Who are you, and what do you like to learn about? (academically, professionally, and/or personally)
Hi there!
I am the very definition of a life long learner! I love to learn new things. In fact a personal mantra of mind is that …”If I do not learn something new every day than my day was wasted.”
As I sit here and think about it, my major form of relaxation it to surf the internet for items of interest, be it news items, how to beat a video game, or what new Lego sets are coming out.
What hardware do you use to learn? (Eg. smart phone, tablet, laptop, desktop)
Well in a pinch I surf the internet on my smart phone, usually on my VRE Train ride commute every morning and evening. At home I have a desktop computer that I love more than a TV.
I do have a tablet, but it requires a Wi-Fi connection to the internet that is temperamental to use.
What software do you use to learn? (Eg. search engines, mobile apps, social networks, eBooks, digital libraries, wikis, blogs, videos, podcasts)
Pretty much all those listed here. Chrome is my main browser. I do download audio books and also listen to them on my Commute. Google maps help me get from here to there. Google Sky and Google Earth are great to play with.
What digital tools do you wish you had access to for learning? (Eg. any graphic organizers, mind-mapping tools, resource management tools, progress tracking tools, design tools, etc.) Why?
I find that if I need a tool I can now generally find a free app for that for my smart phone or tablet device. The operative word here is free. If there is a charge to use a tool then most likely I will not use it. Also I am influenced by having to use certain unfamiliar tools as aids to learning in my graduate classes. Usually a classmate will introduce me to a certain tool and if it is intuitive enough and easy to use enough I will more than likely adopt it.
When time and needs allow I like to explore, Lynda.com, adobe creative Cloud, and even YouTube for learning tools.
What might your ideal Personal Learning Environment (PLE) look like?
I appreciate informal learning opportunities that occur daily. If something sparks my interest then I would like to have information at my fingertips, that is quick, searchable, and bookmarked for follow up. Access to Google works well for me, either by smart phone or computer.
At home I have a den with a desk, a desktop computer, I large comfortable chair, a window and surroundings that inspire creativity. The one thing I do not have is enough time in leisure to learn.
