I chose to represent my Personal Learning Environment (PLE) as a tree. Trees have been symbolic in many cultures to represent growth and life. As a history major, in my undergraduate learning, I often saw trees used as such in the cultures I studied. I also studied environmental horticulture, specifically maintenance and use of trees in the landscape. The colors of the three areas of learning I identified are representative of leaves at different times of the year. I have multiple ties to the idea of trees in history, horticulture, and art, so I used to a tree to show how I learn.
I identified three areas in which I learn or that help me learn. The first is “physical.” The second is “tools.” And the third, but in no way least important, is the “virtual” realm.
On my PLE I represented the physical realm of my learning with green words. While each section subject I put on the PLE is valuable to my learning, the physical places where I study are necessary to my learning. On this section of the PLE I wrote: School, UO, UCD, CA, OR, gym, café, library, and museums. School to me is the beginning of learning, I have gone to school in California (CA) and Oregon (OR), so both are integral to my learning experiences and outlooks. For my undergraduate studies I went to the University of California at Davis (UCD), and I am currently in graduate school at the University of Oregon (UO). Both schools have distinct identities and have shaped how I learn. The gym is a place I go when I need a break from learning. I can turn off my brain at the gym and refresh for more studying later. I do much of my actual studying at both cafes and libraries. To me they are places of concentration, places away from the distractions of my house. Last but not least are museums. I am in the Arts and Administration program, with a concentration in Museum Studies. Any time I go into a museum I learn; I learn about how they are run, what type of art or history they are displaying, all things that are important to my studies and future career.
The second part of my PLE is the section on tools. These words represent orange leaves. This area includes: computer, chargers, phone, desk, tea, internet, teachers, and books. These are the physical tools of my learning. Most important is my computer. I use it to do research, write papers, create posters, and communicate with my peers and teachers. My cell phone important for many of the same reasons. I use it primarily for minor research and communication. But, I also use my phone to take breaks from learning, de-stressing by playing games on my iPhone happens from time to time while studying for long periods of time. To make both my computer and my phone useful, they need to be charged, hence the importance of chargers as tools of my learning. A desk is significant to almost all of my learning. Whether it is my personal desk in my apartment (which has been my desk for over 12 years, and has traveled with me through three states), a desk in the library or in a café, or one in a classroom, it is the surface on which I do the vast majority of my learning. Teachers are important to my learning as well. Teachers impart their wisdom, edit our work, and give us guidance for our complicated educational experience. The internet is a tool without which learning would be very, very hard. It gives us information within seconds, and gives us endless resources to work with. Books are also vital to my learning processes. I read constantly, whether it is for school or for pleasure. Books are something I covet and am constantly buying even when I should be spending money on food or other essentials. Tea is one of the most important tools of learning. It keeps me warm in this cold state, it provides me with energy and life giving caffeine.
The last, but arguably the most important section of my PLE, is the virtual areas in which I learn. These words are in bright red. Listed in the virtual section of my PLE: Google, Skype, CNN, YouTube, .edu, .org, Facebook, Webmail, and Gmail. CNN’s website is my main source of international news, I check it every day. Facebook lets me chat with friends (particularly those who are far away), it is also a source of news, though somewhat less reliable. Skype lets me connect with my students. I tutor online, and Skype is the main online tool I use for work. Tutoring has helped me re-learn some very basic math skills and has become important to my regular learning as well. Websites that end in .edu or .org are vital to any online research I conduct. They are dependable and consistent sources of information that I can learn from or use in papers. Gmail and Webmail are how I keep in touch with my groups for projects, how I get assignment updates from teachers, and keep in touch with the world at large. Google is a college student’s best friend. I use Google constantly for school, research, class work, and general curiosity.
***I realized I left a few things off (Buzzfeed, Netflix, iTunes, BBC, Instagram, New York Times, Time Magazine, headphones, paper, pens, notebooks, Office: word, ppt, etc.). But, with my main symbol being a tree (for many reasons) my PLE can grow to include these things I forgot and anything I may use in the future.