The principles we have explored in Learning Theories and Instruction will provide an important foundation in my work and as I continue my study of instructional design. I fell into the field of instructional design somewhat by accident. My background is in nursing and several years ago I began working as a clinical educator, training physicians in the use of electronic medical records. Within my work, I provide classroom training, develop curricula and materials, and design eLearning modules. I have not, until now, had any formal education in the field. Most of what I have learned within my work has been through observation and trial and error. This class has allowed me to achieve a broader understanding of how people learn, the different ways instruction can be applied, and the role motivation plays in learning. I am already applying the knowledge I have gained in this class to the work I do everyday.
Prior to this course, I did have some understanding of brain function, information processing, and behaviorism, but mostly in relation to human development rather than learning. Within my work and through my own exploration I had studied some principles of adult learning and motivation. The ideas behind cognitive learning, constructivism, social learning, and connectivism were completely new to me. I was not surprised that there were many different learning theories, but did find it interesting that some theories seem to be polar opposite (i.e. behaviorism and constructivism) while some seem to overlap in many areas (i.e. constructivism and social learning). I was surprised by the way many in the instructional design community seem to identify only with one theory and dismiss the others. I personally found value in all of them and think principles of each have a place in educational technology.
Throughout this course, I have become more aware of my own learning process, specifically how it has changed over time, and how I apply different methods depending on the task at hand. When we began, I considered myself a kinesthetic learner, because I felt I learned best by doing. As the course went on, I realized that this was more of a preference than a learning style. Perhaps because I enjoy doing or exploring to learn I am more motivated to do so. That does not mean, however, that I cannot learn as well through other methods. For instance, I really enjoyed creating a mind map in week 5. I liked “playing around with” with the Text2Mindmap application; the process helped me to understand my learning connections. Before creating the mind map though, I was able to understand the principles of connectivism because I had read about them. While not as enjoyable for me, I am able to learn just as well by reading as I am by doing. Recognizing this about my own learning process will be applicable as I design instruction for others. Although I must account for learners’ preferences, and certainly take advantage of what motivates them, I realize that people are capable of learning in a variety of ways. Using a blend of methods may be best for appealing to a large audience.
Through this course, I have come to understand that there is no one-size-fits-all methodology to designing effective instruction. Learners are diverse and therefore the methods I employ must be diverse. Going forward as an instructional designer, I will draw upon the theoretical principles learned in this course to develop quality educational programs that are relevant to learners’ needs.
Sunday, October 31, 2010
Sunday, October 24, 2010
Fitting the Pieces Together
In week one of class, I identified myself as a kinesthetic or tactile learner because I felt I learned best by doing. My view on this has changed somewhat over the past several weeks. Primarily, I consider the idea of being a kinesthetic learner more of a preference than a style that I am predisposed to. It is not that I am unable to learn visually or auditorily, but that I prefer to touch, explore, and immerse myself as a way to learn. I have also been forced to consider that the concept of learning styles may be based on research that is questionable.
In Learning Styles: Concepts and Evidence (2008) the authors argue that although learning styles are popular; there is a lack of credible evidence for their use in instructional settings.
Additionally,
My preference for learning by doing may be better explained by theories other than those concerning learning styles. Gardner's Multiple Intelligences Theory, for example, concludes that all humans possess eight distinct intelligences and that none of us possess the same profile of intelligences (Gardner, 2003). Perhaps I prefer to learn by touching and exploring because I possess more bodily-kinesthetic intelligence than spatial or linguistic intelligence. Or, it is possible that Adult Learning Theory best explains my preference because it emphasizes experiential and self-directed learning, and recognizes that experience provides the basis for learning (Conlan, Grabowski, & Smith, 2003). The take-away is that there are concepts within all of the theories we have discussed that may better explain our personal learning preferences than simply assuming that we are each rooted with a specific learning style from birth.
Technology is essential to my learning and helps me to learn according to my preference. As I discussed in my previous blog post on Connectivism, some of my learning connections are personal, but most are within the digital realm. For me, learning by doing includes exploration. Someone may give me the answer to a problem, but I am more likely to remember it if I explore it on my own. Much of my exploration occurs on the Internet through websites, articles, or connections with others on blogs or in forums. I often find that through Internet searches, I get the answers I am looking for and gain additional knowledge in the process.
