Kate's Instructional Design and Technology Blog

Video Gaming in the Classroom

2011-06-23T00:05:00.000-07:00

I believe gaming is a viable future for education. As teachers, we often find ways to incorporate games into our lesson plans. I like the idea of using games to not only help students learn the content, but also as an alternate to evaluating their mastery. I found that describing the basic premise or format of a game and then asking my students to create the game, or games, was very successful. You can see, then, why I was drawn to Marc Prensky’s theories in his book Digital Game-Based Learning. I have searched the web for a site or downloadable tool that is free and yet robust enough to create interesting games, by both myself and my students. I believe I have finally found one. Atmosphir.com is a game playing and creating and sharing with all website. You can download a stand-alone version, which, of course, runs faster, or you can play online. I decided I wanted a stand-alone version to allow me to experiment before putting any of my creations online to share with the rest of the community. I say community in the best sense of the word. The people registered at this site help each other out willingly. There are pieces, like “Loading” screens, and “Character Creation Center” modules you can use that are already done and available for you. There are plenty of games the community has created; you can play for fun or to get inspired about what you can do. When you are ready you can create your own games.

My vision is to make it one of the possible ways students can learn the content, choosing to play a game I or another student made on the content. I also see it as a way to evaluate students pre- and post-module. Most of my students are very experienced with video games, so this website should play into their interests and engage them in a way a “tell and test” lesson plan would not.

The website URL is http://www.atmosphir.com/ and I invite you to try it out and let me know what you think.

Kate Eskesen

Reference:

Prensky, M. (2007). Digital Game-Based Learning. St. Paul. MN; Paragon House.

Kate's Connectivism Mind Map

2011-02-11T11:05:00.001-07:00

My Connectivism Explained

2011-02-09T11:55:00.000-07:00

I keep a "Favorites" list with numerous categories on both Internet Explorer and Google Chrome. It is a dynamic list, one I update every time I am on the web. It is also one I use every time I need to be on the web. Each of your blog websites is in that list. Each of the more valuable web sites we told each other about during week 2 is also in that list. Other web sites I found since then have been added to that list. So My Favorites List from Internet Explorer and Google Chrome are prominent features of my mind map.

There are also the people I know or am introduced to, either in person or via the phone or Internet. I learned about a free set of seminars focused on Social networking, one of which was to be facilitated by an old friend of mine that had moved to California. Since I wanted to reconnect with her and find out about how social networking helped build communities and business opportunities, I signed up. I met and networked with several people from downtown Phoenix, students at ASU, one of the anchors/reporters for ABC 15 who is really into Twitter, Facebook, etc. Most of the reporters and anchors on the ABC 15 morning news show all have iPads that they are using throughout the broadcast. Amazing! Their NOW @ 9 (9 a.m.) is filled with social network posts and information being shared across the city, state, country, and globe. It is one of the more interesting news broadcasts.

Which brings me to an article I read about a teacher using Twitter to keep her students and their parents informed on a daily basis about what is going on in the class, what the homework is for that night, and easy access to her for to a student or a parent? I never thought of using Twitter to create a community and quick communication for a class. It reminds me of when I was growing up in a small town. If I did something an adult disapproved of, my mom knew about it before I arrived home. The "small town grapevine" had ensured she was apprised of the situation. These days, she would have received several tweets instead of phone calls. I also follow President Obama’s White House Twitter group and receive tweets from him and/or his senior advisors on a daily basis. So here we have another part of the Personal Learning Network - Twitter.

So far, I have a mindmap based on the following groupings:.

Social Network

Twitter

Facebook

Yelp

Skype

Digg

Classmates.com

MyLife.com

Hardware

Acer

Cannon

Gateway

Iomega

Logitech

Microsoft (Live Chat Headset)

Newegg.com

Intel

Software

Microsoft

Word

Excel

Power Point

Clip Organizer

OneNote

Internet Explorer

Google

Chrome

iGoogle

iReader

Google Talk

Evernote

NookStudy

Toodledo

Foxfire

Adobe

Acrobat Pro 9

Acrobat Reader X

Adobe Digital Editions

LiveCycle Designers

Acrobat Distiller

Bridge CS5

Contribute CS5

Device Central CS5

Dreamweaver CS5

Fireworks CS5

Flash Builder CS5

Flash Professional CS5

Flash Catalyst CS5

Illustrator CS5

PhotoShop CS5

Pixel Bender Toolkit

McAfee

Virus Scan

Spyware Protection

Firewall

Site Advisor

Home Network Manager

Parental Controls

McAfee Tools

Automatic Updater

Quick Clean

Shredder

Windows Defragmenter

Online Backup

Hacker Watch

Virus Information Library

Virus Map

Traffic Monitor

AntiSpam

AntiPhishing

Stumbler (StumbleUpon)

