Introduction of PLE

Introduction

There are many changes in the field of e-learning in recent years. The biggest thing which makes a difference is the learner generates content. As an example,the content of the book titled with "Web_2.0_and_Emerging_Learning_Technologies" is constructed by learners who take part in the collaborative project sponsored by professor Curt Bonk from Indiana University,USA [1].

The technology and tools which support the learner to produce content have made rapid proliferation almost world wide from the emergence of blog. These technology and tools can be divided into two types. One type is mainly to help the user to create content, such as Flickr, YouTube, Slideshare, and Haokanbu from China, etc. The other is mainly to help the user to adopt new way to manage knowledge and improve efficiency, such as RSS,Tag,Social Bookmarking,etc. The generic term for these different concrete technology and tools is social software which distinct feature is supporting group interaction[2].

In addition, the development of open source also exercises a great influence on education. Open source projects such as MIT's OCW, OpenCourseWare Consortium, Wikipedia, including Linux and OpenOffice,etc., which offer more opportunities for more users[3].

References

[1]Curt Bonk(2007),The Web 2.0 and Participatory e-Learning(Course Announcement),Retrieved December 8, 2007 from: http://php.indiana.edu/~cjbonk/Syllabus_R685_Fall_of_2007.htm

[2]Futurelab(2006),Social software and learning, Retrieved December 8, 2007 from: http://www.futurelab.org.uk/resources/publications_reports_articles/opening_education_reports/Opening_Education_Report199/

[3]oedb(2007),How the Open Source Movement Has Changed Education: 10 Success Stories,Retrieved December 8, 2007 from: http://oedb.org/library/features/how-the-open-source-movement-has-changed-education-10-success-stories