I've been reading widely through other people's posts on personal learning environments (PLEs) from over the last 2 years. I've also been looking at process based e-portfolios and blogs as spaces for learning. Though I say I want freelearning and I declare I'm ready to step out on my own, I still seem to be searching for a model to follow.
One school of thought is that the learner needs to start with a problem that s/he wants to solve. A more complex representation is by Nils Peterson et. al. who write about the use of portfolios for learning. Goal-oriented, social, reflective, and resulting in action are some of the necessary components for successful learning.
I re-read an interesting discussion about PLEs at Scope co-led by Derek Chirnside. He describes his PLE as including a browser, delicious, an RSS reader, etc. Simple and chaotic from his point of view.
Am I goal oriented? Diverse and free ranging? What holds my interests together?
My best learning often takes place when I spread out a vast array of ideas and then begin to sort them. I collect ideas based on a general notion of what I want to learn. I use a wide net. I see relationships between things that aren't usually related e.g., an analogy from nature, a carry over from one organization type to another. My friends get pretty overwhelmed when I think out loud and talk about this banner of ideas. Eventually, I sort them and reach a manageable place.
Descriptions of tools and mental models of learning that people like Derek Chirnside use encourage me to invent my own approach.
I immerse myself in my topic. I often start reading things in the middle at a place where I find resonance; then I work my way back through the material to see how it is constructed. I look for the places where one item cross fertilizes another. I reflect back to see what is emerging.
I need to trust my process.
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