How I Acquire Information

Aisha's Learning Connections: All the ways I acquire knowledge personally and professionally. 

Learning and the Human Brain

Week two of my class, Learning Theories and Instruction, introduced the connection of neuroscience and how we process information. The articles below convey this week's focus on how learning and the processes of the brain work together. 

Theories on How the Brain Processes Information

Article one is Instructional Design Models and Theories: Information Processing Theory by Christopher Pappas. He describes the three key functions of information processing in the brain:

• Sensory Memory: memory that allows people to screen incoming information

• Working Memory: allows the brain to categorize information, the amount of room the information takes up, and the visual representation that is attached

• Long-Term Memory: Stored information that is accessed when needed and used to build knowledge upon

This article also provides great examples of how Information Processing looks like in various learning environments. Best practices for merging this theory in a classroom setting serves as a quick aid for teachers, trainers, and designers, new or established, who need a refresher . 

Inside the Learning Brain by Nick Dam focuses on the pairing of pedagogy and

neuroscience. This article includes proven results for instructional designers should consider when developing content. Dam also references how brain-based learning is utilized at the corporate level, detailing Fortune 500 company Deloitte and the training provided there. 

The inclusion of neuroscience and its effects on brain-based learning would serve as a valuable tool for those who want to increase their design capacity. This article is a great resource for my toolkit because it will help me in creating content for our department's future courses that will aid in employees retaining vital information. 








References:

Dam, N. (n.d.) Inside the Learning Brain. TD Magazine. Retrieved from https://www.td.org/magazines/td-magazine/inside-the-learning-brain

Pappas, C. (2014, March 24). Instructional Design Models and Theories: Information Processing Theory. eLearning Industry. Retrieved from https://elearningindustry.com/information-processing-theory

New to IDT? Here are 3 Bloggers to Follow.

    Greetings!

    

    As a person relatively new to Instructional Technology and Design, I believe it is

    imperative to stay abreast of the shifts in the field. As a requirement for my Learning Theory class, we were tasked with researching three IDT-related blogs/professional newsletters to add to our catalog. 

  

    Here are my choices:

      Instructional Design Central

IDT blog created in 2016 in conjunction with the IDC website. The IDC blog contains very few posts (15-20) dating back to 2016, but each post can be a useful resource for those new to the field of instructional design and technology.  Although few in number, each bite-sized post span topics vital to IDT, including LMS, eLearning, and LXDesign to name a few.

The Instructional Design Central blog will be a helpful resource for me in learning trends and techniques in this new field quickly. Each post contains updated processes, strategies, and informative tips that will provide me through the more in-depth readings in my IDT courses. I also enjoy the fact that post reading expectations are timed, making your readings fast and possibly, more meaningful.


 TimSlade.com

A blog dedicated to providing eLearning support and advice to those new to the field. Slade’s posts provide designers with detailed guides to navigate usage with popular eLearning tools, such as Storyline and Articulate. His professional guidance is also married with his own experiences in the field, which makes his content relatable. This personal viewpoint can be impactful to those new to eLearning (like me!)

I foresee visiting this blog quite often. I believe it will become a valuable resource for my upcoming courses pertaining to eLearning and design. The strategies Slade provides for various software seem to be easy to understand and will serve as additional resources to enhance future class discussions and assignments.  

Cathy Moore

The Cathy Moore blog is focused on best practices for delivering quality training. This site resonated with me because of its primary focus on training development, my current role.

I look forward to referring to the strategies from this blog in my job as well as school because of its relevance to my daily training duties. Moore’s blog will serve as a tool to monitor training and develop better techniques to have less boring sessions with our school district’s administrators.