GIMP

CyberLink Power DVD 9

iTunes

iTunes Player

iTunes Store

iTunes University

Ping

Genius

AudioBooks

PodCasts

SourceForge

Inkscape

FreeMind

Digiarty

WinX HD Video Converter Deluxe

EgisTech

My WinLocker

WinRar

7Zip

WinZip

HyperStudio

Audacity

Websites

http://www.edutopia.org/

http://www.lynda.com/

http://www.aect.org/default.asp

http://www.ispi.org/

http://www.instructionaldesign.org/

http://nwlink.com/~donclark/hrd/bloom.html

http://t4.jordan.k12.ut.us/

http://www.youtube.com/

https://my.waldenu.edu/

http://act-r.psy.cmu.edu/papers/misapplied.html

http://groups.diigo.com/group/emerging-technologies-in-e_learning

http://www.brainchannels.com/index.html

http://www.learningandteaching.info/learning/index.htm

http://teachnet.edb.utexas.edu/~lynda_abbott/cognitive.html

http://www.g2conline.org/

http://www.learning-theories.com/

http://otec.uoregon.edu/learning_theory.htm

http://www.emtech.net/learning_theories.htm#Dual_Coding1

http://vizthink.com/

http://www.nowhereroad.com/cgl/toc_redirect.asp

http://aace.org/

http://www.connexions.org/

http://www.mywebspiration.com/

http://ocw.mit.edu/courses/

http://pbskids.org/cyberchase/

http://www.nsba.org/

http://www.studyguidezone.com/resource_tips.htm

http://www.studytips.org/

http://edu.glogster.com/what-is-glogster-edu/#one

http://www.crossref.org/SimpleTextQuery/

http://www.davidco.com/

http://www.traffic.com/controller/home

http://www.merriam-webster.com/

http://www.ehow.com/

http://www.spaceflight.nasa.gov/home/index.html

http://www.mapquest.com/

http://www.healthhound.org/

http://www.webmd.com/

http://arizonafoothillsmagazine.com/

http://www.jensenlearning.com/index2.php

http://sunnibrown.com/

http://www.about.com/

http://projects.coe.uga.edu/epltt/index.php?title=Social_Constructivism

http://drtae.org/

http://www.wordle.net/

http://universitae.com/

http://www.usability.gov/index.html

Blogs

http://edge.ascd.org/

http://brains.org/

http://www.coolcatteacher.com/

http://www.radteach.com/

http://help4teachers.com/books.htm

http://edublogs.org/

http://www.iste.org/welcome.aspx

http://www.articulate.com/blog/

http://katelearningtheoriesinstruction.blogspot.com/

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/

Software and Hardware Support

Cox Communications

Acer Support

Microsoft Support

McAfee Support

Staples

Adobe eSeminars

Television

HBO Documentaries

Discovery Chanel

Science Channel

PBS

Showtime

History Channel

The Learning Channel

Do It Yourself Channel

Animal Planet

National Geographic

History International Channel

Biography Channel

BBC America

ABC 15

Newsletters & Magazines

Educational Leadership Magazine

Eric Jensen's Brighter Brain Bulletin

Kathie Nunley's Educator's Newsletter

ERN: George Siemen's eLearning Resources and News

ASCD Edge Newsletter

ASCD Express

ASCD Smart Brief

eLearning Newsletters

Learning Solutions Magazine

EduBlogs

Education Week

Digital Directions (from Education Week)

Consumer Reports Magazine and Newsletter

American Spirit (Daughters of the American Revolution)

Books

www.Barnes&Noble.com

ASCD.com

Amazon.com

Bookmans Half-Price Bookstore

Libraries (Local City, County, State)

Communications

Skype

Video Calls

Phone Calls

IM on Facebook

Cox Communications

Land Phone Line

VoiceMail

Broadband Internet

Cell Phone

AT&T

Snail Mail

U.S. Postal Service

UPS

FedEx

AT&T

Cell phone

Associations

ASCD

ISTE

GTD

NAMI

Daughters of the American Revolution

People

Family

Old Friends

Classmates

Instructors

Co-Workers

School Network

Walden University

Walden University Library

Walden University Courses

Walden University Email

Walden University Book Store

Writing Center

Academic Advising

Financial Aid Advising

Turn It In

iTunes University

Citrix Online

GoToMeeting

GoToWebinar

Lynda.com

University of Northern Colorado

Laurel High School

There are also useless information sources that don't really have anything to do with this class. For instance, I just found the link to the wondrous Microsoft Worldwide Telescope that is circling around Mars right now and I can see what they are finding on the ground with those little robot rovers. Or I can find very useful information not really connected to this class: I can use my cell phone to navigate me intersection-by-intersection to where ever I need to go. (I used to get lost and/or take double the usual time to get anywhere.) I can also use that same cell phone to find information on the internet if necessary.

