REFLECTION

Educational technology is becoming a part of every community and organization. With the world becoming more connected, educational technology is one of the fastest growing segments. A large majority of educational institutions are designing and implementing educational technology systems into their organization. For example, Cisco TelePresence Classroom Experience has helped high schools, colleges, and universities around the world get connected so learners can experience next-generation teaching, learning, and improved administrative efficiency. Apple also does a great job of promoting educational technology. A lot of schools have adopted iBooks and iTunes U. “Now easier than ever to unleash the full potential of iTunes products in your classroom by creating your own courses for iTunes products. You get to share your ideas in a powerful new way, and your students get a rich, immersive learning experience by using the iTunes U application” (Apple).

The advancement of technology over the next 10 years will help to bridge the gap in educational differences worldwide. As new technology is developed processes become more efficient which in turn makes products more affordable. In the next ten years, a school in a third world country may be able to afford a computer that they normally would not of been able to in the past.

For an educational institution to be successful, they must continue to research, create, and invest in educational technology. There are many educational technologies available but selecting the best and most appropriate technology tools for your institutions success is vital. With the constant flow of information and new technology, information is more abundant than ever. “The span of time between learning something new, being able to apply it, and finding that it is outdated and no longer useful is a key concept organizations must be aware of” (Gonzalez).  

With the implementation and advancement of educational technology, more and more organizations are beginning to invest specifically in distance education programs or are continuing to build their existing distance education infrastructure. Distance education has a tremendous amount of potential but requires a continued investment. For Rasmussen College students distance education is; cost effective, provides on demand learning, convenient, and flexible. It also provides students with the technological skills more and more employers are requiring.

The publishing community already plays a large role in educational technology; information is now available at the touch of a button. People are not now connected or wired in more than ever. It has become an expectation to be able to access information when desired. The publishing community has taken advantage of this by publishing any and all types of information. What we as consumers, learners, and educators need to be is cognizant of the plethora of false and misleading information that is being published.

As instructional designers, it is our job to not only work with our colleagues to create beneficial learning experiences for our students but to also continue to educate ourselves about new and developing learning theories and combine them with the best available technology that is appropriate for our learners and organization.

Pre-Planning Strategies

Pre-Planning Strategies

What are some of the pre-planning strategies the trainer needs to consider before converting his program?

·         Create an orientation so that effective course orientation can be achieved by students.

·         Depending on how much you need to restructure your course, you can strip the syllabus of dates, directions, goals, and requirements so that you have only content. From there you can restructure the course based on the modality (blended).

·         Make sure you have the course fully functional on the first day so that you can concentrate on teaching.

·         Make sure you have your instructions for students in a multiple locations and are clear and concise.

·         Equate your classroom/face to face activity that is currently implemented and convert & equate the activity level to online/blended.

·         Decide what your pedagogical approach will be:

o   Will it include discussions, individual, collaborative, all of the previous?

o   How much of the course will be performance based now that it is a blended modality?

·         The facilitator is responsible for encouraging individuals in the course to become thoughtful inquirers, autonomous thinkers, and constructive co-learners (Matthews-DeNatale & Doubler, 2000)

·         What constraints can you plan for before the course starts?

o   What constraints might your run into when the course starts?

§  Plan of action should your run into constraints once your course is live?

·         What new evaluation techniques should be created with the conversion of the course (blended)?

·         Align your new learning objects with the entire course.

o   Make sure it aligns with the assessment.

What aspects of his original training program could be enhanced in the distance learning format?

·         Now that all of the information is available online via a server, the instructor should make sure he digitizes as much of the content as possible. This will increase communication and collaboration between all of the students and the instructor.

·         He will also be able to add more media to the current content i.e. videos, graphics, animations, audio etc.

·         Corrections, additions, access, and delivery of the content can be made quickly and efficiently. 

How will his role, as trainer, change in a distance learning environment?

The instructor will still be in charge of facilitating effective, positive and constructive communication. Garrison, Anderson, and Archer (2000) defined teaching presence as “The design, facilitation, and direction of cognitive and social process for the purpose of realizing personally meaningful and educationally worthwhile learning outcomes” (p. 5).

