1) The document discusses research on implementing a personal learning environment (PLE) using Web 2.0 tools in a secondary school context. 2) Students used tools like iGoogle, MindMeister, Google Docs, and blogs/websites to collaborate on a project to design a digital travel guide for Egypt. 3) Results showed that students employed technology to support collaborative learning and higher-order thinking skills, taking more control over their learning. However, some students focused more on surface aspects than content quality. 4) Both students and teachers saw benefits like improved collaboration, but shifting to a more student-centered approach required changes to roles and conceptions of learning. More student involvement in activity design

1. Implementing a PLE in a secondary
school context by using free Web2.0
tools
Technology, Police, and Management Faculty
TU Delft
April 2012
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2. PLE approaches to learning
Ebrahim Rahimi, Jan Van Den Berg, Wim Veen, PLE 2011, Southampton
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3. Key Challenge for formal education
How should a PLE-based learning environment be designed
and integrated into educational settings to meet the
heterogeneous Learning demands of students?
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4. About our Research
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5. Research Context:
Participants: 29 students (12-13 years old)
Course name: People and Geography
Technological infrastructure: All students have their own laptop during school
time and they have (almost) full access to Internet during project period
Teacher: an adopter of web technologies
Project title: Research, design and develop a digital travelling guide for Egypt
Project duration: 6 Weeks
Educational objectives: For students:
-To being familiar with travelling guide concept,
-To Know important geographical and societal aspects of Egypt
-To learn how use web tools to manage information and group working
-To practice skills like mind mapping, story telling, and brain storming
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6. Introduced tools and learning techniques
Tools Learning techniques
Tool Purpose
iGoogle Personal Start Page Group brain storming
Mind Mapping
MindMeister Mind mapping
Group Story telling
Google Docs Document creating and sharing
Google Sites Project wiki, students websites
WordPress and Blogger Blogging
Twitter Micro blogging
Prezi Presentation
Free website building and hosting tools Create final traveling guide
YouTube Video Content
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7. Research Methodology:
Research methodology: Design-based research
Data collection : direct observation, Field note, Interview with teacher and
students, Archived information , Final artifacts created by students, Survey
Main Research questions:
Q1: What activities have been accomplished by the students by using
their PLEs?
Q2: How the PLE-based learning is perceived by the involved teachers and
students?
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8. Research Design
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9. Main elements of educational setting, being involved in PLE-based learning
Student
Student
Teacher
Teacher
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10. A model to integrate PLE constructing into teaching/learning process
Activity(es) Partner(s)
Selecting learning topic Teacher
Defining Learning Objectives
Teacher &
students
Defining Pedagogical/technical tasks, guidelines
and assignments based on the learning topic and Teacher
Phases of learning cycle objectives
Selecting Organizational form and web tools
Exploration for assigning to the tasks Teacher &
students
Explanation
Engageme
Evaluation Accomplishing tasks, developing PLE Students
nt
Elaboration
Supporting Learner pedagogically/technically Teacher /other students/ social
contacts
Assessment& Evaluation Teacher/ Students
Reflection on process, learning experiences,
learning outcomes, and learning values of
Teacher/ Students
tools
Next Phase in learning cycle
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11. Results
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12. Question 1:
How do students integrate PLE tools into their learning
activities?
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13. Emerged themes of students activities during the PLE project
• Employing technology to support learning activities
• Collaborative learning
• Practicing Higher order thinking skills
• Self directed learning (taking control and responsibility over their own learning)
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18. Question 2:
What are the students’ and teachers’ perceptions about the
PLE project?
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20. Opinion of teachers about the (learning) benefits of PLE project and
working with introduced tools for students
Gijs: Great collaboration, deep brain storming, and complex mind map.
Oscar: They already are learning how to do research and they are
following a scientific process.
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21. Conclusions:
1- Lack of reflection on the learning process and enough time can lead to taking a
procedural surface learning strategy by the students. (i.e. in this project, the students
were being more busy with visual aspects of final websites than quality of content)
2- students need teacher’s support and facilitation to realize learning benefits of
not-ready-for-learning web2.0 tools and to integrate them, efficiently, into their
learning activities.
3- To improve students’ control over learning ,PLE tools should be positioned
within learning process comprised of active teaching and learning methods.
4-Shifting from a teacher-centered to a student-centered learning environment
commonly conflicts with students and teachers’ past educational experiences and
requires a shift in their conceptions of what learning involves and what
constitutes appropriate roles of students and teachers.
Getting involved students in designing learning activities might facilitate this
shift.
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22. Posed questions:
-How can students be involved in designing of learning activities?
-What factors can encourage students to create and use PLE to support their
learning activities?
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23. Thank You:
By: Ebrahim Rahimi
E.rahimi@tudelft.nl
Blog: Ebrahimrahimi.wordpress.com
Project website:
https://sites.google.com/site/amaduespleproject/
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