The PLE as a framework for developing agency in lifelong learning
- PDF / 684,624 Bytes
- 15 Pages / 439.37 x 666.142 pts Page_size
- 48 Downloads / 165 Views
The PLE as a framework for developing agency in lifelong learning Nada Dabbagh1 · Linda Castaneda2 Accepted: 26 September 2020 © Association for Educational Communications and Technology 2020
Abstract In this paper, we lay the foundations of the personal learning environment or PLE, its conception, cognitive and theoretical underpinnings, and implications for the design of pedagogical processes and learning ecosystems. We characterize the PLE as a technosocial reality that embodies the sociomaterial entanglement with which people learn as well as an approach that enacts contemporary ideas about how people learn. We argue that the learning ecology of the PLE and its disruptive educational character, position it as a framework that addresses the challenges of being in a continuous learning mode and empowers learners to direct their own learning and develop agency in lifelong learning. We envision the PLE as the core of a learning activity ecosystem that is diverse, personalized, social, adaptive, integrated, and transparent, enabling the creation of a network of learning that supports students as peers, creators and entrepreneurs, and agents of their own learning. We conclude with implications and challenges for future research and educational practice. Keywords Personal learning environments (PLEs) · Social media technologies · Lifelong learning · Informal learning · Learning ecosystem · Technosocial
Introduction We live in a climate of continuous change, exponentially accelerated by technology, leading to an unpredictable future. Technology is no longer only an instrument or tool used to support and enhance life skills and processes (de Vries 2016; Oliver 2016), rather, technology is shaping sociocultural practices and human behavior at every level making it critical to understand its global influence on learning practices (Adell 2018; Clark 2003; Selwyn 2017; Veletsianos and Moe 2017). The rapidity of change makes ongoing efforts to reskill * Nada Dabbagh [email protected] Linda Castaneda [email protected] 1
Division of Learning Technologies, College of Education and Human Development, George Mason University, MSN 5D6, Fairfax, VA 22030, USA
2
Grupo de Investigación de Tecnología Educativa, Departamento de Didáctica y Organización Escolar, Facultad de Educación, Universidad de Murcia, Murcia, Spain
13
Vol.:(0123456789)
N. Dabbagh, L. Castaneda
and retool even more critical to modern-day workers (Donovan and Benko 2016; Pelster et al. 2017; Thomas and Brown 2011). Workers must be ready to adapt quickly to new contexts triggered by technological advancements, to reskill continuously, and to integrate learning into every facet of their jobs. The key to survival—and success—for individuals in this environment is contextual awareness, flexibility, and continuous learning (Knowland and Thomas 2014). As Alvin Toffler, author and futurist said, “The illiterate of the twenty-first century will not be those who cannot read and write, but those who cannot learn, unlearn, and relearn.” In this paper, we propose
Data Loading...
