I wonder how many countless hundreds of thousands will be thrown at designing PLE’s for schools, for VET and for learners when they already have their own repositiories worldwide, chosen, protected, selected and networked ?

I like you take on things Graham and feel heartened that those on the “inside” are begining to realise that the budget choices of the present are under greater scrutiny than ever for the future.

Lucychilli raised some great things in a G-chat the other day and all I remember is one thing – sense of community. When all else fades into a digital oblivion then at least this networked machine has proof of our interaction.

I cant say the same thing of the ten years of tertiary online interactions I had with students and colleagues alike……we were using the latest PLE at the time too.

I also notice that you’ve ommitted ‘PLE’ from your categories…..that amuses me more than anything

/gm

Stephen Downes had some criteria for web2 tools a while back which feel like they fit into this conversation. The criteria for useful tools and processes and course approaches from the student perspective. eg. who owns the information made, is it mashable, is it reusable by the student outside of the course, will the material be gone if the course finishes or funding changes. If the student has accessibility requirements can they adapt their choice of tools to get access to information and participate.

I think this perspective thing is useful because it is easy to be swept up in the here and now immediacy of some tools but to not give them the kind of vetting which would normally happen when planning a face to face room or other kind of course facility for learning?

there is some kind of equity and access thought sitting under those ideas for me.