...let's reflect, PLEase!

This time I was asked to develop a mindmap of my PLE, that is to say my Personal Learning Environment. For those of you who have never heard of a PLE before, it can be defined as ““a combination of the formal and informal tools and processes we use to gather information, reflect on it and do something with it” (Martin, 2007).
In other words, I had to reflect on my personal approach to my language learning process and draw a mind map summarizing my analysis through personal categories.
Here is my PLE:

I divided my PLE into two main sections: FORMAL and INFORMAL LEARNING. Each one has some branches. The first one is divided in TRADITIONAL LEARNING and E-LEARNING, depending on whether the learning process is based or not on the use of technology. Informal learning branches out in PEOPLE (learning from the interaction with other people, either native speakers or not), WORK (using and improving the language for a job), TRAVEL (improving the language abroad) and ENTERTAINMENT & LEISURE TIME (learning in my spare time through readings, TV/DVD, music and internet).

This activity has been very useful for me. I wasn’t used to reflect on my learning process in such a way and I think this is something I will keep up. Once you are aware of what you are doing and conscious about your “modus operandi”, everything seems to be more meaningful and easy to approach.