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.