Personal Learning Environments

Stephen Downes writes an extensively researched and referenced blog about higher education that I follow and learn from on a regular basis. Last week he posted something that caught my eye for two reasons. The first was the logo:

The second was research on PLE - personal learning environments.
Stephen quotes
Graham Attwell from the Wales-Wide Web: "Instead of the learner logging in to a university based system the leaner is able to integrate multiple contexts and sources of learning and develop their own 'learning mix'. Moreover this promises to be of use to the many, many thousands of learners who are not registered with educational institutions. It may even force institutions to reflect on their role in supporting - rather than defining - learning and knowledge."

He's referring to research by Scott Wilson from Bolton University. They'll present the Personal Learning Environment Theme at a conference this coming week. They are addressing the hard issues of conflict between proprietary VLEs (virtual learning environments) and the need for individuals to have cross-institutional or non-institutional PLEs (personal learning environments).

This interests me because we are continually building toward a platform that enables us as individuals to learn, share, work, collaborate, and create from own own center, irrelevant of the differents academic or professional or creative working groups.