The instructor will now have more flexibility and accesses to his learners with the blended course. However, he will have to learn and build other methods of communication into his course that are directly related to online learning. For example, updates via email, course mail, announcements, etc. Facilitators must engage in meaningful conversation and debate (Simonson et al 2012).

What steps should the trainer take to encourage the trainees to communicate online?

·         Create assignments that require the use of online communication tools.

·         Send updates, comments, instructions, etc via online communication tools.

·         Ensure discussion post and replies are built into the course.

·         Build group projects into the course that can occur asynchronously.

o   Students can communicate and collaborate via e-course tools such as Skype, Wimba, Go To Meeting, Meet Now, etc.

·         Remind students via announcements and tips to collaborate and communicate online.

·         Creating a culture/community is the shared responsibility of all participants, not just the instructor (Simonson, Smaldino, Albright, & Zvacek, 2012).

Reference:

Anderson, T., Rourke, L., Garrison, D. R., & Archer, W. (2001). Assessing teaching presence in a computer conferencing context. Journal of Asynchronous Learning Networks, 5(2), 1-17.

Simonson, M., Smaldino, S., Albright, M., & Zvacek, S. (2012). Teaching and learning at a distance: Foundations of distance education (5th ed.) Boston, MA: Pearson.

Stuttard, E. (2012). Students’ Responsibilities in Online Discussions. Retrieved from http://www.bellaonline.com/articles/art44213.asp

*I can not add the PDF attachment with this particular blog tool*

The Impact of Open Source

Open Course websites are one of the fastest growing segments in education, specifically distance education (DE). Typically, these websites/courses do not require a log in or registration. As a result, they generally do not offer any type of certification or credit(s) associated with it.

I have decided to explore http://itunes.stanford.edu/. This particular open course has an itunes feature that makes it very convenient for Apple users to organize and navigate through the open courses that are offered. However, if you don't have itunes or aren't familiar with the navigation of Apple platforms, it can be cumbersome. This is also a unique open course site because you are required to create an itunes account to use the features versus a true open course website (click and play).

The course I chose to review was The Beauty Bias: The Injustice of Appearance in Life and Law. I chose to watch this with my friend who is currently in law school to see if she could provide some additional insight to as to the quality of the course and content since she is currently in traditional law school (classroom setting).

The course was approximately a 1 hour long lecture. My experience with the course was rather disappointing. The course content was watered down, almost as if it was designed for the general population which if very well may have been. Not only was the course a flat lecture and watered down, we found several inconsistencies in the presentation. This is not something an institution such as Stanford should be putting their stamp on. This open course will entertain you but will not provide you with knowledge you would expect from an academic institution. You will find yourself searching for additional resources. Keep in mind this is a free course and has no obligations associated with it so you your expectations should reflect such.

The course does have some DE features associated with it:

* Asynchronous: The course allows learners to learn at their own pace, time, and setting.
* Technology: The technology requirement is rather standard for a student expecting to participate in distance learning courses. However, an iTunes account is required for participation.

I mentioned the course is rather flat, what I mean by that is:

*A quality course offers interaction, this course does not; it only offers a video.
* The course was not designed for a specific learning audience, therefore it is not content specific which dilutes the learners experience and take away(s).

The video I watched reminded me of content/video I have watched on Youtube, again it lacks academic substance. There was no follow up content such as tests, quizzes, or assignments that are often found in educational courses to help reinforce what the learner has learned and to aid in recall.

This course inevitably lacks a significant about of design consideration. Perhaps, ADDIE can be used in the future to increase the value of this course and future courses. To be fair this is an open course, which means it is designed to educate a very wide audience base, has no goals presented to the learner, and is free.

Selecting Distance Learning Technologies

Instructional Scenario:

A high school history teacher, located on the west coast of the United States, wants to showcase to her students new exhibits being held at two prominent New York City museums. The teacher wants her students to take a "tour" of the museums and be able to interact with the museum curators, as well as see the art work on display. Afterward, the teacher would like to choose two pieces of artwork from each exhibit and have the students participate in a group critique of the individual work of art. As a novice of distance learning and distance learning technologies, the teacher turned to the school district’s instructional designer for assistance. In the role of the instructional designer, what distance learning technologies would you suggest the teacher use to provide the best learning experience for her students?

