Tech Task #6

For this tech task I looked into what Personal Learning Environment (PLE) is. Of course, I was aware of my own PLE because I live in it, however I had never drawn it out explicitly. Being able to see all the various ways in which I am connected online was really neat. I had to go back a couple of times and continue to add to my PLE as I thought of further ways I am connected.

So here is my PLE!

My PLE will undoubtedly keep changing as my career progresses. Darn it! I just thought of another thing I should have added: Amazon Echo (Alexa)!

Next I constructed a hypothetical PLE for the typical student we might encounter in our classes. This took some thought because I had to put myself in the shoes of a typical high school student.

Interestingly enough my PLE was not much different from the hypothetical high school student. I guess this is a testament to the fact that I am still young and actively keep up on current technology. 

The implications of this for us as teachers is simple but very important. Technology and the online world moves so quickly. The typical PLE for a high school student today will be VERY different from the PLE of a typical high school student 6/7 years from now. It is our duty as teachers to keep up with technology and what our students are doing online. This is not only because we don't want to embarrass ourselves in front of our students, but also because we have a duty to teach our students about responsible online behaviour. If we as teachers have no idea what our students are engaging with online we will not be able to teach them how to use it safely and responsibly. 

Anyway, just my thoughts!