PLE - Personal Learning Enjoyment!!

this is my map about PLE

During last Thursday's lesson I filled the "Learning Target" form. I felt a little bit uncomfortable because I virtually know what I want and what I need for me in the future, but when I am supposed to think practically about it, I always encounter some difficulties. Moreover, this week I thought about how to create my Personal Learning Environment (PLE) map. It was not easy because I'm not used thinking deeply about such sort of things. Firstly, I wrote the map's structure on a piece of paper, edited it after few days taking account of the links given by Sarah and then I downloaded FreeMind (another very interesting and useful tool) filling the form with my notes.

I think Personal Learning Environment is basically composed of the different learning categories:

• Alone learning and
• In-group learning

each of them is based on the so called (by me) 'the 3 W': What, Where and When.

• What: description of the used tools and services (Internet, newspapers, media, etc.)
• Where: description of the location (at home, at school, on the road, etc.)
• When: description of the moment (in the morning, in the weekend, etc.)

Moreover, I found 3 sub-categories of What:

• Internet tools and services
• Traditional tools and services
• Others

I didn't copy the categories in the given maps because, as I am supposed to create a 'Personal' Learning Environment map, I decided to create one based on my own criteria. I hope you will appreciate that!

Tell me,

have a nice day!

Martina

Be careful of yourself on the Net

Picture by glenn.mcknight taken from flickr.com

"Be careful of your data" sounds as much as a stupid expression as it is so logic!! If you usually surf on the Net it isn't! The reason is that any person on the Net is potentially able to copy some pieces of information (yours) and use them without asking for. And you won't never know when, why and where they have been stolen.

Many people usually think "It won't never happen to me". What a shallowness!

Let's think on a financial point of view: have you ever bought using Ebay, Amazon, on others? Have you ever used Paypal?

And now on a personal one: do you have a blog, a website, a personal page? What do you usually write about youself (thoughts, opinions, simply about your life )?

If you try to answer carefully to these questions and your answers are often "Yes", well, your personal data are in danger! When you join in a website you give many of your personal data (full name, address, telephone number, and in case of ecommerce websites your credit card number, too). It's not easy to decide whether the site you're joining in is a safe one, but there are many clues if you want to feel 'serene':

1. keep your wits about you at all times (operate with caution and appropriate scepticism);

2. question why a Web site is asking for information about you;

3. never give any online security details to anyone unless it is completely necessary;

4. Look after your password (change your passwords regularly, avoid standard passwords and do not use the same password for every secure site you are registered with);

5. never click on links in emails;

6. keep up-to-date (keep your security software, such as anti-virus, up-to-date at all times);
7. remove the spies (check all files on your computer at least once a week using anti-spyware and adware applications);

8. keep your connection secure;

9. if it seems too good to be true, it probably is (don’t open emails or go to sites that claim you have won a prize. If an email looks suspicious and is unsolicited delete it and don’t open it);

10. know where to go for help should you be a victim of online identity theft (there are wide range of organisations and groups that people can turn to for advice). (Nik, 2006b) (1)

Moreover, I thought about my webpage. As I often post pictures of my nail works or my personal pictures, I decides to protect from 'copying and pasting' them anywhere, by writing my name or my website's URL on them (generally in the middle). If on one side I can solve the problem of stolen pictures, on the other side I cannot avoid information theft. Anyone can actually copy and paste my personal data (taken them from the profile). As this problem has not been solved yet, I cannot think that Internet has to be closed or something like that. The problem is not the existence of Internet, the real problem is how people use it. I think information about pros and cons is a good solution, but an important change has to be made on people's minds!

And you? What do you think?

Have a nice evening,

Martina

(1) Nik. (2006b, February 14). What can users do to protect their online identity? Message posted to http://www.easypeasy.com/guides/article.php?article=170 retrieved May 6, 2009

Have your ever heard about Google Docs?

Picture by saxoji2000 taken from flickr.com

Google Docs is one of the most useful tools provided by Google technology. I used Google only for searching on the net or saving pictures. I never took into account the small arrow near the last word of the toolbar (Other). There is a world inside!!

During this English course I knew more about Google (Google Scholar, Google Books, etc.) but I saw Google Docs only on Prof. Guth's monitor. She uses it as a virtual Office Pack available on the net simply by log on with username and password. You don't need any USB key, and you don't need your pc!

I used it during last Wednesday's lesson to correct a "Word" document shared with all my peers. It was absolutely interesting and useful: I corrected the file and I saved it. As I saved it, it was immediately viewable by the other students. It is useful because it is comfortable (no need of USB key, CDs, DVDs, and so on). However, I was a little bit confused because we were using it at the same time (about 20 people I guess) and everyone was editing it. We did need to save it immediately after a single edited word and you weren't able to be concentrated enough.

I worked with my peers, so it was easier to make corrections and save them. But this was the only problem I found.

I don't know if Google Docs will be useful for my studies, because I'm attending the last semester and everything will finish in few weeks. But I know this tool now and I hope to use it again for my job...for example!!

Have a nice week!

Martina