Evaluating and Identifying Online Resources

1.)  http://www.learningandthebrain.com/blog/ 
This first blog is based around the brain and how we learn. This blog focuses on theories of learning and bases their information on resources that are cited. I feel that this blog expresses their opinions as well as backs up what they are saying by providing evidence. Different skills that are involved with learning are examined and discussed. There are methods to use along with the reasons why they should be used. As a teacher, this blog was useful in my everyday life now, and will be useful in the future as well. Another aspect of the blog that I appreciate is the emotional intelligence and part of learning. This is important to understand the effect it can have on our learners as well as myself. 


http://www.simplypsychology.org/information-processing.html
This website provided multiple resources. The link I provided was directly about information processing. However, there is a lot more information involved within the website itself. The website involved many visual images which allowed me to better connect what topic would be discussed and better gain an understanding of the topic as well. The website covers information on social psychology, cognitive psychology, perspectives of psychologists, and developmental psychology. Within each topic there are other sections that are included that support it. They give a background of each theory as well as references in order to cross check the information. I found this website to be more matter of fact rather than opinionated. Information given to like this allows me to analyze and critique it and then find counter arguments that will push my thinking. The pictures and diagrams also allow me to better lay out the information and visualize what the process of learning in a particular theory may look like. 

Useful Blogs

The first blog I bookmarked is www.learninggeneralist.com. This blog incorporated many aspects that would be useful in my profession as an instructional designer. There are manuals on ELearning, useful skills when conducting presentations, communication skills, webinars, and insightful posts about being an instructional designer.  I find this blog useful in the fact that there are opinions and experiences as well as extra sources linked within blog posts to further expand my resources within instructional design.

The second blog I bookmarked is http://bdld.blogspot.com/. The Big Dog, Little Dog blog discusses the role of leadership within instructional design and element of learning. Throughout the blog one will discover manuals to social leadership, diagrams, charts and facts on learning and models of design methodologies. This blog takes a look at learning and evaluates the many pieces such as informal and formal learning and how they can be controlled. As an instructional designer this piece can help to discover the many learning theories, processes and practices that others may use in order to create an effective learning environment. The leadership aspect is also important, as in order create a team effective leadership is in need.

The last blog I bookmarked is the www.blog.cathy-moore.com. I found this blog to be creative and inspiring. Cathy Moore tries to relay information on how to make training more “action-packed” for adults.  There are tips for webinars and virtual training and how to make it learning more interesting through this medium. There are also tips on how to create training goals and activities that make trainings interesting. This blog tries to make training fun for adults and give useful and helpful tips on what works. Through experience, Cathy posts on what is effective and what is not. Not only does she give tips on the training process, but also on Elearning and how to use it to its fullest potential.

These three blogs relay various information from using manuals, graphs and visuals for presentations, understanding successful leadership skills, to making learning fun. By keeping up on these blogs as well as posting in my own blog it will expand ones knowledge on the instructional design career and how to be as effective as possible.