The document discusses the development of personal learning environments (PLEs) as a framework for distributed learning. PLEs allow learners to access information from multiple sources using various web tools. They are personal and learner-centric, tailored to individual needs. Key PLE elements include tools for content production, collaboration, communication, storage, aggregation of people and content. PLEs offer benefits like organizing materials personally, facilitating communication and collaboration, and supporting both formal and informal lifelong learning. Technological solutions proposed include using .NET technologies, jQuery, OAuth for single sign-on, and protocols like Web Sockets and PubSubHubbub to enable real-time interactions in a distributed system.