Thanks,
Brandey
References:
Conlan, J., Grabowski, S., & Smith, K. (2003). Adult learning. In M. Orey (Ed.), Emerging perspectives on learning, teaching, and technology. Retrieved from http://projects.coe.uga.edu/epltt/index.php?title=Adult_Learning
Pashler, H., McDaniel, M., Rohrer, D., & Bjork, R. (2008). Learning styles: Concepts and evidence. Psychological Science in the Public Interest, 9 (3), 103-119. Retrieved October 11, 2010 from http://psychologicalscience.org/journals/pspi/PSPI_9_3.pdf
In Learning Styles: Concepts and Evidence (2008) the authors argue that although learning styles are popular; there is a lack of credible evidence for their use in instructional settings.
Our review of the literature disclosed ample evidence that children and adults will, if asked, express preferences about how they prefer information to be presented to them. There is also plentiful evidence arguing that people differ in the degree to which they have some fairly specific aptitudes for different kinds of thinking and for processing different types of information.
Additionally,
Although the literature on learning styles is enormous, very few studies have even used an experimental methodology capable of testing the validity of learning styles applied to education. Moreover, of those that did use an appropriate method, several found results that flatly contradict the popular meshing hypothesis. We conclude therefore, that at present, there is no adequate evidence base to justify incorporating learning styles assessments into general educational practice (Pashler, McDaniel, Rohrer, & Bjork, 2008, p. 105).
My preference for learning by doing may be better explained by theories other than those concerning learning styles. Gardner's Multiple Intelligences Theory, for example, concludes that all humans possess eight distinct intelligences and that none of us possess the same profile of intelligences (Gardner, 2003). Perhaps I prefer to learn by touching and exploring because I possess more bodily-kinesthetic intelligence than spatial or linguistic intelligence. Or, it is possible that Adult Learning Theory best explains my preference because it emphasizes experiential and self-directed learning, and recognizes that experience provides the basis for learning (Conlan, Grabowski, & Smith, 2003). The take-away is that there are concepts within all of the theories we have discussed that may better explain our personal learning preferences than simply assuming that we are each rooted with a specific learning style from birth.
Technology is essential to my learning and helps me to learn according to my preference. As I discussed in my previous blog post on Connectivism, some of my learning connections are personal, but most are within the digital realm. For me, learning by doing includes exploration. Someone may give me the answer to a problem, but I am more likely to remember it if I explore it on my own. Much of my exploration occurs on the Internet through websites, articles, or connections with others on blogs or in forums. I often find that through Internet searches, I get the answers I am looking for and gain additional knowledge in the process.
Thanks,
Brandey
References:
Conlan, J., Grabowski, S., & Smith, K. (2003). Adult learning. In M. Orey (Ed.), Emerging perspectives on learning, teaching, and technology. Retrieved from http://projects.coe.uga.edu/epltt/index.php?title=Adult_Learning
Gardner, H. (2003, April 21). Multiple intelligences after 20 years. Paper presented to the American Educational Research Association, Chicago, IL. Retrieved from http://www.pz.harvard.edu/PIs/HG_MI_after_20_years.pdf
Sunday, October 10, 2010
Connectivisim
In Connectivism: A Learning Theory for the Digital Age (2004), George Siemens identifies the following important principles of connectivism:
My Connections:
Click here to view a larger version of My Connections.
In the mind map above, I have identified my most significant learning connections. Although the basis of connectivism lies within the digital realm, I have established some very important non-digital learning connections. These personal connections include my friends and family members, and contacts I have made in my career. I look to others who have more life experience, and career experience within my field as important resources to learn from.
Digitally speaking, the Internet, obviously, is the doorway to numerous learning connections. It provides the ability to learn through browser searches such as Google and Google Scholar, and connect to others I may learn from through social networking. My RSS reader, although not necessary for establishing connection, allows me to zero in on content important to my learning such as news and blogs.
The connections I have established through Walden University are central to my learning in the field of instructional design. The digital format allows me to connect and learn from course resources, library resources, and experiences and resources shared by my classmates.