Instructional Needs
1: Interaction with museum curators
2: Virtual tour of the museum
3: Group critique of two pieces of art work

Simonson et al stated that, "The key to effective distance education is correct instructional design, a systematic process that applies research based principles to educational practice. If the design is effective, instruction will also be effective" (Simonson et. al 2012, p.171).

First I would have the teacher research what museums offer virtual tours or online navigation and also have wi-fi available. A good tool to use would be Cisco TelePresence for a virtual tour. Cisco TelePresence is an alternative teleconferencing tool that offers an "in-person" meeting environment. You can meet, work and learn in real time with remote participants (museums in this scenario) together in the same or different virtual rooms without having to travel. http://www.cisco.com/web/strategy/education/us_education/telepresence_for_education.html

Cisco WebEx Social for Higher Education Collaboration in a Post E-Mail World: Video: http://youtu.be/nvOukhKt8kI



Next I would have the teacher create a wiki space for the student's to collaborate. Blogs, wikis, or discussion boards provide students with meaningful and appealing learning experiences (Beldarrain, 2006). A wiki is a space on the web where you can share work, ideas, pictures, links, videos, and media. The site that I would suggest for use is http://www.wikispaces.com/content/teacher 

Here are two demonstration video's of wikispaces.com

1: http://youtu.be/Hfh2vrgvdIQ

2: http://youtu.be/BtEkIQgreKQ


The wikispace will allow students or groups to post their work for review by the teacher and others students and groups. They can include a picture of which piece of art work they chose to critique, why they chose that piece of work, as well as other rationale.

Wikispaces Testimonials:

Being able to embed files, links, html coding, videos and other media so easily has meant that Wikispaces has made a great home for me on the Internet. Wikis can be slowly built up and added to from humble beginnings and grow into something quite wonderful.

— Martin Burrett

Our Wikispace allows my students to have a 24/7 learning environment, and it is being used as such which is an exciting thing to see.

— Craig Kemp

Witnessing the pairs work in class and then communicate using email, wiki discussions, and wiki mail to collaborate with classmates outside their class was invigorating. It also generated conversations about History class outside the walls of my room. It fully utilized the purpose and design of Wikispaces and the outcome was better than I had anticipated.

— Larry Bruce

References: 

Beldarrain, Y (2006). Distance education trends: Integrating new technologies to foster student interaction and collaboration. Distance Education, 27(2), 139-153. 

Cisco. (2012). Cisco higher education. Retrieved from http://www.cisco.com/web/strategy/education/higher_education.html

Simonson, M., Smaldino, S., Albright, M., & Zvacek, S. (2012). Teaching and learning at a distance: Foundations of distance education (5th ed.) Boston, MA: Pears

Wikispaces. (2012). Wikispaces education. Retrieved from http://www.wikispaces.com/content/teacher

Distance Education Past & Present

Distance Education Past and Present

Distance education is comprised of four components. Institutionally based, Separation of teacher and student, Interactive telecommunications, Sharing of data, voice, and video. Simonson, Smaldino, Albright, & Zvacek define distance education as, “An institution based, formal education where the learning group is separated, and where interactive telecommunications systems are used to connect learners, resources, and instructors.”

My definition of distance education prior to this course was, “Teaching and learning that is conducted in a non-face to face manner. Utilization of technology is used to connect the teacher(s) and student(s).

Distance education is becoming a party of every community and organization. With the world becoming more connected, distance education is one of the fastest growing sectors. All educational institutions are designing and implementing distance education systems into their organization. Not only are educational systems implementing distance education into their organization but traditional business are more and more as they are learning that there are a plethora benefits associated with distance learning.

The resources from this week were very informative and offered several variations of the “definition” of distance learning. I have integrated my definition with the information I have read. My new definition of distance education is, “Learning through synchronous and asynchronous methods via multimedia and various connective technologies in a formal learning setting. Typically the instructor and student(s) are separated.”  “Institution-based, formal education where the learning group is separated, there interactive telecommunications systems are used to connect learners, resources and instructors”. (Simonson, Smaldino, Albright, and Zvacek, 2012, p.32).  

