Putting it all together- Week 7 Blog Assignment

1. How has your view on how you learn changed?

I have taken so many courses on educational psychology and learning theories that my view has not really changed much. One thing that I did learn is that I am a social learner. The theory of social learning is definitely a great one because up until now, I did not realize that I am a social learner. However, one must not get confused with the idea of social learning because you do not have to be physically beside someone to learn socially. In my opinion, you can learn through emails and text messages. You can even learn over the phone and through social networking sites. Some people may wonder what they learn over a social networking site? Well the fact is that we are constantly learning so by reading status updates on a social networking site can help the learner form more of an opinion about someone or something. Those opinions can influence educational facets of learning both positively and negatively.  

2. What have you learned that can further explain your own personal learning preferences?

Well, I definitely have learned that I am a social learner and with the recent advances in technology, I am able to stay connected with everyone with whom I come into contact. I am not sure if I have benefited educationally from staying connected because even though I am connected to them, most of them seem reluctant to be connected with me. But I keep them on my list because I might need them in the future.

I have also learned that I am a tactile learner as well a visual learner. Someone can sit and talk all day learn but I do not actually fully grasp the concept unless they actually demonstrate the concept through visuals and give me a little time to practice the concept on my own. That way I can clear up any questions that may arise...especially on slippery concepts. An example of this is when I learned about the mol numerical representation in Chemistry in high school. This is a slippery concept but my teacher was very visual and I was able to practice and my teacher answered all of my questions while providing positive feedback.

3.What role does technology play in your learning?

Technology plays a very large part in my learning. First of all, I have not been to a library to do research in over 10 years. This feat has been  made possible through the Internet and the cooperation of schools to place books and journals online. Also, as I am typing this blog post I am using a high-tech laptop computer that is able to webconference. I use the internet to load search engines to find information. I also use the internet to connect to my online classroom and stay connected with my classmates and my professors. Theoretically, I would take my laptop with me wherever I go, but with the innovation of smartphones, I am able to leave my laptop at home and use my smartphone to keep me connected while I am on the go.

Lastly, I am so thankful for technology because for a short time when I was younger, we used typewriters and it is a pain to save and edit documents with a typewriter. Computers make life so much easier.

Repost of Mind Map--Connectivism

I originally posted this mind map with a link to spinscape because spinscape was a suggested program that was suggested that we use. However, it appears like the link no longer works so I made a screencast of it.

Connectivism Reflection

My network has definitely changed the way in which I learn. First of all I attend class online. That is a dramatic step for me since I had been attending class on land for so long. Staying connected online definitely provides me with a lot of resources at my fingertips if I should get stuck and need help with content. being online also provides me the opportunity to stay connected with people who are in the same field as me. Therefore they may be able to mentor me in certain situations that may arise. The main point of my network is that I am able to interact with a lot of people. Many of those with whom I interact are not those with whom I would interact in person. This allows me to get more of a variety of different perspectives while learning.

 The digital tools the help me learn the best are online libraries and credible websites. When I get stuck, I do web-based searches and read about the content on which I am having trouble. Also video conferencing also helps me when I need to see someone explain something other than just read about it. An alternative to the video conference would be the advent of YouTube. People post demonstration videos there all of the time and sometimes I reference those when all else fails.

 These digital tools help me to gain knowledge but also I talk with my classmates and my professors and read professional blogs. I think that at this point in my life I am the most connected and this has made my educational endeavors very positive because many aspects of technology is available twenty-four hours which means that I can study at my own convenience and on my own schedule. Therefore, I believe that my network supports the tenets of connectivism because connectivism is just that--staying connected. It is account how we stay connected and how that influences our learning. I was raised with technology (and therefore not a digital immigrant). Moreover I benefit from learning through my personal network.

Connectivism

You can look at my mind map with this link.

http://spinscape.com/app/spinscape.jsf?map=34757

Evaluation of Two Educational Psychology Resources

The field of educational psychology is very complex and that is why it is very important for instructional designers to stay current with the latest research. One way to do this is to read peer-reviewed journals. The fact that these journals are peer-reviewed may be more beneficial because peers have the ability to question certain research methods with a certain degree of validity because they may have similar credentials.

  

1. International Journal of Cognitive Informatics and Natural Intelligence

 This particular journal is a combination of social engineering and psychology. This creates a new topic known as cognitive informatics. Therefore, this journal may not only be useful for just psychologists but also other professionals like sociologists and other educational professionals. An example of an article that you will find here is called, "The Cognitive Process of Comprehension." In this article, the authors talk about the abstract concept of comprehension. They attempt to explain the concept of human comprehension while taking into account factors such as individuality and environmental stimuli. Instructional designers and other educators would probably benefit the most from this article because educators continue to figure out ways to make learning more attainable and those variables that create obstacles are individuality and the learning environment.

