1. What Can I Add to My Personal Learning Environment?
Spring 2012
Lester and Hamilton
PLEs refer to student-designed learning approaches that
encompass different types of content — videos, apps, games, social media tools, and more — chosen by a
student to match his or her personal learning style and pace. Despite the use of the word “environment”
in the name, the notion of a collection or a physical or online space is somewhat irrelevant to a PLE. The
goal is for students to have more control over how they learn, and for teachers to set expectations that
their students will be more engaged in understanding and applying their learning strategies.
Netvibes
• Create an information dashboard with
favorite links and RSS feeds
• Publish your work
Symbaloo
• Simple tiled information dashboard to
favorite resources
• Create your own information mixes and
share with others
Working Elements of Student PLEs, Lester and Hamilton Spring 2012 Page 1

2. RSS Feeds Search Engines/Tools
 Blogs from experts on the topic  SweetSearch
 Saved search in Academic Search  Google News
Complete (database)  Google Scholar
 SIRS Researcher  Widget for our LibGuides page
 Authoritative websites (example:
Veterans History Project at Library of
Congress)
 Learning Blogs of Classmates
 Class Agenda Blog
 RSS feed of our LibGuides page
 YouTube Channel RSS feed (an
authoritative channel on a topic)
Information Source: Research Books
Databases
Widget (Netvibes) or links (Symbaloo) to  Embed a Google Book
databases (journals, newspapers, magazines,  Destiny card catalog link or widget for print books
book chapters, videos, podcasts, web  GVRL Book
resources, statistics, reference articles
 GVRL
 Gale Opposing Viewpoints
 EBSCOhost Student Research Center
 EBSCOhost Academic Search Complete
 Facts on File Video Database
 SIRS Researcher
People Social Media
 Skype widget or link  Authoritative Facebook pages of experts, groups, or
 Email widget or chat agencies
 Links or RSS feeds to blogs of class  Authoritiatve Twitter streams of experts, groups, or
mates agencies
 Links or RSS feeds from expert groups  Authoritiative YouTube Channel or experts, groups, or
or individual sources agencies
 Evernote Public Notebook of a class  Authoritative blogs of experts, groups, or agencies
mate
 Diggo Feed of Bookmarks of a class
mate
 Scoop.it Dashboard of a classmate
Working Elements of Student PLEs, Lester and Hamilton Spring 2012 Page 2

3. Information Management Tools Citation Management Tools
 RSS feed or Widget for your  Link to NoodleTools
Scoop.it account  Link to EasyBib
 RSS feed or Widget for your
Evernote account
 RSS feed or Widget for your Diigo
account
Mobile Apps Reflection/Publishing/Content Creation
Spaces and Tools
Widget or link to: Widget, link, and/or RSS feed to:
 GALE  Wordpress, Tumblr, or Posterous Blog
 Follett  Wikispaces Page Through The Unquiet Library (our
 EasyBib private label through Wikispaces.net
 Evernote  Netvibes
 Weebly
 Google Docs
Other:
 Prezi
 VoiceThread
 Glogster
 Animoto
 Jing
 Creative Commons Flickr Pool (link to the Advanced
Flickr Search)
 Google Docs
 Wordle or Tagxedo
 Be Funky Photo Editor (only use for images that are
original to you or that allow alternation to the image
under the Creative Commons license)
 Picnik Photo Editor (gone after late April) ((only use
for images that are original to you or that allow
alternation to the image under the Creative Commons
license)
 PhotoStory
Other Ideas:
Working Elements of Student PLEs, Lester and Hamilton Spring 2012 Page 3