As I mentioned earlier, more and more organizations are beginning to invest in distance education programs or continuing to build their distance education infrastructure. Distance education has a tremendous amount of potential but requires a continued investment. Distance education is:

1: Cost effective by off-setting travel, classroom overhead and loss of employee productivity

2: Provides “on demand” learning accessibility

3: Scalable, once developed learners can immediately use it

(Moller, Foshay & Huett, 2008)

References:

Simonson, M., Smaldino, S., Albright, M., & Zvacek, S. (2012). Teaching and learning at a distance: Foundations of distance education (5th ed.) Boston, MA: Pearson

Moller, L., Foshay, W., & Huett, J. (2008). The Evolution of Distance Education: Implications for Instructional Design on the Potential of the Web (Part 2: Higher education). TechTrends, 52(4), 66-70.

Moller, L., Foshay, W., & Huett, J. (2008). The Evolution of Distance Education: Implications for Instructional Design on the Potential of the Web (Part 2: Higher education). TechTrends, 52(4), 66-70.

Effective Instructional Materials

The best way to think about the development aspect of training design is to look at it from the point of view of your end product (Piskurich, 2005). The best way for your trainees to master their objectives is to have effective needs and tasks which are determined by your analysis and assessment (Piskurich, 2005). There are several training environments, Classroom training, On the job training (OJT), Self-Instruction, and Technology Based Training. From these four environments I have determined that there are elements found in each of them. Lesson plan (who’s doing the teaching), Training Manual (materials that will help the trainer teach), Performance check list/Evaluation, and Media (specific technology used for delivery).

 You must also make sure the objectives you have determined support the resolution of the instructional problem. Each objective should address either content or skill that will help the learner improve performance related to the problem (Morris, Ross, Kalman, Kemp, 2011). If the design of the strategy is correct, the performance recall or application, which is specified in the objective and will be reflected by the strategy you designed, to support the intended performance (Morris, Ross, Kalman, Kemp, 2011).

My training to become a certified phlebotomist was very effective. The course was designed by actual phlebotomists in conjunction with subject matter experts. We began the training by diving into course material so that we could become familiar with the terminology that would be used throughout the training. Included but not limited to were safety techniques, standard operating procedures (SOP’s), and active techniques which included graphics, videos, and animations. The resources available to us included but were not limited to were practicing phlebotomists, physical specimens, books, and ebooks. The corporate instructors used very good strategy in regards to implementing the best materials and resources based on training needs. One thing they could of done better is provide materials that could be reviewed outside of work, before or after trainings.    

References:

Piskurich, G. M. (2005) Rapid instructional design: Learning ID fast and right. San Francisco, CA: Jossey-Bass/Pfeiffer

Morrison, G. R., Ross, S. M., Kalman, H. K., & Kemp, J. E. (2011). Designing effective instruction (6th ed.). Hoboken, NJ: John Wiley & Sons, Inc.

Comparing Instructional Design Models

Human Performance Technology or HPT has been derived from the ADDIE Model. The ADDIE model is very systematic, linear, inflexible, constraining, and time consuming to implement (Kruse, 2009).

Below is a Mind Map briefly comparing ADDIE and HPT:

Because the human performance technology model is more flexible, easier to implement, and incorporates all of the designers; it is a better choice when results are desired in a short time frame. An example I can utilize from personal experience is when our implementation team installed software at one of our clients facilities. 4 of the 5 facilities were functioning without a problem. The 5^th facility was comprised primarily of Hispanic employees where Spanish was their first language.

As a result, we had to re-write some of the software to include an option for Spanish and re-implement it. Utilizing the HPT model we already knew the problem areas and could quickly identify the areas that needed modification because everyone collaborated on the project. Essentially we took the route of the rapid prototyping phase and modified our existing model. The reason for the modification was because the learners did not respond to the creative metaphor and the learning functions were not user friendly (Kruse, 2009).      

Resources:

Kruse, K. (2009) Introduction to Instructional Design and the ADDIE model. Retrieved from http://www.transformativedesigns.com/id_systems.html

Thiagarajan, S. (1999) Rapid instructional design. Retrieved from http://www.thiagi.com/article-rid.html.

International Society for Performance Improvement. ISPI. What is Human Performance Technology (HPT)?

