Who are you, and what do you like to learn about? (academically, professionally, and/or personally)
My name is Samantha Williams and I am working my way through the MEd in Instructional Design and Technology program, part time. By day I work as a training specialist at an international non-profit organization specializing in humanitarian relief and healthcare. Professionally, I enjoy learning about new eLearning tools and software for connecting with learners in a classroom environment. I also enjoy learning about how eLearning can be better leveraged to give people in developing countries access to training and education. Personally, I like to learn about nutrition, politics, financial management, etc.
What hardware do you use to learn? (Eg. smart phone, tablet, laptop, desktop)
I primarily use my smartphone but my laptop and home desktop are a close second. I also have a tablet, but do not use it very often, mainly because it’s not where I do other work. I occasionally use my TV to access YouTube videos and view photos when I am home.
What software do you use to learn? (Eg. search engines, mobile apps, social networks, eBooks, digital libraries, wikis, blogs, videos, podcasts)
I primarily use Google and YouTube as my first step in learning something new. I use Dropbox and Google Drive to store items I want to come back to, but do not have it very well organized. I belong to a couple eLearning communities of practice. I also use my Kindle app to download ebooks from Amazon.
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’d like to have access to a better task management tool. Right now I use an app called Any.Do to make simple lists. I’d like to have something simple like this that is also easily linked to my laptop and desktop, as this is where I prefer to make lists and organize tasks, rather than my smartphone.
What might your ideal Personal Learning Environment (PLE) look like?
My ideal PLE would be a place to save and organize documents, webpages, photos, online tools etc., all together, in a way that is easy to separate in to categories and share with others. This would be accessible with one click from any of my main devices (phone, laptop, desktop and tablet).