To be honest with you, there are so many directions information is coming and going that I sometimes feel like I am overwhelmed with information. I remember back when cuddling up with a good book and a cup of hot chocolate was the highlight of my day. Now I read my books online, go to school online, shop online, email instead of snail mail, check the weather online, etc. I think I am becoming a part of the Digital Generation. Is that possible or am I just part of the generation adapting to it? I am not sure. I have been working with computers since college in the 1970s. I have kept up with most of the technology as it comes out. I have both a desktop PC and a laptop, both a land line and a cell phone. I watch who is online using Skype and Facebook. One area I do not have in common with the Digital Generation is the love for playing multi-player fighting games online. I prefer games that make me think, puzzles and word games. I am trying to find a way to buy the “Just Dance” game for my son’s Wii. So maybe I am about 75% caught up with the Digital Generation. I think I need this in order to design immersive game-based learning modules for young adults as well as adults. I am hoping when I finish this Masters program, I will be able to do that, and secure a good paying job doing it.

Connectivism

2011-02-09T10:40:00.001-07:00

Designing Adult Online Instruction

2011-02-03T01:54:00.000-07:00

I have to say right up front that I didn’t expect to find an article like the following for this week’s topic regarding Adult eLearning. After all, it doesn’t really take place online. It is done is a bar – well, sort of. It does, however, point out very clearly a design instruction that works for adults that are motivated to learn the subject. It clearly points out what adult learning experiences need to include. See what you think: http://www.learningsolutionsmag.com/articles/488/marc-my-words-what-can-we-learn-from-bartender-school- Ok, now that you read Mark Rosenberg’s blog on Bartending School, let’s see if you agree with him about what adult courses need to include.

·        High-level simulations,
·        an interactive student guide,
·        student-created job aids,
·        simple and fun memory aids,
·        substantial realistic practice, and
·        a competency-based assessment.

So what is different from this and the “usual” online classes you take? Maybe the “High-level simulations”? Perhaps the “substantial realistic practice”? The rest is there, right? How do we integrate ‘high-level simulations” and “substantial realistic practice”? I don’t know yet. I still don’t know how to animate anything, except PowerPoint presentations, and those are really simplistic animations. But I agree that I need to learn and include this ingredient in my class designs.

Now I want to bring into the discussion what I found at the following link provided by classmate Rick Baron last week: Principles for Designing 3D Learning Environments retrieved from http://www.kaplaneduneering.com/kappnotes/index.php/2010/11/principles-for-designing-3d-learning-environments/ In this blog, Karl Kapp listed the following principles to follow when designing 3D learning environments: (I copied these items directly from the blog)

·        Instructionally Grounded
·        Reflectively Synthesized
·        The Experiential Principles
·        Participant Centered
·        Contextually Situated
·        Discovery Driven
·        Action Oriented
·        Consequentially Experienced
·        Collaboratively Motivated

All of these principles are familiar, since they are found in one or more of the learning theories we studied so far in this class. Take the time to read the blog. It changed my way of thinking about how we can include social constructionism in online classes.

As I watch my son play games online with other players and listen to him talking with them as they play, I realize that they are building community and connecting in a way that is definitely social. My son has problems seeking out and making friends face-to-face. He has a mental illness that interferes with this socially important human need. He has no problem, however, doing this online. I know he is not the only one like this, mentally ill or not. (See the white paper on “Digital Youth Project” (2006 – 2008) at http://digitalyouth.ischool.berkeley.edu/files/report/digitalyouth-WhitePaper.pdf for a more thorough discussion of the research done in this field.) There are several reasons that occur to me why this is so, and they have all been discussed ad nauseum in numerous situations and media. For example, online conversations (without the webcam) allow people to be who they “want” to be instead of who they “are”. It allows you to say things without the usual immediate physical consequences (other than to your character, perhaps). It allows “teens then share their creations and receive feedback from others online. By its immediacy and breadth of information, the digital world lowers barriers to self-directed learning.” (Mizuko, Horst, Bittani, Boyd, Herr-Stephenson, & Lange, 2008) Another aspect of the online environment is that “while adults participate, they are not automatically the resident experts by virtue of their age. Geeking out in many respects erases the traditional markers of status and authority.” (Mizuko, et. al., 2008) The report continues with numerous other findings about how our youth socialize online. However, the fact that adults are not automatically assumed to be experts in the online environment is pertinent to how to design online adult instruction. It can actually be a relief for a person whose job entails being the “go to” person who is expected to have all the answers and solutions. It can also have the opposite affect for adults who expect to be treated as experts regardless of the situation they are in.

