0 Evaluating and Identifying Online Resources

I found an article on brains.org named Stress-a land mine for the brain by Dr. Kathie F. Nunley.  She states stress is more than distressing but it is unsafe to the mind and body. In addition, she states it can initiate other problem and can hinder short-term memory. Furthermore, large amounts of stress associated with fear and anxiety can affect the learning process. Yet on the other hand, she states a small amount of stress can keep arousal levels elevated enough to finish a task.  

As a student, I often feel stressed and overwhelmed. I do agree a small amount of stress keeps me aroused enough to be determine to complete my assignments and submit them on time.

Next I found an article Training and plasticity of working memory using the Walden Universities Library from the PsycINFO database. It is believed that our working memory can be improved by be enhanced by adaptive and extensive training in the brains frontal and parietal cortex, basal ganglia. In addition, Changes in the dopamine receptors.  This training would consist of repetition, feedback, rehearsal, chunking and meta-cognitive strategies. This would be beneficial for individuals who have a low working memory to help with their academic performance.

Klingberg, T. (2010). Training and plasticity of working memory. Trends in Cognitive Sciences, 14(7), 317-324. doi:10.1016/j.tics.2010.05.002.

Nunley, K. (2010) Working with Styles. Retrieved November 14, 2010, from:  http://help4teachers.com/learningstyles.htm

0 The Doorway to Professional Learning Communities

The three blogs I visited were very informative. The first blog was one of Cathy Moore's.  Cathy Moore has extensive experience in Instructional Design. I found her bio online very impressive. She started as a technical writer for personal computer users and a trainer. In addition, many of her articles appear in library trade publications. Furthermore, she has presented workshops, developed and marketed new information products.

            She started providing distance education for adults when she joined the award winning Independent Learning program at the University of Wisconsin. What I found most astounding is that she has been in E-learning since 1998. She started out as a k-12 market and switched to corporate learning in 2001.

            In her blog, Learning styles: Worth our time? She presented the question, if you had time to evaluate the research on learning styles, what would you conclude? I cannot answer this question at this time but by the end of this class, I will be able.  Furthermore, her post are easy to comprehend and insightful.

The next site I investigated was of Charles Jennings. He is the Managing Director of Duntroon Associates, a Performance and Productivity consultancy company located in the United Kingdom.  The article Instructional Design or Interactivity Design in an interconnected world is very interesting.  Jennings states in the blog, that structured learning is content-rich and interaction-poor.  At the end of this class, I hope to have the tools to design, develop and deliver content rich learning. I recommend this article to my fellow cohorts.

The last blog I investigated was of Christy Tucker.  She has several blogs under the topic, Best of Experiencing E-Learning. Her blog, What does an Instructional  Designer Do? is an overview of the responsibility of an instructional designer.

All of these blogs are very interesting. I plan to utilize their information in my understanding of Instructional Design.