: intentional/incidental learningo Experiential: practice and judgemento Relationship: learning through ‘sitting next to Nellie’, mentoring, team

working(Lee et al., 2004)

Proposed StudyProposed Study• Identify how PLEs are being used• Understand the critical literacies/skills developed

by the participants, and when• Questionnaire and semi-structured interviews• Value creation stories• Mixed Methods (quantitative & qualitative)

ParticipantsParticipants• Individuals identified through employers and

industry organisations • Insurance, policing, security management,

investigations• CPD for voluntary designations, promotional

exams, licensing/membership requirements

Next 6 MonthsNext 6 Months• Lit Review• Pilot Study• Increase hours without interruptions• Complete research modules• Schedule APG

ReferencesReferences• Attwell, G. (2007). Personal learning environments: The future of

eLearning? learningpapers. Retrieved from http://scholar.google.com/scholar?q=related:xilNS9aArk4J:scholar.google.com/&hl=en&num=30&as_sdt=0,5

• Lee, T., Fuller, A., Ashton, D., Butler, P., Felstead, A., Unwin, L., & Walters, S. (2004). Workplace learning: Main themes & perspectives. Learning as Work Research Paper(2).

• Fiedler, S., & Väljataga, T. (2010). Personal learning environments: concept or technology? Paper presented at the PLE Conference 2010, Barcelona. Retrieved from http://pleconference.citilab.eu/wp-content/uploads/2010/07/ple2010_submission_45.pdf

• Jenkins, H., Clinton, K., Purushotma, R., Robison, A. J., & Weigel, M. (2006). Confronting the challenges of participatory culture: Media education for the 21st Century. White paper for the MacArthur Foundation.