Overall, the major focus of this article attempts to attach mathematical models to the theories that are already accepted by educators under the heading of comprehension as it relates to information processing theory.

 2.  Mind, Brain, and Education

 This resource focuses on learning as it relates to the complexities of the brain. This periodical is geared towards educators and those learning about brain processes and learning. The language used is less scientific and more conversational. The fact that the language is less scientific can strengthen comprehension across more readers. One particular article of interest is called "Understanding the Role of Neuroscience in Brain Based Products: A guide for educators and consumers." This article attempts to explain the terminology used across psychology and education. As mentioned earlier, the language is simplified. In this instance, having simplified language appeals to consumers because it may enhance comprehension because consumers may not be an educational professional.

In addition to explaining how the brain relates to learning, terminology can get mixed up and confused. This article tries to clarify that. Instructional designers would benefit from this, especially those who are just beginning in the field of instructional design. Instructional designers would benefit best from this because instructional designers can use this clarified terminology in their own practice and in communications with peers. Simplified terminology in conjunction with current research is a combination that can make the instructional designers more competitive with their peers and other professionals.

References

Sylvan, L. J., & Christodoulou, J. A. (2010, March). Understanding the role of neuroscience in brain based products: A guide for educators and consumers. Mind, Brain and Education, 4(1), 1-7. doi: 10.1111/j.1751-228X.2009.01077.x.

Wang, Y., & Gafurov, D. (2010, July-September). The cognitive process of comprehension. International Journal of Cognitive Informatics and Natural Intelligence, 4(3), 44-58. doi: 10.4018/jcini.2010070104.

Review of 3 Instructional Design Blogs and Resources

Review of 3 Instructional Design Blogs and Resources

1. Instructional Design (http://instructionaldesign.org/)

This is a website with various links about the field of instructional design. On the home page, the reader will find, a working definition about what instructional design really is. Having a working definition is very important because many people do not know exactly what instructional design really is-- all that they know is that it sounds good.

On the home page in addition to the definition, it also lists links to instructional design models like ADDIE and Iterative design, among others. This can be useful to the instructional design student because in addition to their course texts and scholarly resources, the student can come to these places within the website as a starting part if they would like to learn more about an instructional design or reinforce what they have already learned.

This site also lists notable instructional designers. Knowing who has been successful in the field of instructional design might help future instructional designers because they can perform further research that would enable them to find out how these instructional designers conquered certain obstacles in the field of instructional design. The future instructional designer may be able to apply some of those methods to their own practice.

Other parts of the website include links to finding jobs in the field of instructional design, as well as links to yearly instructional design conferences. Instructional design conferences would be helpful because it is an opportunity for peers to share new research and instructional design improvements. In addition to the various links on the website, many of the links lead to other websites as well as books that would help to clarify concepts. This site is maintained by Richard Culatta who is a leading educational innovator.

2. Williams Instructional Design, LLC (http://williamsinstructionaldesign.blogspot.com/)

This is an instructional design blog. This blog is maintained by Mary Williams who is an instructional designer who specializes in performance and training improvement in the workforce. Her entries are not just a stream of conscious but a clear perspective about the topic for which she chooses to talk about. In her blog post from January 31, 2011, she refers to another blog and provides her own spin on something that was posted there. This does two things, it lets the reader explore her conclusions on the subject material and it also provides another blog resource for the instructional design student or professional to view on their own. Ms. Williams also seems to like the concept of mind mapping as an instructional design tool. Professionals and teachers may also want to use the mind mapping tool in their own practice.

While there is plenty of instructional design information, as well as some quirky tidbits scattered about, Ms. Williams also provides links to other learning and instructional design blogs in the sidebar on the right. Providing these links can be a great resource because the professional or student can gain more insight and different perspectives in the field of instructional design and learning.

3. The Usable Learning Blog (http://usablelearning.wordpress.com/)

This blog is very informative. The author prides herself with providing information that the instructional design professional may not have learned in school. She tends to focus a lot on game design as a learning tool. This site is also full of slide show presentations to help to clarify what the blogger is saying. The information is by no means boring and provides numerous examples that the instructional designer and other learning professionals are able to relate.

One of my posts on the class discussion board is related to the teacher creating a proper learning environment. Well, one of the posts here is focused on the learning environment. But this post provides other insights and example that I might not have thought of. However, this does reinforce what some of the points that I have brought up in my posts.

In the future, I would be able to use this blog to reference current trends in learning and instructional design. Thus, I might be able to use these certain tactics and techniques to apply to my own practice (or learn what not to apply to my own practice.

The blog also provides links to other blog sites to help professionals and students learn more and relate to experiences in instructional design and learning.