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/ADDIE_Model

Fitting the Pieces Together

Despite my new knowledge about the different learning theories, my view on how I learn has not changed much. The item that sticks out the most to me was the information on interference and its effects on learning. Because interference can play a big role in the learning process especially for someone like myself who has attention deficit hyper activity disorder I paid particular attention to information contained in those chapters & articles, as well as doing additional research.

I have learned a few things that have helped re-structure how I learn and has helped me to look at learning with a different perspective. I first would like to revise my statement from week two, “According to Orey, M., “Rehearsal can be used to get information in long term memory, but is very inefficient.” This did not hold true for me. It became crucial for me to implement advance organization, self-planning, self-monitoring, and self-evaluation into my everyday learning (Orey, 2001).”

Rehearsal can be very useful in learning, as I progressed through this course I realized that Orey was right. I re-assed specific instances when I used rehearsal strictly when learning versus when I would apply the other learning theories to my learning. A vivid example that I can remember was anything related to my anatomy & physiology courses. I would primarily use rehearsal to learn the items, take the test, but would proceed to lose a plethora of information that I once retained as time progressed. Orey expressed that rehearsal can be used to get information in long term memory but is inefficient. I don’t agree fully that is in inefficient, perhaps for some people, but for math it was the best way for me to learn. I do agree that it is inefficient in embedding the information into your long term memory. Once again, for a cognitive learner rehearsal may be ideal for retaining information into your long term memory but for me, constructivism & connectivism is the most efficient practice.

In week three we learned about behaviorism. Once I began to understand the concepts of behaviorism I started to purposely look for one of Standridge’s definitions of behaviorism, “Changes in behavior result from stimulus-response associations made by the learner.” Over several weeks I interacted quite a bit with my younger nieces and nephews and noticed how quickly they would learn and how much a stimulus-response played a part in their learning. They way my aunt’s and uncle’s would teach or discipline the kids was as if they were trying to program a behavior with very simple instructions (behaviorism=lower level learning). As Kapp stated, “If you are working simply on stimulus-response, then you are working on programmable behavior." In addition, we all still use behaviorism to learn, an example of such would be, in the past watching my teammates during practice or professional athletes and simply listening to what they had to say and watching them perform the actions.

From week four, I stand firm in my belief that it is only partially possible to create a true social environment in an online classroom because of the lack of physical interaction. Physical interaction is a foundation of learning from the beginning of time before any technology was present. Because of our advanced cognitive abilities, humans will always require physical interaction to fully comprehend any type of learning. When people say they are better hands on learners they are referring to the physical or tactile aspect of learning. While physical or tactile learning is essential in the learning process, it is not required and learners can still benefit from other avenues of learning. Davis et al. stated that, “Theories including connectivism do not become obsolete by any means, but they do need to be used in a very different way to be able to incorporate the attributes of a 21st century learning environment.” Similar to what Davis et al. mentioned, over the past weeks I have realized that I no longer require traditional or hands on learning due to the technological advancements in learning environments in the 21^st century,  but rather use it as a tool to aide my learning through constructivism and connectivism.  

Technology plays a very large part in my learning. It is vital to utilize the different technological resources that are present and continue to learn about new and developing technologies. With the constant flow of information and new technology, information is more abundant than ever. “The span of time between learning something new, being able to apply it, and finding that it is outdated and no longer useful continues to decrease” (Gonzalez). Gonzalez refers to this as the “half-life” of knowledge. I agree with our Vygotsky in saying that, “It is entirely possible to learn about discoveries, inventions, and ideas in an online environment.” With modern technology such as satellites, internet, and mobile phones & applications it is possible for us to learn about these important societal discoveries. With the advancement of technology I can obtain complex instructions to modify or create items while reviewing past experiences and choose to replicate the results or create new information all in real time.  In almost all cases the advancement of technology benefits us. However, one thing we all have to consider is the authenticity of the information we are obtaining from these mediums, i.e. Wikipedia.

My goal is to create the most robust, accurate, engaging, fulfilling, and user friendly experience for my learners. I am very excited to continue my course work so that I can create my own learning environment and combine it with technological advancements from educational providers such as Google (http://www.google.com/apps/intl/en/edu/university.html) and Apple (http://www.apple.com/education/?aid=Edu-IntSearch-C).