Of course, the readings this week spell out several premises generally accepted when designing instruction for adults. We have Eduard Lindeman who authored The Meaning of Adult Education and inspired Malcolm Knowles to research “the difference between the education of adults and children.” (Laureate Education, Inc., 2009). Malcolm Knowles went on to coin the two terms used today to differentiate between adult and youth education: andragogy and pedagogy, respectfully. You will find many of the characteristics Knowles defined as intrinsic to adult education in the list above associated with Principles of Designing 3D Learning Environments: “adults want to have a hand in, be responsible for their own education and their own learning, … bring to the learning process their own life experiences, … are highly motivated by intrinsic factors, such as the need for knowledge and the drive to succeed.” (Laureate Education, Inc., 2009)

We also have Marc Prensky’s influence to the field. He coined the two terms “digital immigrant”, “the group of people born prior to 1970 … [who] were not raised with technology as a primary source of production or information”, and the second term “digital natives” to refer to “those born after 1970, … [who] were raised in a world of technological advancement.” (Laureate Education, Inc., 2009). He has also delved deeply into research about game-based learning. I just ordered his books Digital Game-Based Learning, Don’t Bother Me Mom—I’m Learning, and TEACHING DIGITAL NATIVES: Partnering for Real Learning. I encourage a visit to his site http://www.games2train.com/ for an experience in how online games can be incorporated into the educational setting for adults. He has a contract with the Department of Defense (http://www.dodgamecommunity.com/) so they seem convinced he has something worthwhile to offer.

All in all, I found several new sources of information about adult learning, especially in the online environment, this week (and it is only Wednesday). I am more excited about my chosen profession now than when I first applied to the program. I have the people mentioned above to thank for that.

References:

Baron, Richard. (2011, January 28). Exciting time to be entering the ID field. Message posted to EDUC-6115-1 Learning Theories and Instruction class discussion board, found at http://sylvan.live.ecollege.com/ec/crs/default.learn?CourseID=4744627&Survey=1&47=7090838&ClientNodeID=984650&coursenav=1&bhcp=1

Laureate Education, Inc. (2009). Malcolm Knowles. Timeline in the History of Learning. Retrieved from http://mym.cdn.laureate-media.com/Walden/EDUC/6115/01/mm/tec_timeline.html Baltimore, MD: Laureate Education, Inc.

Laureate Education, Inc. (209). Marc Prensky. Timeline in the History of Learning. Retrieved from http://mym.cdn.laureate-media.com/Walden/EDUC/6115/01/mm/tec_timeline.html Baltimore, MD: Laureate Education, Inc.

Mizuko, I., Horst, H., Bittani, M., Boyd, D., Herr-Stephenson, B., & Lange, P., et. al., (2008, November). Living and learning with new media: summary of finding from the digital youth project. The Digital Youth Project. Retrieved from http://digitalyouth.ischool.berkeley.edu/files/report/digitalyouth-WhitePaper.pdf

Rosenberg, M. (2010, July 13). Marc My Words: What Can We Learn from Bartender School? Retrieved from http://www.learningsolutionsmag.com/articles/488/marc-my-words-what-can-we-learn-from-bartender-school-

Some of My Favorite Brain-Based Bloggers and Web Sites

2011-01-19T10:14:00.001-07:00

When I first started this blog, I was just starting to find web sites and blogs that contained information about Learning Theories and how they impact Instructional Design. Since then, I have gained more experience and found bloggers on the web as well as organizations that provide, free of charge, the kind of information I am looking for in the program. I previously mentioned Eric Jensen and Judy Willis. What I did not point out was that they are both contributing members of ASCD (Association for Supervision and Curriculum Development.) By joining this one professional association, I have attended numerous webinars (free to members) by the leaders in the field of learning theories and instructional design. They always follow up with transcripts and additional links for further research on my part.

While our text book stated that “brain-based research give us many clues about how we can best help learners acquire important information and skills” (Ormrod, Shunk, & Gredler, 2008, p. 46), I disagree. Perhaps this was truer in 2008 than now. In just one of the webinars I attended, “7 Discoveries From Brain Research That Could Revolutionize Education” I learned seven of the newest discoveries from brain-based research and how to specifically apply these findings in either classroom teaching or instructional design, or both. (Jensen, 2010).

Additionally, I just received another set of documents from a webinar held by Thomas Armstrong on Integrating 'Multiple Intelligences in the Classroom', held on November 9, 2010. This webinar was very enlightening about the most current ways to develop lesson activities that incorporate most of the multiple intelligences as defined by Howard Gardner.

Then there is Dr. Kathie Nunley’s website and blog about Layered Curriculum. She provides a wide variety of resources each week, as well as making past postings available. For instance, this week she has the following items available on her home page:

· Avoid Internal Tracking,

· Hot Topic: Listening to Music while studying.

· Parts 1 and 2 of a four part series for designing a Layered Curriculum Unit.

