Instruction Design Resources

After an initial reading about learning styles in the first week, I started looking at other resources regarding instructional design, knowing that everyone does not learn the same way.  This must be taken into consideration when designing instruction so that everyone has a chance to succeed.  I will share some internet resources that I found which were interesting and relevant.

10 Qualities of the Ideal Instruction Designer is a blog that shares what is thought to be important qualities for an individual in instructional design to possess.  Some of the things that are mentioned include understanding how people learn, knowing how to connect with individuals on an emotional level, placing oneself in the shoes of the audience or learner, etc.   This is a helpful blog because I am new to the field of instructional design and I will be able to learn what qualities others have seem valuable which can help me self-reflect and see where I might need to try and improve to be successful.

These Simple Steps Will Help You Build the Right E-Learning outlines a variety of tips to be successful in an E-Learning environment.    The blog emphasizes that E-Learning courses are not an objective, but rather a way to help meet objectives.  In addition, it is important to examine the objectives and what one really wants to be able to achieve before looking at solutions to get there.  Finally, the blog stresses the importance of data.  It is important to find out was is causing certain problems from the start so that an individual can then find the best solution.  This is a helpful blog because it can be easy to look at the surface features of something and then jump to a solution, whereas it is more important to see if there is something below the surface that instead needs to be addressed.

Reading and Writing in the Digital Age is a blog that discusses a course an Instructional Design student created for a high school English class.  The course brought together literature and technology.  In addition through the course, the students gained additional technology skills.  This was interesting to read because learning is becoming more and more technology based, even at the younger grades.  Being an elementary school teacher, we have a reading program in place that is computer based and also assesses the students monthly to see their progress.  The school that I am at has gone to online testing, so it is beneficial, so learning about a class that was created integrating curriculum and technology could be very beneficial down the road.


References

Gogno, N. (2011, November 2). Reading and Writing in the Digital Age. [Blog message]. Retrieved from http://nickgogno.com/2011/11/02/reading-and-writing-in-the-digital-age/

Kuhlmann, T. (2011, September 13). These Simple Tips Will Help You Build the Right E-Learning. [Blog message]. Retrieved from http://www.articulate.com/rapid-elearning/these-simple-tips-will-help-you-build-the-right-e-learning/

Malamed, C. 10 Qualities of the Ideal Instructional Designer. [Blog message]. Retrieved from http://theelearningcoach.com/elearning_design/10-qualities-of-the-ideal-instructional-designer/