Learning and the brain

1. Brain-based learning
    site: http://www.funderstanding.com/content/brain-based-learning

The article on this website discussed what's called brain-based learning, which is a theory based on the function and structure of the brain. Everyone has the ability to learn and this theory demonstrates just that by abiding by a number of principles to support it. A few of the core principles stated were; the, brain is considered a parallel processor, meaning comes through patterning, learning involves focused attention and peripheral perception, also that we understand information best when it is embedded in natural, spatial memory. There were also 3 instructional techniques that were talked about in reference to this learning theory and they included; Orchestrated immersion (students gain full unserstanding of educationa experience), relaxed alertness (eliminating fear in learning and overcoming challenges) and active processing (internalizing and consolidating information). By using this method helps to gain a better understanding of various learning styles. By knowing how to to assist others when it comes to learning styles makes a huge difference when it comes to being an effective instructor.

Helpful Information

In looking for helpful instructional design information, the first site I searched was http://ideas.blogs.com/. This is a blog site that gives insight on instructional technology and e-learning strategies. You are also provided with links to various articles to aid in deepening the understanding of instructional design. For example, in a reading called "A Study of the Design and Evaluation of a Learning Object and Implications for Content Development", it discusses a case study where the goal was to recognize issues and challenges designers may face "when designing learning objects and to evaluate the effectiveness of a learning object" (Krauss, F. & Mohamed, A. 2005).

Q: What exactly is a learning object?

A: According to http://www.eduworks.com/, learning objects are the core concept in an approach to learning
     content in which content is broken down into small chunks that can be reused.

From the above article, I found more information pertaining to learning objects. In Looking at http://www.eduworks.com/, there is a 5 page tutorial on learning objects that goes through the basic content of learning online as well as the pros and cons.

The third site I viewed was http://www.internettime.com/. It also talks about the use of learning objects as well as a few instructional design theories. One of the articles I came across related to this topic was by Brenda Mergel and it was called "Instructional Design and Learning Theory". It included information similar to what we used in week one's discussion on the 3 learining theories (behaviorism, cognitivism and constructivism). This information could serve as a great tool for breaking down those theories and better understanding the differences between them. The link to this information is: http://www.usask.ca/education/coursework/802papers/mergel/brenda.htm.



References

Krauss, F. & Mohamed, A. (2005) A Study of the Design and Evaluation of a Learning Object and Implications for Content Development. pp.1-2

Mergel, B. (1998). Instructional Design and Learning Theory. Educational Communications and Technology University of Saskatchewan.

Learning Objective Tutorial, (n.d.). Eduworks: Innovative learning technologies. Retrieved from http://www.eduworks.com/index.php/Publications/Learning-Object-Tutorial.html.