Personal Learning Environments, Network and Knowledge 2010 #PLENK2010 and #edtech20

PLENK2010 will be offered as a connectivist course, therefore offering participants to acquire the experience of developing and working within a learning network while studying the body of relevant research.
In a connectivist course course materials and course content are defined by participants as the course progresses, rather than prior to the course by instructors. Though the course outline defines a set of selected topics, these function as signposts for an iterative process of search, practice and reflection, as described here: http://connect.downes.ca/how.htm
To facilitate this process, course facilitators will maintain the following levels of course support:

• a course wiki, which may be edited by participants, describing the course outline
• a daily newsletter, which will aggregate student blogs, Twitter posts, and discussion posts
• each Sunday readings and resources will be posted to the wiki and (on Monday) to the Daily
• a Moodle discussion forum, read and responded to by course facilitators
• Wednesday Elluminate session, usually featuring a relevant guess speaker
• Friday Elluminate session, as a weekly review with course facilitators

The course may not be limited to this level of support as course participants are encouraged to develop their own course supports and to share those supports with other participants. Examples of such supports in previous courses have included concept maps, Google groups, Second Life sessions, in-person meetings, course-meetups, and more. Facilitators will participate in these additional supports as possible given time and facilities constraints.
In the last five years, the twin concepts of the personal learning environment (PLE) and personal learning network (PLN) have been offered as alternatives to more traditional environments such as the learning management system (LMS) and institutionally-based courses.
During that time, a substantial body of research has been produced by thinkers, technologists and practitioners in the field. Dozens of studies, reviews, conference presentations, concept papers and diagrams are now available.
The purpose of this course will be to clarify and substantiate, from the context of this new research, the concepts of personal learning environments and networks. Course facilitators and participants will analyze the research literature and evaluate it against their own experience with the intent of developing a comprehensive understanding of personal learning environments and networks.
Personal Learning Environments, Networks, and Knowledge is a course sponsored and organized by the Technology Enhanced Knowledge Research Institute (TEKRI) at Athabasca University.
 PLENK2010 started in September 13, 2010 and will end in November 14, 2010

1. Course Details
2. Weekly Activities
3. Learner Assignments and Evaluation
4. Resources and General Information
5. Research in Personal Learning Environments
6. Week 1: A tour of PLEs and PLNS - diagrams, discussions, examples - September 12, 2010
7. Week 2: Contrasting personal learning with institutional learning - September 19, 2010
8. Week 3: Understanding the neXT/eXtended Web - September 26, 2010
   
9. Week 4: PLE/PLN and learning theories - October 03, 2010
10. Week 5: Evaluating Learning in PLE/Ns - October 10, 2010
11. Week 6: Using PLEs successfully - skills, mindsets, and critical literacies - October 17, 2010
12. Week 7: PLE/Ns Tools - What Exists, What is Being Built? - October 24, 2010
13. Week 8: PLE/Ns and personal knowledge management- October 31, 2010
14. Week 9: PLE/Ns in the classroom (PLE/Ns and blended learning) - November 7, 2010
15. Week 10: Critical perspectives on PLE/PLN - November 14, 2010
16. Live Sessions / Recordings

Facilitators:
George Siemens, TEKRI
Stephen Downes, NRC
Dave Cormier, UPEI
Rita Kop, NRC
Facilitator Bios