PhD Journey

1. PhD Journey Started: January 2012 End: December 2015?

2. Area 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

3. 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

4. “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).

5. My PLE Encompasses • Personal Learning Network • Online and offline resources • Software and online tools • Computer for access and storage

6. Literature Being Explored • Work-based learning • Adult learning, including informal/formal & self-directed, online • Personal learning environments • Situated learning • Communities of practice • Learning groups • Individual connections • Critical literacies

8. Digital Literacies11 literacies identified by Jenkins et al. (2006) • Play • Performance • Simulation • Appropriation • Multitasking • Disruptive cognition • Collective intelligence • Judgment • Transmedia navigation • Networking • Negotiation

9. 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

10. Informal Learning • Difference between informal & non-formal not clear • Four organising principles: • Context: learning that occurs outside of classroom-based formal educational settings • Cognisance: intentional/incidental learning • Experiential: practice and judgement • Relationship: learning through ‘sitting next to Nellie’, mentoring, team working (Lee et al., 2004)

11. Proposed 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)

12. Participants • Individuals identified through employers and industry organisations • Insurance, policing, security management, investigations • CPD for voluntary designations, promotional exams, licensing/membership requirements

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

14. References • 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.