For a quick overview of the concept and ideas of how to apply it, read web page "An Overview of Dr. Kathie Nunley’s Layered Curriculum" at http://help4teachers.com/how.htm. It sounds like a lot of lesson planning and designs, but there are teachers around the globe contributing lessons they designed so you can start with those. I like the idea of providing the students with their choices up front, and then allowing them to decide what they will work on, knowing how many points they can earn. Each of the three layers (A, B, and C) provides a variety of assignments for them to choose from to earn points. Assessment is done one-on-one with the teacher, verbally, with the student explaining what they learned and how they learned it. At the end of each unit (usually a two week time frame) each student knows how many points they earned, and therefore, what grade they earned. There are no surprises and each student decided for themselves what grade they wanted to work for. This is a great approach to teaching students self-motivation and responsibility for their decisions.

My last web site/blogger/author to introduce you to is Dr. Judy Willis. She has an interesting approach to how to use the discoveries in brain-based research in math classrooms. The blogs are currently going through selections from her recent book “Learning to Love Math”. This week’s entry is entitled “Why Feeling Good Can Help You Get Good at Math”. (Willis, 2010)

References:

Armstrong, Thomas, 9 Nov 2010. Integrating Multiple Intelligences in the Classroom. ASCD Webinar, Retrieved from http://ascd.org/professional-development/webinars/thomas-armstrong-webinar.aspx

Jensen, Eric, 7 Dec. 2010. 7 Discoveries From Brain Research That Could Revolutionize Education ASCD Webinar, Retrieved from http://www.jensenlearning.com/pdf/10MostEffectiveTips.pdf

Nunley, Kathie, 1998. An Overview of Dr Kathie Nunley's Layered Curriculum, Retrieved from http://help4teachers.com/how.htm

Willis, Judy, 2010. Why Feeling Good Can Help You Get Good at Math. Learning to Love Math. Retrieved from http://ascd.typepad.com/blog/2010/12/why-feeling-good-can-help-you-get-good-at-math.html)

Welcome Walden University Learning Theories Classmates!

2011-01-04T02:27:00.000-07:00

I created this blog in the fall of 2010 to share my thoughts about learning theories, as well as web sites, authors, and other resources about learning theories. My favorite theories are brain-based as developed by Eric Jensen, multiple intelligences as developed by Howard Gardner, and layered and differentiated learning as developed by Kathy Nunley. Of course, I am biased in my thinking that we should familiarize ourselves with Jean Piaget’s seminal work The Origins of Intellect.

Check back Sunday night for additional information about each of these authors.

Kate Eskesen

References:

Gardner, H. (1983). Frames of mind: the theory of multiple intelligences. (20^th –Anniversary Ed.). New York, NY: Perseus Books.

Gardner, H. (1993). Multiple intelligences: new horizons. New York, NY: Perseus Books.

Gardner, H. (1999). Intelligence reframed: multiple intelligences for the 21^st century. New York, NY: Perseus Books.

Jensen, E. (2005). Teaching with the brain in mind (2^nd ed.). Alexandria, VA: Association for Supervision and Curriculum Development.

Phillips, Jr. J. (1969). The origins of intellect: Piaget’s theory. San Francisco, CA: Freeman.

Reflections on My Personal Learning Network

2010-10-16T20:26:00.000-07:00

Hi classmates,

I apologize for not participating for the last couple of weeks. I am having some medical problems involving pain and pain medications that interfered with my being able to get much done other than lie in bed in pain or lie in bed asleep. But I hope I am back enough now to keep up with the rest of you.

As I read through the discussion posts in class, I wondered about how detailed we were supposed to be. For example, I keep a "Favorites" list with numerous categories. It is a dynamic list, one I update every time I am on the web. It is also one I use every time I need to be on the web. Each of your blog websites is in that list. Each of the more valuable web sites we told each other about during week 2 is also in that list. Other web sites I found since then have been added to that list. So My Favorites List from IE should be a prominent feature of my mind map.

There are also the people I know or am introduced to, either in person or via the phone or Internet. These people can be a wealth of informative learning experiences for me. For instance, I was trying to find a friend of mine and her husband who moved to San Francisco a couple of years ago for some social networking jobs. I found that she was going to be in town at a free conference CENPHOCAMP - Central Phoenix Camp. The purpose of the "camp" was to provide central Phoenix business owners, workers, and residents a chance to get together and either develop more of a sense of community, or to discuss ways to do so. Social networking was scheduled to be facilitated by my old friend Kathy. Since I wanted to reconnect with her and find out about how social networking helped build communities and business opportunities, I signed up. (It was free, thank goodness.) I met and networked with several people from downtown Phoenix, students at ASU, one of the anchors/reporters for ABC 15 who is really into Twitter, Facebook, etc. Most of the reporters and anchors on their morning news show all have iPads that they are using throughout the broadcast. Amazing! I now get about 6 tweets a day from him, with interesting and relevant news items for me to know about.

