When I decided to mindmap myself, I thought it would be more impressive.

For EDUC 6115, I was assigned to generate a mindmap of my network connections as part of a reflective assignment on connectivism as learning theory, which after reading all the assigned pieces, I am not sure is much of a theory as much as a continuation of social constructivism.  Thoughts?

Resources to Make Your Brain Hurt...and You'll Love Them.

            All the readings and attention on the brain this week has started to make mine a little sore.  I am not trying to complain, because it has been a while since I have been left this exhausted because of the amount of thinking I have had to do, and the amount of information that I have had to process.  On the topic of process, here are a couple more resources to share that deal specifically with the brain and the learning process.
            The scholarly journal, Brain and Cognition, is a collective body of research I stumbled upon while trying to find some good resources on the brain and learning.  This journal is for the scientifically-driven mind with a love for data and experiments.  When I first gained access and started browsing around, I was not too sure that I would find anything of interest.  Then I found an article with results data that analyzed reactions and engagements with tasks based on selective attention.  It turns out that "fluctuations (in attention) can be driven by changes in cognitive states or task context and are often accounted for as resulting from mechanisms of conflict, control, and inibition" (Saetrevik, Huster, & Merrmann, 2013, p. 31).  This journal is more accessible than it at first seems, and I found numerous beneficial articles from it.  The only concern is that it can seem dry and esoteric to a reader who does not prefer to encounter much technical jargon.
            Another, and slightly easier to read, resource on the brain and learning is the blog from educator and neuroscientist think-tank, Learning and the Brain.  The blog provides a space for members of the organization to share on a wide range of topics, from recent research to current events.  There are book reviews on the blog too, which I especially am finding useful.  Thanks to a post reviewing the book Boosting Executive Skills in the Classroom: A Practical Guide for Educators that was both thoughtful and well-explained, I have now placed the book on my reading list.
            Does anyone have any good, easily accessible websites on learning and the brain?  While Google, is my friend, I do not feel like wading through its results without the feedback from others so that I can avoid unnecessarily viewing random sites.

O'Neil, L. (2013, Sept. 30). Boosting executive skills in the classroom: A practical guide for educators by joyce cooper-kahn and margaret foster. Retrieved from http://www.learningandthebrain.com/blog/boosting-executive-skills-in-the-classroom-a-practical-guide-for-educators-by-joyce-cooper-kahn-and-margaret-foster/
Saetrevik, B., Huster, R., & Herrmann, C. (2013). Proactive and reactive effects on selective attention. Brain and Cognition, 83. Retrieved from http://http://ac.els-cdn.com.ezp.waldenulibrary.org/.

A Response to "The Brilliant Blog"

On "The Brilliant Blog", Annie Murphy Paul posted on the topic of interest.  For the sake of putting more interesting reading material on my blog, here is my response which I put in the comments area of her post:

Annie,
The question of interest is one that I have had to tackle from multiple angles in my classroom. I teach in a project-based-learning environment, and in order for the project unit to be successful, student interest is a must. Interest is what keeps students engaged so that group conflicts and management issues are minimal, moves the class forward in exploring class content, and motivates them to complete the project assignment.

I appreciate your even-handed treatment of both aspects of interest, whether to elicit and invoke it, or let it emerge on its own. However, what I have observed in my classroom leads me to disagree with the import that you place on extrinsic motivation and how it can take the place of intrinsic motivation without undermining it.

A project unit I develop may have authenticity, academic rigor, applied learning, active exploration, adult connections, and assessment practices (commonly known as the “6 A’s”), but if I have to resort to pedagogical manipulation in order to inspire a student to tackle a project, the results will be less than desirable and I will soon have to try again to extrinsically motivate him.

What I find is the better approach, which you touch on only briefly, is the idea of leveraging a student’s interests to engage him. When the student can see how course content can connect to his already existing world, things become much easier.

Thank you for your thoughtful critique on interest and intrinsic/extrinsic motivations. I’m interested to know what others have to say on this topic.

Three Blog Sites of Which I Did Not Know Existed Until This Past Week

            This is the first post on a new blog that I have created specifically for a course at Walden University, EDUC 6115.  Because I am particularly fond of the blog title, I will probably continue to keep this blog updated after the course is over.  In considering the top of instruction design, the best resources may be the experts, the individuals who work with the subject on a daily basis.
            "Pinnacle Point of View" is a blog maintained by Pinnacle, an organization whose area of interest is enabling and equipping individuals to share information related to their own fields to become successful.  With writings that go in-depth in explaining the research behind whatever they are discussing, the reader is able to understand what the bloggers are writing.  One of the posts, "Too Much Information Interferes With Thinking" (2013) discusses too much information too quickly can overload an individual and prohibit him or her from learning.  Points for consideration such as this are useful for an instructional designer.  At this time, there are only two posts, so it will be interesting to see how the bloggers develop the blog.
            The "Mind/Shift" blog from KQED is another blog with plenty of good resources for an instructional designer.  As I am looking at ID from the perspective of a classroom teacher, as well as others in this course, this site's blog has good advice to consider.  Most blog posts begin with a section on the concept, followed by positives and negatives from the practice, and lastly there is a guide on how best to implement strategy in the classroom.  "How Leadership Can Make or Break Classroom Innovation" (2013) seems to be a blog post which would have made a fantastic optional resource in EDUC 6105.  The blog post relates how classroom teachers should be willing to take chances and tailor curriculum in a way that meets the specific needs of both the school and the classroom as organizations both.  If the reader of the blog is able to look past the classroom-specific language to the root principles contained within, this would be a helpful post for many instructional designers.
            "Kate Miffitt: Musings on Learning, Design, and Technology" is another instructional design blog with potential.  Like "Pinnacle Point of View," there are only a couple posts on the blog at this time, but the posts published are useful and well thought out.  Miffitt's initial post, "The Value of an Instructional Designer" (2013), was an informative read for me.  I am a teacher by profession, and this blog post specifically deals with the differences between instructional designers and teachers.  She uses the analogy of someone who takes photos compared against a photographer.  This simple post has helped me in gaining insight into the program in which I am enrolled at Walden University.
            Blogs can be a valuable electronic collaboration resource, a way to learn from each other.  Through blogs, people can share thoughts and ideas with each other.  These three are some of the ones which I looked at and found interesting, as they have information which I can put into practice as an instructional designer in a high school classroom setting.

References

Miffitt, K. (2013, Oct. 21). The value of an instructional designer. Retrieved from http://katemiffitt.com/2013/10/21/value-of-instructional-designer/.

Rossett, A., & Mosher, B. (2013, Oct. 23). Too much information interferes with thinking. Retrieved from http://pinnaclepointofview.wordpress.com/2013/10/23/too-much-information-interferes-with-thinking/.

Schwartz, K. (2013, June 6).  How leadership can make or break classroom innovation. Retrieved from mindshift.