Week 2: Belated

First and foremost, an apology is owed in regard to the lateness of this post. I recently have been fighting tooth-and-nail with the H1N1 virus (as is the duty of every American these days, it seems), and was bedridden until today. But, now that I’m functional again, I can contribute to my infant blog.


I was able to find several sources in my search of the web that deal directly with the brain and learning, information processing theory, and problem-solving methods in the learning process. I focused primarily on the study of the brain, and the subsequent impact on educational strategies, and information processing theory. I guess the reason for this comes down to personal preference (I am fascinated by the structure of the brain, and really how little is known about it), as well as a sense that this is the cutting-edge of instructional design. As more and more is discovered about how people learn, the biology of learning, and how instructional designers can tap into this science, learning environments and modules will be enhanced greatly, and be able to be customized to individual learning like never before.

One site I found particularly engaging was http://www.funderstanding.org/, a site devoted to the concept of “brain-based learning.” I found it particularly applicable to the readings and lessons learned last week, in that there are several suggested readings pertaining to Left Brain vs. Right Brain Learning. The text implies that there is no such thing as specifically right-brained or left-brained learners, and the article linked by the site basically agrees. Both sources encourage a “whole-brained” approach to learning, and that engaging as many areas of the brain as possible when learning increases the chances of moving this new information into Long-Term Memory.

Another site I found acts as an online research database, which can supplement the databases we have access to as students through the Walden Library site. The website is called Questia.com, and gives access to numerous books on various learning-theory subjects. I conducted a search on “cognitive information processing,” and was given a list of ten, full-length books, all on the subject of cognitive information processing. This site would be extremely valuable to an student conducting research for a thesis on information processing theory, as long as that student is willing to do a little reading (to say the least).

Initial Post: New Blogs I'm Subscribing To (And Why)

There is a lot of great information in cyberspace concerning Instructional Design theory and the latest strategies.  But, I've also noticed that, through conventional searches (i.e. using Google), not many active bloggers can be found on the subject.  I found a few sites devoted to blogging about ID, but the majority hadn't been actively blogging for several years.  In terms of a technologically-sensitive industry like ID, these blogs may as well have been published back in the bronze age.

Here are several sites I found particularly useful, not only for their freshness and consistent activity, but for their utilitarianism as well:

Making Change - I thought this blog by Cathy Moore was particularly applicable in that it seems to piggy back on the first class in the Walden IDT program, concerning Organizational Development and Change Leadership.  Good ideas on instituting change within organizations from a professional ID point of view.

Learning Journal - I liked the consistency of this blog (a post every two weeks or so), and the topics discussed.  Looks like the ADDIE model is under a lot of scrutiny these days, which is definitely news to me.  Not only am I a student in Walden's MS-IDT program, but I'm also an enrollment advisor for the program, so information like this helps me describe the program and the field to potential students (when being trained on the program when it was new, the ADDIE model was the concept we spent the most time on; seems to be out-dated now).

eLearningLearning - I think this site is great!  More of a newsletter/compilation site than a strict blogging site, but it has a collection of the latest and greatest news and information on all things eLearning and ID related.  I have a feeling I'll be visiting this site often, and will be staying in the loop as a result!