Two Tech Resources

The BOB AND WEAVE Method

Bruce Perry authors an interesting article In Instructor Magazine entitled “How the Brain Learns Best” where he “describes how to gain optimal learning in the classroom by activating different parts of the brain” [abstract].  He says that “neural systems fatigue quickly, actually within minutes. With three to five minutes of sustained activity, neurons become ‘less responsive’ ” but the good news is that similar to our muscles, neurons also recover within minutes, too.  So the trick suggested by this article is to keep the learning novel by changing the method, the strategies, the visuals, anything really to provide the learner variety as long as it is well connected to the concepts.  Perry calls this teaching practice the “bob and weave, among facts, concept, and narrative.” This article is valuable as it posits an argument for leaving the old world lecture style teaching and embracing the new world of technological possibilities in engaging students.

Perry, B. (2000). How the brain learns best.  Instructor,  v110 n4 p34-35. Retrieved from

http://eric.ed.gov/ERICWebPortal/search/detailmini.jsp?_nfpb=true&_&ERICExtSearch_SearchValue_0=EJ617199&ERICExtSearch_SearchType_0=no&accno=EJ617199

Information Processing Theory

Rahul Thadani published the article, “Information Processing Theory” on Buzzle.com and it offers a very good, simple overview of the how the brain processes information according to contemporary research and psychology.  Thadani summarizes several major models of information processing and the more recent theories in plain English including defining some large concepts in simple words.  I found this article a nice little reinforcement of complex learning theories since it actually modeled the notion of teaching to the “schema” for organizing content into student's long term memory; this succinct little article makes a quick path in.

Thadani, R. (2010). Information processing theory. Retrieved from

            http://www.buzzle.com/articles/information-processing-theory.html

Three Brilliant Blogs!

Common Craft

Purpose and Owner:  Created in 2003 by a Seattle couple originally educated in the sciences, Lee and Sachi Lefever.  This blog contains dynamite instructional videos that are short in length but brilliantly packed with gobs of information.  Common crafts offers videos with simple animated explanations. It is an introduction of technology topics. Great for people learning about Blogs, RSS, World Wide Web, Social Bookmarking, Twitter, Wikis and others and linked in Walden’s own technology resources page. It is a great educational tool for any age because of its visuals and examples.

Site Resources:  

The videos are only three minutes and the blog tab offers mini articles with mini video embedded.  Watch one video and the visitor is hooked. Instructional designers may easily use this site to help educate their own learners and/or purchase a package of products for their own propriety learning sites.

Evaluation of Utility: Super easy to navigate and even the simple graphics are designed to remove the intimidation factor.  The utility matches the blog title as the visitor feels they are walking the aisle of a family craft store.  The search and click design is very approachable and all cascading pages seem friendly and inviting.  

The Tech Savvy Educator

Purpose and Owner: This blog is maintained regularly by Ben Rimes. Ben Rimes is a

K-12 Technology Coordinator for a school district in Michigan who who works closely with teachers integrating technology.  He achieved his undergraduate from  Western Michigan University, and recently his graduate degree from the University of Michigan in Flint’s Technology in Education: Global Program.  Rimes is young and edgy, but has worked with educators from around the world in leveraging technology to connect learners and explore the possibilities of social networking in the classroom.

Types of Resources:  Mr. Rimes includes detailed blogs regarding some of the most current technologies in education. Some examples are ThingQuest, Wolfphram Alpha, and the CIA Factbook. The most useful part of this website is the categories link on the left sidebar. Visitors to this site can quickly locate a blog that is relevant to a particular subject or topic from the archive, many of which have short, informative video casts planted inside the article. The format and design is colorful, organized and entertaining. Although instructional designers may not be able to refer beginner technology learners to this site, they will really like this site for its personal, professional development value.

Evaluation of Utility: This blog allows several ways to search at different locations on the home page, including a sharp looking subject matter title bar. The home page provides interesting transparency of information such as the full list of tags at the bottom that Rimes uses to get his blog on the search engine radar. This blog also provides a separate click access to RSS comments by article title which is convenient when a reader only wants to read the article fronts without unnecessary blog replies. Rimes provides current information on a myriad of technology specific topics which makes this blog a “must visit”.

Two Cents Worth

Purpose and Owner: This site is written and maintained by David Warlick, an educator of 33 years with diverse interests.  Warlick says, “Many of the barriers that prevent us from modernizing our education systems come from the baggage of outdated notions about teaching, learning, curriculum, our children, and their future. Asking questions seems to be one way of probing and provoking new perceptions about what we do, why we do it, and how we might adapt within an almost constantly changing environment.”

Site Resources: Mr. Warlick's site has podcasts that discuss different educational views, books resources (some that he wrote), a long blogroll and neat technology gadgets and tools that he uses and writes about.  This site could be useful to instructional designers used as a course reading requirement in their own classes for example.  Designers could require their own learners to provide a regular distillation of ideas from this site since it provides a very good general overview of current technology issues in education.

Evaluation of Utility: This site is very easy to navigate with a three column format and a colorful title bar click search that changes his blogroll by subject chosen. Mr. Warlick writes on many cutting edge ideas with humor.