These tools â?? Personal Learning Environments (PLEs) refer to the aggregation of single-functionality tools which enable learners greater control over their own learning experience. Some have suggested that the principles of PLEs can be presented in a software tool (see Plex , for example), while others suggest it to be more of a concept than a particular tool. The differing viewpoints of PLEs are reflective of infancy of the concept, and the practical applications of the read/write web itself. PLEs can exist partly on a desktop and the web. Skype.