CONNECTIVISM

Evaluating and Identifying Online Resources Wk2

I located two online journals that provide great discussions on information processing theory and the brain and learning.  The first journal reviews findings from neuroscience and cognitive science and the mechanisms of human learning.  The journal, “How People Learn: Brain, Mind, Experience and School by Bransford, J. D., Brown, A. L., & Cocking, R. R., provides three main points: (1) Learning changes the physical structure of the brain, (2) How learning organizes and reorganizes the brain, and (3) how different parts of the brain may be ready to learn at different times.  It begins by breaking down the basics of the brain and what takes place during the development process.  The authors further discuss how experiences and environments shape our brain development.  The article closes out with an in-depth look at the role of instruction in brain development.   The second journal, “Webs of Skill: How Students Learn” by Fischer K. W. and Rose, L. T., explores and identifies the complex and variable ways that students learn and develop.  It discusses the idea that with a deeper understanding of how students learn educators can provide differentiated levels of instruction.  One valuable point the article made was that educators recognizing the primary goal should be to improve the functional-level performance of students so they can produce the skill on their own.

The Doorway to Professional Development Learning

The resource sites that I have located provided contents for multiple e-learning strategies.  The first site, IDEAS: Instructional Design for Elearning Approaches (http://ideas.blogs.com/lo/instructional_design/),  contained links to several blogs that provided Communities of Practices, Educational Tech Weblogs, Research Blogs, elearnspace, EdTech Post, and Learning Commons.  It also provided several categories for Educational Technology, Elearning Delivery Strategies, Faculty Development, Instructional Design, Instructional Technology, Learning Objects, and Teaching Online.  The second site, The Rapid E-Learning Blog (http://www.articulate.com/rapid-elearning/what-everybody-ought-to-know-about-instructional-design/), provides information and links from visual graphic design, understanding how to design the right course, building scenarios for E-learning, to Audio and Video tips.  The third site, Langevin Blog, (http://www.langevin.com/blog/tag/instructional-design/), has resources on advanced Instructional Design and Techniques, blended learning techniques, understanding how adults learn, ways to influence people and events, making training stick, and writing skills for trainers.

As an instructional designer I find it will be important to stay in tune with not only the latest technology but to have a complete understanding of how technology can be incorporated in the learning process will be just as important.  My ultimate goal is to change my career field and find work as an instructional designer.  These sites will serve as resources that can help to provide me with a better insight into this career field.  I can utilize these resources to gain more knowledge about learning theories as they relate to the systematic design, development, and validation of instructional material.  I can use them to research information on Instructional design practices to further understand the principles and techniques used in designing training programs and applying design methods to improve instructional effectiveness.  Within the site, The Rapid E-Learning Blog, it provides resources that will be very useful for understanding how to effectively use visual and graphic designs.  This site also provides tips on learning to communicate properly with good visual designs and ways to make the lessons look interesting with the proper graphics.  I am looking to learn how to better use computers in the education process and further explore the ideas of selecting appropriate computer software to aid in that process.  During my time as an Instructor on active duty, I was the first to incorporate electronic testing within the course.  I can use these blog sites to explore the techniques for developing written and performance tests material and survey instruments.  The career field as an Instructional designer is not something that I have ever considered, but during my time as an Instructor it has opened my eyes to a whole new world of adult leaning.