Digital technology provides so many ways to connect that many of my connections have begun to overlap. For example, I use my RSS reader to keep track of Instructional Design blogs including those written by my fellow students. Within these blogs, my classmates share resources and their experiences, just as they do within the course discussion threads. I now have two ways to connect to classmates who are a valuable part of my learning.
I am not certain that my personal learning network has increased my ability to learn, but it definitely has provided more opportunity for me to learn. As a child, when I would ask my parents a question, they would tell me to look up the answer in the dictionary or encyclopedia. Today, I search for answers to my questions on the Internet; instead of receiving one explanation, I instantly receive hundreds. My personal learning network supports the tenets of connectivism because my connections, made possible by the advance of digital technology, have increased my capacity to learn.
Siemens, G. (2004). Connectivism: A learning theory for the digital age. Retrieved October 10, 2010 from http://www.elearnspace.org/Articles/connectivism.htm .
- Learning and knowledge rests in diversity of opinions.
- Learning is a process of connecting specialized nodes or information sources.
- Learning may reside in non-human appliances.
- Capacity to know more is more critical than what is currently known
- Nurturing and maintaining connections is needed to facilitate continual learning.
- Ability to see connections between fields, ideas, and concepts is a core skill.
- Currency (accurate, up-to-date knowledge) is the intent of all connectivist learning activities.
- Decision-making is itself a learning process. Choosing what to learn and the meaning of incoming information is seen through the lens of a shifting reality. While there is a right answer now, it may be wrong tomorrow due to alterations in the information climate affecting the decision.
My Connections:
Click here to view a larger version of My Connections.
Digitally speaking, the Internet, obviously, is the doorway to numerous learning connections. It provides the ability to learn through browser searches such as Google and Google Scholar, and connect to others I may learn from through social networking. My RSS reader, although not necessary for establishing connection, allows me to zero in on content important to my learning such as news and blogs.
The connections I have established through Walden University are central to my learning in the field of instructional design. The digital format allows me to connect and learn from course resources, library resources, and experiences and resources shared by my classmates.
Digital technology provides so many ways to connect that many of my connections have begun to overlap. For example, I use my RSS reader to keep track of Instructional Design blogs including those written by my fellow students. Within these blogs, my classmates share resources and their experiences, just as they do within the course discussion threads. I now have two ways to connect to classmates who are a valuable part of my learning.
I am not certain that my personal learning network has increased my ability to learn, but it definitely has provided more opportunity for me to learn. As a child, when I would ask my parents a question, they would tell me to look up the answer in the dictionary or encyclopedia. Today, I search for answers to my questions on the Internet; instead of receiving one explanation, I instantly receive hundreds. My personal learning network supports the tenets of connectivism because my connections, made possible by the advance of digital technology, have increased my capacity to learn.
Siemens, G. (2004). Connectivism: A learning theory for the digital age. Retrieved October 10, 2010 from http://www.elearnspace.org/Articles/connectivism.htm .
Sunday, September 19, 2010
Evaluating and Identifying Online Resources
In this post, I will discuss two resources that provide information about this week's topics of the brain and learning, information processing theory, and problem-solving methods during learning.
The first resource, http://www.emtech.net/ , is an Internet website I discovered through a Google search of 'learning theories'. The site is sponsored by a group called emTech Consulting which, according to the homepage, provides "over 15,000 resources organized by topics for teachers, students, and parents." The site offers information on various topics relevant to our coursework in Learning Theories and Instruction including constructivism, learning theories, and learning styles. Additionally, many other resources on the site may be useful in Instructional Design study, such as journals, online communities, teaching resources, and reference sites. The site's learning theories page provides links to journal articles, papers, web sites, and other scholarly resources. The resources are divided into subtopics such as behaviorism, dual-coding theory, and information processing. There are also sections devoted to theorists such as Piaget and Vygotsky.
What I like most about emTech's site is that it is easy to navigate. It allows me to find information quickly by clicking a few links. There is no complicated searching involved. On the downside, some of the resource links are not working. Of the seven articles listed under information processing theory, I could open only four.
While the site provides easy access to resources on information processing theory, it is far from an extensive library. I think the real value of emTech's site is that it offers information on a wide variety of learning topics. It is not a one-stop shop for information on learning theory, but it is a good place to start. I think it will be very useful in locating outside sources to supplement course materials.
