Personal learning environment (PLE) solutions aim at empowering learners to design (ICT and web-based) environments for their learning activities, mashingup content and people and apps for different learning contexts. Widely used in other application areas, recommender systems can be very useful for supporting learners in their PLE-based activities, to help discover relevant content, peers sharing similar learning interests or experts on a specific topic. In this paper we examine the utilization of recommender technology for PLEs. However, being confronted by a variety of educational contexts we present three strategies for providing PLE recommendations to learners. Consequently, we compare these recommender strategies by discussing their strengths and weaknesses in general.

Personal learning environments --- Recommender technology --- Federated search --- collaborative recommendations --- Community-based recommendations --- Psychopedagogical recommender --- Technology review

VLE (Virtual Learning Environments) are rapidly falling short to meet the demandsof a networked society. Web 2.0 and social networks are proving to offer a morepersonalized, open environment for students to learn formally as they are alreadydoing informally. With the irruption of social media into society, and therefore,education, many voices claimed for he need of new models that demonstrate thetransferability and scalabilty of e-learning. Salmon (2005), Sclater (2008), Atwell(2007) and others coincide in the relevance of PLEs as being useful or indeedcentral to learning as well as their potential for knowledge development andsharing. However, how can we, as teachers, enhance the digital skills of our students topromote a more effective, meaningful learning? This article aims to provide somedata regarding the strategies for a successful implementation of the use of PLE’swith students and to share, at the same time, some examples and evidences ofPLE constructions which can be of help both in Higher Education and SecondaryEducation levels.

Personal Learning Environments --- social lerning --- Informal learning --- Higher Education --- Secondary Educatio