Which brings me to an article I read about a teacher using Twitter to keep her students and their parents informed on a daily basis about what is going on in the class, what the homework is for that night, and easy access to her for either a student or a parent, etc? I never thought of using Twitter to create a community and quick communication for a class. It reminded me of a parent who told me in front of her son and the class to call her as her work number (as she handed it to me) if I had any problems with her son's behavior in my class. He was only a problem once after that -- after all, he was a teenager and HAD to test the boundary. But Tweeting a parent is much more immediate - the class and you are not waiting for someone to answer the phone; the whole class is not listening to your conversation with someone else's parents, etc. It reminds me of when I was growing up in a small town. If I did something an adult disapproved of, my mom knew about it before I arrived home. The "small town grapevine" had ensured she was apprised of the situation. These days, she would have received several tweets instead of phone calls. We have another part of the Personal Learning Network - Twitter.

You may have noticed a blog posting for Dr. Judith Willis' webinar on "Strategies for Maximizing Students' Memory". It was a great learning experience which reinforced some things we have already learned via this class, as well as new information that connected well with this "prior knowledge". The slides she used for this webinar are now posted on her web site if you are interested (http://bit.ly/aBZPBS . Her web site is available here: http://www.radteach.com/ RAD stands for

Reach (Reticular Activating System,)
Attitude (Amygdala )
Develop (Dopamine)

I really encourage you to check that site out. I fits right in with our brain-based learning unit.

So far, I have

information made available in my class,
information and thoughts from my classmates and instructor (class materials, emails, blogs, and discussion groups),
face-2-face seminars,
online webinars,
iTunes U,
all the various websites on the internet worldwide,
information from friends via phone, texts, tweets, and personal conversations,
My Favorites list on Internet Explorer,
Google Reader's list of blogs I am following updates on,
Twitter updates pointing me to where to get breaking news,
emails from more sources than I have the ambition to count right now,
Television with numerous channels with actual, real learning to be obtained (Discovery, History, BBC for America, the Learning Channel, PBS, etc.),
books - both printed and eBooks,
Libraries - both online and brick-and-mortar local versions,
bookstores (again, both online and brick-and-mortar),
past colleagues and friends I connect with via

Facebook.com,
Classmates.com,
Alumni.com,
LinkedIn.com,
MyLife.com.

There are also useless information sources that don't really have anything to do with this class. For instance, I just found the link to the wondrous Microsoft WorldWide Telescope that is circling around Mars right now and I can see what they are finding on the ground with those little robot rovers. Or I can find very useful information not really connected to this class: I can use my cell phone to navigate me intersection-by-intersection to where ever I need to go. (I used to get lost and/or take double the usual time to get anywhere.) I can also use that same cell phone to find information on the internet if necessary.

To be honest with you, there are so many directions information is coming and going, that I sometimes feel like I am overwhelmed with information. I remember back when cuddling up with a good book and a cup of hot chocolate was the highlight of my day. Now I read my books online, go to school online, shop online, email instead of snail mail, check the weather online, etc.

So, what does my mind map look like when drawn? It looks like a spider web with no overall, symmetrical design. Have I told you how much I can't handle asymmetry?

Ten Tips for New Trainers/Teachers

2010-10-16T17:16:00.000-07:00

Ever since week 1 in this class, when we found interesting blogs that contribute to our knowledge and skills in Instructional Design, I find blogs that are just too good to not share. I found this one chaining links from Inspire2Learn. I ended up at "Creating Passionate Users" which had the Top Ten Tips for New Trainers/Teachers. The author(s) wrote 2 lists, actually: "Eleven Things to Know", and "Ten Tips for New Trainers". Each point made is relevant and needs to be applied to designing online classes as much as to face to face learning situations.

Take the time to read through it and see what I mean. Those of you who have taught in the classroom, think back to whether or not you knew any of these things, or if you received any coaching matching these items. Let me know what you think after you read through the article, please.
Eleven Things to Know, and Ten Tips for New Trainers

Kate Eskesen

Free Webinar: Ask Dr. Judy Webinar:Strategies for Maximinzing Student Memory

2010-10-12T15:00:00.000-07:00

PODCAMP AZ 2010

2010-10-12T07:02:00.000-07:00

It’s that time of year again – PodCamp AZ is coming to the University of Advancing Technology November 20th and 21st! PodCampAZ is a FREE networking media unconference, dedicated to blogging, video blogging, podcasting, social networking, and all other relevant media. At the heart of the unconference is the opportunity to have a conversation at large with those innovators which have created a successful blend of relevant media and put it to work for them. Speakers will address emerging trends and best practices on everything from print and radio to mobile, interactive web, and in real life information exchange. During PodCamp sessions, attendees are free to drop in, listen and learn about what is relevant to their needs, and if they choose to, move on to other sessions. You can also become an interactive part of the experience by sharing your knowledge as a speaker or stimulating ideas and asking questions as an active attendee.
If you are an established or aspiring blogger, podcaster, video blogger, or social media advocate and want to meet hundreds of people with the same interests, head over to podcampaz.org to get more information about this exciting event. And above all else, register to attend PodCamp AZ!

