Use of Start Pages for Building a Mashup Personal Learning Environment to Support Self-Organized Learners

The paper explores the functionalities of eight start pages and considers their usefulness when used as a mashable platform for deployment of personal learning environments (PLE) for self-organized learners. The Web 2.0 effects and eLearning 2.0 strategies are examined from the point of view of how they influence the methods of gathering and capturing data, information and knowledge, and the learning process. Mashup technology is studied in order to see what kind of components can be used in PLE realization. A model of a PLE for self-organized learners is developed and it is used to prototype a personal learning and research environment in the start pages Netvibes, Pageflakes and iGoogle.