Resources for Understanding How the We Learn: The Brain & Learning

The following are articles that are resources for the learning process:

Making It Stick: Memorable Strategies to Enhance Learning

This article by Regina G. Richards (2008), helps to identify how you remember something and what techniques you can use to enhance your memory skills. First, it is important for us to understand how we remember information so that we can better utilize the different strategies that we have at hand. And as Instructional Designers this is our toolbox for creating effective courses.

This article takes us through the memory process and explains how all the intricate components work together to move information from sensory input to sensory memory and short-term memory and eventually into long-term memory. Richards explains that “The use of strategies plays a very critical role in structuring input to help it move into long-term memory in a meaningful and memorable format.” The unique strategies outlined are in your RIP toolbox for memory (Repetition, Imagery, and Patterns). She also goes on to explain how motor images and demystification works to improve our memory.

A Framework for Supporting Post-secondary Learners with Psychiatric Disabilities in Online Environments

This article by Scott Grabinger (2010), supports and highlights the need for online classes for students with cognitive disorders. He introduces us to Elena, who has a psychiatric disability: bipolar (manic/depressive) disorder and Daniele, who suffers from depression. Both are serious cognitive disorders that have significant effects on learning, especially learning online. The article expresses the need to “turn the locus of support for students with cognitive impairments 180°, addressing support for students at the instructional level instead of the institutional level, which usually takes the learner out of the classroom.” The article help to educate us on how different cognitive impairments effect not only our memory, but also functioning, and problem solving and reasoning. The is a need for a Universal Design for Learning (UDL), which provides a framework for designing online instruction for learners with cognitive impairments. An outline of the Web 2.0 applications lists the various tools that that can be used to help facilitate learning.

Grabinger, S. (2010) “A Framework for Supporting Postsecondary Learners with Psychiatric Disabilities in Online Environments” Electronic Journal of e-Learning Volume 8 Issue 2 2010, (pp101 - 110), available online at www.ejel.org

Useful Instructional Design Sites

IDEAS: Instructional Design for Elearning ApproacheS

This blog is an excellent resource for instructional design (ID) students and professionals. It provides links to elearning and technology in eduction sites, other ID blogs, and articles. Ferdinand Krauss, a Masters student enrolled in the Instructional Design and Evaluation, Advance Technology in Distance Education at Athabasca University, is the author of this blog. It appears that it exists for the same reason my blog is being created, initally for a class assignment and it grew from there. I think this is a great jump-off to an array of elearning information.

Making Change: Ideas for lively e-learning

This is an awesome blog to use as a place to get your elearning creative juices flowing. Created by Cathy Moore, an elearning consultant, this site helps "save the world from boring elearning." I am very impressed by the amount of information that you can get from this blog. Cathy provides a number of recommended posts and links to ideas on how to make elearning interesting and effective. It mainly focuses on the business community, but I am sure that you can also get valueable information and ideas for the educational sector as well.

eLearning Technology

This 2008 edublog award winner site is a phenomenal resource for elearning technology. The author, Tony Karrer, is the CEO/CTO of TechEmpower, a Web development firm in LA. He is considered one of the top technologists in elearning. The blog was created in the February 2006, therefore it has a good bit of useful content to peruse through. You can also sign up to receive elearning technology articles via email. There is a list of useful elearning tools, companies, organization, and other blogs as well. The topics covered on the blog are quite insightful.