Connectivism

During this week, I have found that I have a larger professional network that impacts my educational and work careers. I believe that this network will impact how I interact with future training attendees. The mind mapping diagram above shows that my current employer networks are interconnected and work together to ensure that all pieces of the puzzles work.

This week, I have learned that in my current role, we rely heavily on the different facets of training, whether it is meetings and conventions or medical education to make sure that the customer is adequately trained on any particular product. The connection between each facet will allow us to effectively train the customer. It will also us to work together to ensure the appropriate information to passed to the customer.

The Brain and How it Processes Information

The brain is the boss of the body. It is needed in order for the body to function on a daily basis. In many cases, it seems as though the brain may be on overload, when in actuality the brain can learn more. I found a You Tube video that explains how the brain learns. Please check it out http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cgLYkV689s4.

Being new to instructional designing, it is imperative to know how the brain functions, in order to ensure that the appropriate learning takes place, as I design new training materials for anyone (i.e. corporate America and/or educational setting).  I believe that it takes a little bit of each learning process in order for the brain to retain the information being presented.  More often than not, we are taught that we have one specific way to learn, but in actuality, we learn using each one of the processes, whether using audio, visual or kinesthetic. As a trainer, we have to realize that each one of the processes keep the mind stimulated and will keep the attention of the trainees and/or students. We have to ensure that we create learning programs that will actively keep the brain functioning.

Thoughts on Surveyed Instructional Design Blog Sites

I have had the pleasure of researching several instructional design blogs. There were so many to choose from, but the following three, I believe, will serve as ongoing resources as I complete my graduate degree and begin my career in the instructional design and technology field.

The first site is eLearning Technology http://blog.thewritersgateway.com/begin-here/

This site provided an insight into instructional design and technology. The blogger also provides hyperlinked articles to the information that is discussed on the site. The site owner, Dr. Tony Karrer, provides readers with resources on instructional designing. Dr. Karrer also provides a guide for First Timers, who are getting into the career of instructional designing. It is my opinion that this site will be a great resource during my studies and long after my career as began as an instructional designer.

The second site is Cammy Bean’s Learning Visions http://cammybean.kineo.com/

Cammy Bean’s site provides interactive training for instructional designers. This site can serve as a tool for new students. This site has referenced books, websites, as well as, interactive presentations created by Bean for student perusal. Bean also provides many eLearning resources for our perusal. Cammy Bean is a vice president of Kineo learning designs, a the company provides training and instructional design for many corporations.

The final site is Cathy Moore’s: Let’s save the world from boring eLearning http://blog.cathy-moore.com/

This website is full of resources that will aid in providing interactive eLearning for instructional designers.  These resources will give designer information on how to make their eLearning materials exciting. The site also provides needs assessments for eLearning. Out of the three sites, I believe that Cathy Moore’s site is the most resourceful and packed with information that will drive designers into the future.