Connectivism

Information processing theory or how we remember and why we forget

Information Processing Theory

This weeks lessons involved information processing, and the brain & learning.  Long term memory and short term memory seemed to be the big topic, and the process of how we store and recall information from those memories were discussed.  I found that the process of recall fascinated me.  Because of that I searched for web sites and articles that had to do with cognitive learning theories.  I have listed a few below.

The first site I discovered this week was http://www.elearninglearning.com/.

This site is devoted entirely to e-learning on the web.  With resources dating all the way back to 2000, this is quite possibly the most comprehensive collection of articles, e-books, webinars, blog posts and resources for the instructional designer.  There is a page devoted specifically to cognitive learning theory with links to may articles on learning concepts.  The side bar contains a list of the top 70 e-learning articles for design professionals.  There is a webinar hosted by the site on Tuesday Nov. 16^th  titled “Learning in Today’s World: Blending the Best of Formal, Informal and Social Approaches-Lessons From Real Life.” This is possibly the best site for instructional designers.

The next discovery for me was an article titled Connectivism: Learning theory or pastime of the self-amused from elearnspace.org.  Siemens,G .Retrieved February, 2006 - elearnspace.org http//:www.elearnspace.org/articles/cognetivism_response.doc. “The externalization of thought is an important concept to consider in light of traditional theories of learning largely emphasizing knowledge construction and cognition as primarily internal events (in the mind of individuals).  (p.14)  In his 39 page article George Siemens argues that in order for learners to learn, not only do they need to internalize information, but it is necessary to connect that information to outside experiences.  He debates that knowledge acquisition does not necessarily equate with learning.  This is a great article on learning theory and if theories and methods of old are valid to today’s learner.

Other resources on information processing theory.

Sternberg, Robert J. & Zhang, Li-fang  Perspectives on Thinking, Learning and             Cognitive Styles. (2001,2010) Routledge. Retrived from: http://site.ebrary.com/lib/waldenu/docDetail.action?docID=10288559&p00=co            gnitive%20learning%20theory  it can be found in the Walden Library using document ID 10288559

Sprenger, M. (1999) Learning and Memory : The Brain in Action, Association for             Supervision & Curriculum Development. Retrieved from:

http://site.ebrary.com/lib/waldenu/docDetail.action?docID=10110324&for            ce=1&page=53 this can be found in the Walden Library using document ID 10110324

Blogs to help me grow....Week 1

In researching web sites to subscribe to, I was torn between sites for music education and sites for instructional design, seeing as I’m trying to combine both of them in my every day job.  I ended up subscribing to 17 sites that I find relevant. I have listed the three that I think will be the most useful in both technology in education, and instructional design.

Emerging EdTech

Kelly Walsh is the Director of Institutional Information & Technology at The College of Westchester in White Plains, NY. Each week, he writes an article discussing a topical issue affecting the use of technology in education. He has a number of well written PDF articles for readers to use, download and share, while the post index page provides a categorized archive of all the articles he has written for his blog. www.emergingedtech.com

Ozge Karaoglu’s Blog

Ozge describes herself as "a 20+ year old English teacher and a freelance teacher trainer", but online she is becoming very highly regarded for her technology blog.  Ozge writes reflections on projects she does with students, and shares a huge number of online resources that teachers would find useful in the classroom.  Her content is always new and original. This site is useful to me as an educator because it provides educational resources in technology that would benefit me in my classroom. http://ozgekaraoglu.edublogs.org

Making Change

Written by Cathy Moore this blog posts practical ideas to help design e-learning for adult learners.  Moore posts daily on Twitter, and provides links to other sites relevant to e-learning.   It has articles on learning styles (quite relevant to our first discussion), lessons on how to create innovative slides and links on the latest books in the field of Instructional Design.  This will be a sight that I visit quite often, because it is outside of the realm of education and more geared towards the adult, business learner.  http://blog.cathy-moore.com/category/instructional-design/