Resources Available on the Web for Learning Theories and Instruction

2010-09-24T11:40:00.000-07:00

One of my favorite authors in Brain-Based Teaching is Eric Jensen. I read his book Teaching with the Brain in Mind (1998) several years ago and was inspired. So I checked for any newer publications. As it happens, he published an updated, second edition of the book in 2005. You can access Eric Jensen’s book via the Walden Library (http://site.ebrary.com/lib/waldenu/docDetail.action?docID=10089220). The book starts off with an overview of the brain and how it works, as known in 2005. Its chapters range from Meeting Your Amazing Brain and Preparing the Brain, through to Emotional Stress, Motivation and Engagement, Critical Thinking Skills, Memory and Recall, and Brain-Based Teaching. I found it extremely interesting and enlightening when I read the first edition and am looking forward to reading the second edition. Additionally, Eric Jensen has published a few articles on the subject of understanding how the brain learns and how to modify teaching to take advantage of those facts. He is a member of the Association for Supervision & Curriculum Development (ASCD), whose web site is http://www.ascd.org/. You can join ASCD Edge for free and participate in any of the numerous groups, as well as follow any of the member’s blogs, including Eric Jensen’s.

I found that Judith Willis also posts some very insightful blogs in the area of brain-based learning and teaching on this web site. For instance, Dr. Willis is hosting a Webinar on Thursday, October 14, 2010, 3:00 p.m. ET, entitled “Ask Dr. Judy Webinar: Strategies for Maximizing Student Memory”. This is just one of several free Webinars available. The description of this webinar refers to reducing student resistance and “how you can use the newest research about neuroplasticity, the dopamine-reward system, and active student participation (including making mistakes) to increase long-term memory.” This web site’s list of groups is extensive. In the interests of this class, I joined the following groups: “Brain Compatible Learning”, “How the Brain Learns”, and “Social Networking”. I also added both Dr. Judith Willis and Eric Jensen to my Blog RSS list. There are also videos, audios and lesson plans posted to this web site as well as a list of publications you might find interesting. I was able to link to a chapter in Dr. Willis’ book Learning to Love Math (2010), http://www.ascd.org/publications/books/108073.aspx . I found many of my own attitudes about what is wrong with how math is taught in the United States reflected in Chapter 1: Reversing Math Negativity with an Attitude Makeover. The fact that most students’ parents admit to their children they were not good at math, and they don’t see the need for it in their lives, causes a negative attitude as well as a low expectation of performance by their children in the subject. Dr. Willis points out that “71 percent [of parents] could not calculate miles per gallon on a trip, and 58 percent were unable to calculate a 10 percent tip for a lunch bill.” (Willis, 2010) As a math teacher, I have been faced with many of these people during parent-teacher conferences. They still say they don’t see any use of math in their everyday lives. (Willis, 2010) She makes several suggestions on how to relate math to our students’ lives. Ideas like demonstrating the importance of remainders in life being simulated with index cards and toothpicks substituting for people and pizza pieces give powerful examples of how to link math skills to things the child values.

Other subjects were eye openers for me. For instance, Dr. Willis pointed out that since stress interferes with learning by blocking the “flow of information through the amygdale in the brain’s limbic system … to the PFC [prefrontal cortex], and it diverts sensory input into the automatic, reflexive parts of the lower brain.” (Willis, 2010) She goes on to explain this as unconscious and primitive responses akin to the “fight, flight, or freeze.” One way she suggests de-stressing test situations is to allow students to retake tests they do poorly on. This gives them a chance to “regain some sense of control” over their learning and the test itself. (Willis, 2010) I did this with all my classes and many students who previously had ‘test-phobia’ were able to relax when taking tests by the end of the semester. Another I had not heard of before was allowing students to grade her on a report card. The students and she selected areas to grade her in, such as “kindness, organization, fairness, friendliness, knows material, funny, listens, and explains material well.” (Willis, 2010) She used the results to improve her performance and rapport with her students. While I am unable to read the entire book online at this web site, the chapters available online are interesting and prompt me to purchase the book for my own library.

References

Jensen, Eric. 2005. Teaching with the brain in mind (2^nd ed). Alexandria, VA : Association for Supervision & Curriculum Development http://site.ebrary.com/lib/waldenu/docDetail.action?docID=10089220

Jensen, E. (2008). A Fresh Look at Brain-Based Education. Phi Delta Kappan, 89(6), 408-417. Available from http://www.pdkintl.org/kappan/ktoc.htm

Willis, Judith. (2010). Learning to Love Math: Teaching Strategies that Change Student Attitudes and Get Results. Alexandria, VA: ASCD. Viewed online at http://www.ascd.org/publications/books/108073.aspx

Kate's Favorite ID Blogs

2010-09-12T23:43:00.000-07:00

After spending 5 days browsing and reading more blog posts than I could count, here are my favorite blog sites. There are so many to choose from, but I found something different about each of these that complimented each other. Let me know what you think. - Kate

