Preservice Teachers’ Perception and Use of Personal Learning Environments (PLEs)

Abstract

Personal learning environments (PLEs) are Web 2.0 tools and services by which users' access, construct, manage, and share educational contents in order to meet their learning needs. These environments enable users to manage their learning according to their own personal preferences.They further promote socialization and collaboration with their broad user networks and interaction facilities. In this study, with a case sample from a public university in Turkey, student teachers' PLE use and their perceptions regarding these environments are examined. For data collection, the PLE Perception Scale and PLE Use Scale developed by the researchers were used. It was observed that all participants used various PLEs and found them easy and practical on the whole. However, it was found that this utilization mostly had the aim of access and sharing knowledge in learning, while use of constructing and managing it remained limited. Emailing, social networking, file sharing, video sharing, Internet searching, and social encyclopedias were found most commonly used PLEs. Our findings also show that gender and grade level do not have an effect on the perception and use of PLEs.

Teachers’ Opinions on the Use of Personal Learning Environments for Intercultural Competence

“…In PLE, students take an active role in the learning process. In this way, they can visualize their objectives more clearly, and the strategies to achieve them [1,8].…”

“…In addition to traditional learning environments, different studies specify the influence of information and communication technologies on the appearance of new PLE [8,9], among which 1.2. The Importance of PLE in the Development of the Students' Intercultural Competences PLE have been influenced by the phenomenon of migration and globalization.…”

“…The recommendations by experts in light of the effects of globalization suggest the need to find new teaching-learning methods [8] that would involve the creation of new environments for tending to the cultural diversity of different classrooms [24,25]. However, the educational policy for the Andalusian community does not allow intercultural education to be carried out in the official curriculum [26].…”

“…For example, virtual learning environments offer the opportunity to create novel and effective contexts such as simulations, role-plays, and avatars in collaborative works, among others [11][12][13][14]. According to Castañeda and Adell [1], all these virtual and traditional PLE can be classified into three fundamental categories: (a) tools and reading strategies, including those PLE that provide access to information, such as newsletters, blogs, video channels, quick readings, book reviews, and conference attendance; (b) tools and strategies of reflection, integrated by PLE that serve to transform the information and reflect it, such as blogs, publications, social networking walls, notebooks, and class diaries; (c) tools and relationship strategies, which include all PLE that enable interaction and exchange of information, such as social networks, applications or the classroom itself.Likewise, PLE contribute to socialization [8,15]. This occurs in learning communities created with the use of PLE where experiences and social interactions are shared in an environment of trust, security and responsibility [16].…”

“…Likewise, PLE contribute to socialization [8,15]. This occurs in learning communities created with the use of PLE where experiences and social interactions are shared in an environment of trust, security and responsibility [16].…”