PLE

  Completing this PLE was a challenge for me. I am a Math teacher, so my creative side is almost non existent. Traditionally, my affinity for mathematics has a tendency to hinder my creativity. However, with this assignment, I was able to use my understanding of math functions to assist me in completing this assignment.

  My PLE is really nothing more than a visual representation of a function.  A function is a process where you put in inputs, and it will convert them in to your needed outputs.  Like a math function, we "input" what we have available to us. In this case, we have many different inputs in my PLE such as; Pintrest, Gmail, Facebook, etc...  You collect informational and social media sites, and collaborate with other people to broaden our input.  In this case I, myself serve as the "function," allowing creativity to happen through my interactions, transforming it into "outputs" or needed information. When I have what I need and know how to use it, the product will leave the function (me) and be put back into the world as outputs such as; Blogger, Facebook, Twitter, Youtube, and many more.

  When I look at the other PLE diagrams from my classmates, I am amazed at all the different interpretations on the project. Some of the different programs that are used really brings the diagrams to life. One of my favorite ones was the bees(Alanna Shaws); what a neat way to tell about the process of information gathering and transforming. 

   

   Although many of my colleagues  utilized the four C's: Collect Communicate, Create, and Collaborate to present their PLEs(Ally Gilin and Linda McClinton), I found that the use of two categories was able to relay the same information in my PLE.     

  

   By contrast, others used Venn diagrams (Katie Lauritsen), flow charts (Kristen Taubman), mind mapping (Patricia Smeyers), and one even likened their PLE to a puzzle (Mary Carter).  We are all different people from many different backgrounds and it shows in our visual representations of our PLEs.

 No matter how the information was presented, it was very interesting to see how my classmates view their PLEs.  The fun and creative ideas really brought them to life.