Word Press: Blogs about: Instructional Design

http://en.wordpress.com/tag/instructional-design/

This is a wealth of helpful links to blogs and articles, as well as “How To” web pages new Instructional Designers will find useful. You may recognize Shelley A. Gable, since I have seen several of her ‘How To” instructional videos already. However, this blog has numerous contributors. I see that some of my fellow classmates have chosen Word Press blogging service for their blogs. I liked that the site has a place for “Related Tags” and is easy to subscribe to. One of the posts is “Ten-Plus-One Must-Read Books for Instructional Designers”. You should recognize a book or two in the list. In addition to a link to read comments for each post, they’ve added a section for “Recent Comments” and the Archives are easy to reach. And since we are studying learning theories, you should find the post “How To Learn Better: Space Out and Get Tested, Early and Often” especially interesting. All in all, I found this blog site very easy to use with more than enough useful and interesting information to keep me busy far beyond the time span for this course.

The Rapid E-Learning Blog:

http://www.articulate.com/rapid-elearning/

I found this blog extremely helpful. It is written by an experienced online course developer who aims his blogs at various levels of experience and skill. There are additional resources on the site for when you need to slide off in those other pertinent directions, such as “Designing the Right Course” or “Managing E-Learning Projects”. Also, he usually includes videos demonstrating how to do what he is suggesting as well as templates to download. However, I believe that Articulate and Rapid E-Learning are learning management systems you can purchase, but in spite of the commercial aspect of that, the insights in each blog are worthwhile for instructional designers at all levels.

Inspire2Learn Blog:

http://richardwatson64.wordpress.com/

This is different looking blog with a different slant on the kind of information and links provided. His blog is mostly black and white with red titles. However, on September 10, 2010 he talked about how different colors mean different things in different cultures. Good to know if your classes are going global. The author covers a wide range of topics that seem different from the other Instructional Design bloggers. As in my other favorite picks, there are plenty of links for downloads you will find helpful. One of them I especially liked was “Basic Competencies for Instructional Designers.” He lists six and then asks for comments for additional ideas. My favorite post so far on his site is “Top 100 Tools for Learning 2010”. He lists his top 10 from last year, provides a link to the compilation of 100 tools, as well as his top 10 so far this year. Each of his new additions to the list is a hyperlink for you to follow to the appropriate website. One of these newer ones is http://www.evernote.com/. This one looks like something worth trying. (I’ve been using Barnes & Noble Nook Study, but I think I will switch and try this out.) This author also does a good job of eliciting responses from his readers. I am finding that the discussion in comments makes the blogs extremely worthwhile or worthless, depending on the readers of each blog. Most of the comments on his posts are worth reading. Additionally, his blog includes Twitter comments as well as those posted directly to the site.

Elearning instructional design ideas - Making Change Blog Site:

http://blog.cathy-moore.com/

According to this blog’s author Cathy Moore, “In this blog, you'll find practical ideas that will help you create lively, powerful e-learning for adults in the business world.” Ms. Moore adds interesting and quite useful posts that contain a variety of non-text attention grabbers: hyperlinks, pictures, diagrams, videos, and comics, to name a few. She has numerous categories to help you find the posts you are most interested in such as Instructional Design, Project Management, Elearning examples, Tools, Writing Tips, etc. Her latest posting discusses “Do we really need narration?” In it she refers to current studies that show narration slows down the learning to one speed and that “New studies suggest that learner control + text works better.” That is just the kind of up-to-date information I am looking for as an up-to-date instructional designer. She included links to two recent studies, a book, and another blogger’s post, as well as two of her previous blogs touching on the same subject from other perspectives. She also uses Twitter, showing how many people have tweeted about the post, as well as providing a link for you to ‘retweet’ it. Of course, each post allows you to comment, and has a hyperlink to view the comments for each post. The blog is laid out easy to use for all, even beginners. If you use Twitter, another post offers to share an instructional design idea each day with you. I was impressed with her post on “Why you need to set limits.” While this post did not include hyperlinks to support her statement, her argument stands on its own merit and is more common sense than anything else. You finish reading it and immediately have that information as part of your knowledge-base. I am not sure if she has to or if it is just her, but there are several links to excellent texts provided, with embedded links to Amazon.com to buy them. (Amazon.com even provides a “Get Widget” button for you to do the same thing on your web site.) In short, I look forward to seeing her new posts in my RSS reader, as well as browsing back through her previous posts.

Hello World! My First Post

2010-09-10T12:02:00.000-07:00

Hi there. Kate Eskesen here learning about and doing my first post on my first blog. I never considered blogging as more than either telling too much about oneself to the world, or a modern-day soapbox for spouting off some fanatic's most recent rant.

However, I am now learning there are some fun uses of blogs in an educational setting. So I'm off on my "Blog Journey". It should be interesting to see where it takes me.

Kate Eskesen