The second resource is the American Educational Research Journal. I found this journal in the Walden Library database. For those of you who may be unfamiliar with using the Walden library, I will quickly explain that I located this journal by clicking on Research Databases > Education > Education: a SAGE full text database. I then used the Browse tab to view journals available by discipline. You may also find this resource at http://aer.sagepub.com.ezp.waldenulibrary.org/ .
American Educational Research Journal is a quarterly journal first published in 1964. The journal "publishes original empirical and theoretical studies and analyses in education that constitute significant contributions to the understanding and/or improvement of educational processes and outcomes."
The online version allows you to view full text articles by issue or search for articles using keywords. With the amount of articles available it is important to be very specific when searching for studies on specific topics. Entering broad search terms returns an overwhelming amount of results. For example, when I searched for "reading" and "comprehension", I received 380 results. When I added the term "adults" the list was narrowed to 157.
I think this journal will be a very good resource because it contains numerous studies on information processing, metacognition, and attention. Although it may be a little more difficult to locate the pertinent studies, I feel more comfortable obtaining information from a scholarly journal than from the Internet. Scholarly journal articles reassure me that the material has been heavily scrutinized and held to the highest standards.
Thanks,
Brandey
The first resource, http://www.emtech.net/ , is an Internet website I discovered through a Google search of 'learning theories'. The site is sponsored by a group called emTech Consulting which, according to the homepage, provides "over 15,000 resources organized by topics for teachers, students, and parents." The site offers information on various topics relevant to our coursework in Learning Theories and Instruction including constructivism, learning theories, and learning styles. Additionally, many other resources on the site may be useful in Instructional Design study, such as journals, online communities, teaching resources, and reference sites. The site's learning theories page provides links to journal articles, papers, web sites, and other scholarly resources. The resources are divided into subtopics such as behaviorism, dual-coding theory, and information processing. There are also sections devoted to theorists such as Piaget and Vygotsky.
What I like most about emTech's site is that it is easy to navigate. It allows me to find information quickly by clicking a few links. There is no complicated searching involved. On the downside, some of the resource links are not working. Of the seven articles listed under information processing theory, I could open only four.
While the site provides easy access to resources on information processing theory, it is far from an extensive library. I think the real value of emTech's site is that it offers information on a wide variety of learning topics. It is not a one-stop shop for information on learning theory, but it is a good place to start. I think it will be very useful in locating outside sources to supplement course materials.
The second resource is the American Educational Research Journal. I found this journal in the Walden Library database. For those of you who may be unfamiliar with using the Walden library, I will quickly explain that I located this journal by clicking on Research Databases > Education > Education: a SAGE full text database. I then used the Browse tab to view journals available by discipline. You may also find this resource at http://aer.sagepub.com.ezp.waldenulibrary.org/ .
American Educational Research Journal is a quarterly journal first published in 1964. The journal "publishes original empirical and theoretical studies and analyses in education that constitute significant contributions to the understanding and/or improvement of educational processes and outcomes."
The online version allows you to view full text articles by issue or search for articles using keywords. With the amount of articles available it is important to be very specific when searching for studies on specific topics. Entering broad search terms returns an overwhelming amount of results. For example, when I searched for "reading" and "comprehension", I received 380 results. When I added the term "adults" the list was narrowed to 157.
I think this journal will be a very good resource because it contains numerous studies on information processing, metacognition, and attention. Although it may be a little more difficult to locate the pertinent studies, I feel more comfortable obtaining information from a scholarly journal than from the Internet. Scholarly journal articles reassure me that the material has been heavily scrutinized and held to the highest standards.
Thanks,
Brandey
Sunday, September 12, 2010
Instructional Design Blog Review
In this post, I will review a few instructional design blogs as part of an assignment for my Learning Theories and Instruction class. This is my first journey into the world of blogs and all I can say is WOW. I had no idea there was so much information available. What a valuable collection of resources. I don't know how I ever lived without them.
The three blogs I am reviewing this week are:
elearningpost, The Rapid eLearning Blog, and Instructional Design and Development Blog.
