Resources for Understanding How the Brain Processes Information

Wow! Lots of research and readings to find resources to help understand how the brain process information. I have found two websites that could provide more insight on how we learn.

The first site I chose was www.web-us.com/brain/LRBrain.html. This site discusses how the left and right brain functions. I found this information interesting because it was helpful in understanding how people learn based upon the side of the brain they use most often. I was always told if you wrote with your right hand then you used the left side of your brain. If you wrote with your left hand you used the right side and you were more creative. This site gives a different perspective on the right and left side of the brain. Cohorts and instructor please read and tell me what you think based upon what they state and what we have learned so far in our theory class.

The second site I chose was www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/01/090114110927.htm. I chose this site because it is another source for research news to help us understand how the brain processes information. Both of these sites will help us as Instructional Designers. We all know it is important that when we are designing material for others to learn, that our objective is to keep in mind the various learning styles. I believe that understanding how the brain works is critical to becoming effective and efficient in designing instructional material.

Researching Instructional Design Blogs

After spending countless hours on the web browsing through blogs I was able to narrow my search to three blogs. The three blogs I chose have a plethora of information to assist in the area of Instructional Design.

The first blog I chose was IDD blog . The primary focus of this blog is to provide information on enhancing instruction through the use of technology. I found this blog easy to follow and the layout was simple. This blog offers videos content as a resource. As an online graduate student we are constantly reading and surfing the web, I found the videos a welcoming change to give the old eyes a break. :-)! The contributors to the blogs are individuals working in the field of instructional design and can offer different perspectives on ways to be effective. The site is constantly engaging in meaningful subject topics as well as providing interesting perspectives. The blog offers a wide variety of information that can contribute to our learning community.

The second blog I chose was K-State's idos blogs. This site addresses e-learning, pedagogical theory, educational research, and high tech expertise in building learning through various means. The layout of this site is also easy to follow and the information on the site is tagged by a various range of categories. The site offers a variety of resources conducted by experts in the field of ID, education and round table seminars. I found the idea of round table seminars very interesting and well organized. There are future dates scheduled for round table seminars which will allow you to choose the seminars of interest. This is another avenue of reaching the masses in the current field of interest. The site allows you to collaborate with professionals and seek updated information in the subject matter. This is a site that I will be using frequently to receive information as well as contribute information.

The last blog I chose was discovering instructional design part1. This blog site's approach is slightly different in that his focus is understanding how people learn based upon different theories. I chose this blog because it is directly related with our current class. His emphasis is on how the individuals learn. This site is another resource to help us understand that we are not designing materials for ourselves but for others. In designing material it is important that we recognize the various learning styles. According to Michael Hanley:

"Instructional Design (ID) is the practice of maximizing the effectiveness, efficiency and accessibility of instruction and other learning experiences. The ID process can be said to have a number of steps:

1. determine the current state and needs of the learner
2. define the end goal of instruction
3. develop a learning intervention to assist in the acquisition of new skills, knowledge or expertise."

Michael believes in providing a foundation for instructional designing based upon theoretical basis for learning. He mentions the learning theories behaviorism. cognitivism, and constructivism. I think this blog will help us tremendously with our current class as another resource for understanding different theories of learning.

I really hope these blogs will assist us in our understanding of ID. The technology field is constantly evolving and I hope these blogs will keep us abreast of the changes.

Welcome!

Hello all I am so excited about blogging. This is my first time and I already have so much to say and share. I am currently a graduate student at Walden University obtaining a M.S. in Instructional Design and Technology and creating a blog is our latest project. Please feel free to contribute in any way to help enhance our learning in the field of Instructional Design and Technology.