Learning and the brain

This is a topic that has truly fascinated me for years.  It's amazing to think that everyone is born with this almost unbelievable ability to take in and process information from so many different stimuli and sources!  As a teacher, I have worked very hard to see to it that every brain in my class, no matter the "ability level", was engaged and actively learning each day.  There is so much more involved in that than simply lecturing or providing new information.  We have to take each individual into consideration, and work to learn what makes each student "click".  During my research on this topic, I discovered a fantastic website that has links to all sorts of articles, links, and even maps dealing with the brain and how we learn.  There are several articles that I have bookmarked for reference later!  This wonderful website can be found at http://www.newhorizons.org/neuro/front_neuro.html, I hope you find it as fascinating as I do!  Another article I found on the Kappan Magazine site is giving an updated perspective on using brain based education in today's classrooms.  It points out that there was lots of ongoing research, but in order for that research to be helpful to us we must be able to apply it with today's student population.  It made quite a few valid points that I found both interesting and helpful and can be found at http://www.pdkintl.org/kappan/k_v89/k0802jen.htm .  Another fabulous website I found has information about many other topics besides brain research while still incorporating that research in the articles, videos, and podcasts that are available there.  I have bookmarked this website as well, since I can see that it will truly help me as I move through my career in education.  Access this website here http://www.brains.org/.   Thanks for looking!
Noelle

Welcome to my Instructional Design blog!

 During my explorations this week, I found several quite helpful sites that resonated with me coming from a public school classroom background.  One of those sites is put out by DePaul University and addresses multiple issues found in a classroom setting no matter what level the classroom serves.  It was quite helpful to me to see what people in the instructional design field actually do in "real life".  I could see how it worked theoretically which is why I began this degree program, but had a very vague idea about what it actually entailed.  You can access this site at the following link:  http://www.iddblog.org/.

Another site I found extremely helpful was about what an instructional designer actually does.  This blog even goes into detail about various skills someone needs to get into the field, careers that use those skills, and even professional organizations people can join related to the field of instructional design.  The author even goes into helping the reader figure out if the field of instructional design is the right one for that particular person.  This site can be accessed at the following link:  http://christytucker.wordpress.com/2007/05/26/what-does-an-instructional-designer-do/ .

 The site that was by far the most diverse was one that lists the top eighteen blogs in instructional design.  This site has links to each of those blogs with a short blurb about each one.  Since the other blogs I bookmarked were not listed on this site, I now have twenty sites to access for information to help me along my way!  You can check this site out at http://www.networkedblogs.com/topic/instructional_design/ .

Thanks for looking!
Noelle Waller

References:

DePaul University. (2010). Instructional Design and Development Blog. Retrieved from http://www.iddblog.org/ on January 9, 2011.

Top 18 Blogs in:  instructional design. (2008). Retrieved from  http://www.networkedblogs.com/topic/instructional_design/ on January 9, 2011.

Tucker, C. (2007). What does an instructional designer do? Retrieved from http://christytucker.wordpress.com/2007/05/26/what-does-an-instructional-designer-do/ on January 9, 2011.