Sunday, May 15, 2011

Evaluating and Identifying Online Resources

Hello Everyone
Welcome to my blog! According to Ormrod in Information Processing and the Brain, "a big component of Cognitivism as an approach to learning is information processing theory. As Instructional Designers, we have to determine how to design or structure instruction that meets the needs of our learners.  Since we have all experienced some measure of forgetfulness, I thought a video on "How to Improve Your Memory will be very helpful. The video gives some simple practical steps to improving your memory such as drinking grape juice, eating blueberries, etc. Go ahead and try some of the steps that are outlined in the video and let me know if anything has changed for you. The video can be found at the following link.
 http://youtu.be/BBjr4jKYEpw


Below is another helpful website I found which will give you great ideas on how to assist your students with learning in your classroom, and also help you understand how they learn. The video shows learners using technology to stimulate their brain. The learners featured in the video are from Key Largo Middle School in Florida. Do you notice anything familiar? Yes...our course book! Here is an excerpt from the site.


"Key Largo received a two-year, $250,000 BellSouth Power to Learn grant in part because of its leadership in using technology and spending the time and money to train teachers to incorporate it into their instruction. The Power to Learn part of the grant refers to adherence to conclusions outlined in the book How People Learn: Brain, Mind, Experience, and School. First published in 1999 and written by a committee of scholars established by the National Research CouncilHow People Learn details research on learning and comments on the implications of such research on what is taught and how."


http://www.edutopia.org/brain-based-learning-key-largo-school-video

Friday, May 6, 2011

Relevant Content for Instructional Designers

Welcome to my Blog!
My search was very tedious. In spite of this highly technological field of instructional design, I was unable to find many blogging sites that were current. However, the sites I discovered that should give us the most enlightenment are listed below. They might very well be the sites that are frequented by most educators and Instructional Designers.

I found this cool site which is part of the Articulate Network --the Rapid eLearning Blog. The site is hosted by Tom Kuhlmann who runs the community at Articulate. It is a resource site that shares tips about Instructional Design. As a newcomer to Instructional Design, it gives you ideas on how to design the right course; tips on how to use audio and video in your designs, and many more. If you do not know how to create a screen cast, this site is for you. It has taken all the hassle out of learning how to create a screen cast. They make it very easy at this site. There is no software to download and most importantly, and it is free.  If you want to check out the screen casting, here is the website information. www.screenr.com

There is also information on how to download free fonts, and a segment in PowerPoint on how to redesign clip art to work to your advantage for your online classes. The Rapid E-Learning Blog shares practical tips and tricks to help you become a rapid elearning pro.  The website is listed below.

Here is another resource site for Instructional Design and Instructional Technology. It seems to be a one-stop shop for ID Jobs, Degrees, Conferences, ID Sites, and Forums. Check them out at:

This site, the Innovative Educator, was founded by Lisa Nielsen. On this site, she and others handle some of the most controversial topics in education that people are afraid to tackle. It is a site buzzing with activities, blogs, forums, and the like for educators. The topics are very interesting. There are several topics designed especially for those who want to improve their teaching skills or become better informed about twenty-first century technology that are being used in the classroom at some schools. If you are not “gung-ho” about standardized tests, there is also an interesting blog to which you can subscribe. The links are listed below.

Hope you enjoy blogging and gathering lots of information!
lividp21@gmail.com