Resources:

Kapp, K. (2007, January 2). Out and About: Discussion on educational schools of thought [Blog post]. Retrieved from http://karlkapp.blogspot.com/2007/01/out-and-about-discussion-on-educational.html

Orey, M. (2001). Information processing. In M. Orey (Ed.), Emerging perspectives on learning, teaching, and technology. Retrieved from http://projects.coe.uga.edu/epltt/index.php?title=Information_processing

Vygotsky, L. (1962) Thought and Language. Cambridge, MA. MIT Press.

Connectivism

Mind Map

My network has changed the way I learn in a plethora of ways. The first way it has helped me to learn is that it has helped me find additional resources for information pertinent to my learning. With the advancement of technology it is very easy to get lost in the clutter. You must be careful of what resources you choose to extract information from. Secondly, my network has helped me to organize all of the resources that are available to me. It is important to be organized in your learning so that you can be efficient and process the information in an effective manner so that you can recall the information throughout your learning. Finally, my network has helped me to share what I have learned and continue to discover what my peers have learned. It is important to share your knowledge because it helps not only develop your network but also helps others to advance theirs.

The most basic digital tool that has helped facilitate my learning is Microsoft Office, it helps me to organize, structure, plan, and execute all of the material I have obtained. All of the information that I extract from resources such as the Walden library, my peers blog's, elearninglearning.com, etc is neatly and effectively stored and shared via Microsoft Office, Liked In, Twitter, Facebook, discussion boards, and various blog's. 

I gain new knowledge in many different ways. Some traditional methods include learning via a traditional classroom settings (in person), training's hosted by my employer, and reading articles and texts books. Some none traditional methods of advancing my knowledge when I have questions is by utilizing the digital world. The digital world includes but is not limited to Liked In, Twitter, Facebook, discussion boards, blog's, online journals, and general use of the world wide web. 

My personal learning network fully supports the central tenets of connectivism by utilizing all the aspects connectivism represents. My personal learning network continues to grow daily by connecting my past, present, and future knowledge, which I believe is the definitive meaning of connectivism. The only potentially negative aspect about any individuals personal learning network (connectivism) is that it contains each individuals thoughts, how they have deciphered the information they have learned. It may not align with your personal thoughts and opinions, and in some instances it may be wrong in another individuals or groups eyes.   

When the brain is prepared to learn: Enhancing human learning using real-time fMRI

Review of a Journal Article by Julie Yoo et al.

Yoo et al. discuss how the brain varies in its ability to learn depending on its environment. Neuroimaging was used to detect favorable and unfavorable conditions for the brain to learn. The images helped to depict when a learner was pre-pared to learn or not prepared to learn.

Research results indicated that memory recognition was subsequently better when favorable learning conditions were presented or "good" brain states were measured. As Yoo et al. mentioned, gaining an understanding of favorable learning conditions will help us accelerate education and training.

As instructional designers it is important to pay attention to new research that is available that can help us expand our knowledge on how others learn. By continuing to educate our self, we directly impact our learners by providing them with the best tools possible for their educational growth.

This is a topic that I find very interesting, primarily any research that discusses new and innovative ways to accelerate learning.

Retrieved at: Journal Neuroimaging, (ScienceDirect database) Pull up the article by paging through Volume 59.

An Information Processing Theory of Learning and Forgetting

Review of a Journal Article by Andre, Thomas (An Information Processing Theory of Learning and Forgetting)

Its a very interesting article that talks about how information is processed and how sometimes it can be lost or not retrieved. Andre talks about how the IP model views learning as a process of storing, retrieving, and out putting information from a permanent memory.

What was new to me was his discussion on how the pattern of information determines how the information will be processed. He considers the pattern a type of stimulus and takes into account the response that is required to that stimulus at the moment of learning. I would equate this to the learning environment.

Andre continues to discuss how the pattern is most important when influencing the storage location in long term memory. As far as storage location is concerned , this concept is new to me but makes sense how the same type of information can be stored in different locations based on what kind of pattern is influencing the new information.

Andre suggests that multiple storage locations may account for forgetting; coupled with a limited amount of time to search the storage address system in turn resulting in a failure to retrieve information.