The goal of elearningpost is to "explore news, views and stories around Corporate Learning, Community Building, Instructional Design, Knowledge Management and more". The site provides links to numerous articles, interviews, and videos about eLearning and instructional design, and also about learning and education in general. Some interesting posts I've read so far have focused on the transition from traditional classroom to online learning and the use of social media in learning. There are tags available for searching specific topics and the articles are archived by month. There is no area to enter comments directly on the blog that I could see, however, in many instances comments can be posted on the sites where the articles are found. This blog provides links to a wide variety of recent content which will be helpful for staying on top of the latest instructional design news.
The Rapid eLearning Blog "shares practical tips and tricks to help you become a rapid eLearning pro". I have to say, I absolutely love this blog. eLearning development is what I am most interested in and is a big part of my current job. This blog provides many useful tips. For example, there is a post about how to manage eLearning course files. That may seem simple, but, when you are creating many modules with different versions, files can get pretty messy. This blog is very practical and is designed in a way that is visually appealing and entertaining. You may enter comments and "tweets" for each post. The resource section allows you to jump to specific topics and includes a section dedicated to instructional design. The host also provides free templates and tutorials on using them. Who doesn't love getting things free? I'm very excited to follow this blog because I think it will provide great information that I can use on a daily basis.
Last, but not least is the Instructional Design and Development Blog. This a blog maintained by the Instructional Design and Development department at DePaul University. "The site’s primary goal is to provide information on enhancing instruction through the use of technology." Being that this is a university-based blog, it is certainly the most "academic" of three I'm reviewing. The content is extensive, with articles archived monthly dating back to August 2007. One thing I really like about this blog is that they they provide an estimated reading time for each article. This is a nice touch. I often open articles, realize I don't have time to fully read them, and then have to come back to them later. The articles themselves are pretty diverse. Some of the posts I have read so far focus on learning management systems, creativity, use of wikis, and organization. There is a category list for specific topics including pedagogy, audio and video, and web tools. I think because this blog comes from an academic community, it will provide very useful in instructional design studies.
Thanks,
Brandey
The three blogs I am reviewing this week are:
elearningpost, The Rapid eLearning Blog, and Instructional Design and Development Blog.
The goal of elearningpost is to "explore news, views and stories around Corporate Learning, Community Building, Instructional Design, Knowledge Management and more". The site provides links to numerous articles, interviews, and videos about eLearning and instructional design, and also about learning and education in general. Some interesting posts I've read so far have focused on the transition from traditional classroom to online learning and the use of social media in learning. There are tags available for searching specific topics and the articles are archived by month. There is no area to enter comments directly on the blog that I could see, however, in many instances comments can be posted on the sites where the articles are found. This blog provides links to a wide variety of recent content which will be helpful for staying on top of the latest instructional design news.
The Rapid eLearning Blog "shares practical tips and tricks to help you become a rapid eLearning pro". I have to say, I absolutely love this blog. eLearning development is what I am most interested in and is a big part of my current job. This blog provides many useful tips. For example, there is a post about how to manage eLearning course files. That may seem simple, but, when you are creating many modules with different versions, files can get pretty messy. This blog is very practical and is designed in a way that is visually appealing and entertaining. You may enter comments and "tweets" for each post. The resource section allows you to jump to specific topics and includes a section dedicated to instructional design. The host also provides free templates and tutorials on using them. Who doesn't love getting things free? I'm very excited to follow this blog because I think it will provide great information that I can use on a daily basis.
Last, but not least is the Instructional Design and Development Blog. This a blog maintained by the Instructional Design and Development department at DePaul University. "The site’s primary goal is to provide information on enhancing instruction through the use of technology." Being that this is a university-based blog, it is certainly the most "academic" of three I'm reviewing. The content is extensive, with articles archived monthly dating back to August 2007. One thing I really like about this blog is that they they provide an estimated reading time for each article. This is a nice touch. I often open articles, realize I don't have time to fully read them, and then have to come back to them later. The articles themselves are pretty diverse. Some of the posts I have read so far focus on learning management systems, creativity, use of wikis, and organization. There is a category list for specific topics including pedagogy, audio and video, and web tools. I think because this blog comes from an academic community, it will provide very useful in instructional design studies.
Thanks,
Brandey
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