Doorway to Professional Learning

Hello one and all,
I am pleased to welcome you to join me in a journey of learning theories and experiences in instructional design. This blog is the foundation of what promises to be wealth of knowledge not just for me but for everyone that is involved in the field of instructional design. It is my hope for my readers and I to learn from each other as we grow together professionals and individually. As Ferriter (2009) states “Blogs and wikis are changing who we are as learners, preparing us for a future driven by peer production and networked learning.” Ferriter (2009) also tells us that “ Educators are reflecting on instruction, challenging assumptions, questioning policies, offering advice, designing solutions, and learning together.” Within this blog I will review three resources that I have found to have interesting information in regards to instructional design.



M.K. Smith: Learning Theory
This article is a very informative resource. Smith talks about the understanding of learning attempts to break them down in five categories. Then those categories are broken down into processes which then takes us to our learning theories or orientations: behaviourist, cognitive, humanistic, social/situational.


Richard Culatta: Richards Rants
Mr. Culatta has a vast knowledge of instructional design having worked with K-12, higher education, corporate, and government training environments. Mr. Culatta regularly speaks on educational technology and learning innovations at international conferences including the Comparative and International Education Society (CIES), the American Council on the Teaching of Foreign Languages (ACTFL), and the Innovations in eLearning Symposium. He has also published in journals including Computing in the Schools and Learning and Leading with Technology. His blog offers advice in microblogging and learning, collaborative writing, and instructional design principles.


Ali Gallagher: design2instruct
Ms. Gallagher is a graduate student at University of Utah studying in the Instruction Design and Educational Technology program. This blog give creative insight in effective instructional design. Since Ms. Gallagher is a student herself I can foresee a shared learning experience between us both.

Again I am pleased to begin this learning experience and beginning this blog experience. After all, communication is necessary for educators interested in renewing their thought process about teaching and learning.