The IP theory can account for output interference (inability to output recalled information): if the initial stimulus and elaborative information (which determine the address of the stored information) cannot be reconstructed, the information will not be retrieved. -Andre Thomas

I would like to learn more about reconstruction of the information that Andre mentions.

The full article can be retrieved at:  http://www.eric.ed.gov/contentdelivery/servlet/ERICServlet?accno=ED063075 

Overview of My Blog Sites 1.0

1. Rasmussen College Online Learning Blog: http://www.rasmussen.edu/student-life/blogs/online-learning/
- These blogs are created primarily for undergraduate students as that is who Rasmussen College primarily serves.
- The information is always up to date and comes from a Regional Accredited Educational Institution
- The blogs are short and quick reads and will help supplement Instructional Designers throughout their career because the information pertains directly to online learners.
- EASE OF USE: 9.0/10.0

2. eLearningLearning Blog: http://www.elearninglearning.com/
-Is a buffet of information and blogs related to eLearning. It contains information for almost every eLearning Professional, topics and concepts include but are not limited to learning, blogging, development, informal, and training.
-There is always recent information on the site but also has content from 2002 that is easily accessible. What's unique about this site is that it has discussion topics for date ranges up to 2020 (Classrooms in 2020) etc.
-This site will act as an ongoing resource for Instructional Designers because it's broad topic ranges and futuristic approach.
-EASE OF USE: 7.0/10.0

3. Cathy Moore (Let's save the world from boring elearning) http://blog.cathy-moore.com/
-Think of this as your local neighborhood gem (restaurant, park, museum) it does not seem to be a large scale blog and has a moderate amount of followers compared to eLearningLearning (above).
-Cathy provides links to entertaining and pertinent topics and responds to most of her commentators.
-This site will act an ongoing resource for an Instructional Designer simply for the fact that you may be able to connect with blogger much easier than a main stream source.

Rasmussen College Online Learning Blog

I currently work at Rasmussen College, here is the url to our our: Online Learning Blog http://www.rasmussen.edu/student-life/blogs/online-learning/

The blogs are quick short reads which is what our students wanted based on the feed back we gathered from them. Enjoy!

 My Top 3:
1. http://www.rasmussen.edu/student-life/blogs/online-learning/tip-online-college-students/

2. http://www.rasmussen.edu/student-life/blogs/online-learning/molding-your-career-in-digital-classroom/

3. http://www.rasmussen.edu/student-life/blogs/online-learning/what-to-expect-from-online-courses/

eLearningLearning "A buffet of information"

I ran into this website:  http://www.elearninglearning.com/instructional-design/ because of this article title  “I’m not an idiot!” – A Letter from an Agonized Adult Learner]

This article is so true "If Instructional Designers Ran the World": http://www.elearninglearning.com/instructional-design/

The Future of Learning Part I: http://theelearningcoach.com/elearning_design/games-and-simulations/

The Future of Learning Part II: http://theelearningcoach.com/elearning_design/future-of-learning-design/

Do Instructional Designers Need a degree/10 Qualities: http://theelearningcoach.com/elearning_design/10-qualities-of-the-ideal-instructional-designer/ 

Cathy Moore "Let's save the world from boring elearning"

Here is her url if you would like to follow her: http://blog.cathy-moore.com/, she has good points and uses light humor to keep you interested. I figure she doesn't want to be a violator of her own "Mission statement: "Let's save the world from boring elearning"

Some information that I found interesting from Cathy's: "Are learners idots blog"

Learners know nothing. Our job is to insert knowledge into their brains without considering any knowledge that might already be there.

Learners can’t be trusted. They can’t be allowed to skip what they already know, and they must be told explicitly what’s right and wrong because they can’t draw conclusions from experience or stories.

These assumptions deny the adulthood of our learners. When these assumptions shape instruction, we create boring materials that sound like a patronizing parent.

Let learners place out. Start with simulations or scenarios that require learners to make the kinds of decisions they need to make in real life. If a learner proves that they can consistently make the right decisions, let them go.

Show, don’t tell. When a learner makes a poor decision, use the feedback to show them the results of their decision so they can conclude on their own that what they did was sub-optimal. Then, if necessary, show them what they need to know — or, better, put them in an easier scenario with more help and ratchet up the difficulty more slowly.