Blogs I Like

Having a keen interest in Instructional Design, I have identified several blogs which provide valuable information relevant to this field. Here are three of them.

Instructional Design and Development Blog

http://www.iddblog.org/?m=201301

This blog is run by De Paul University Faculty Instructional Technology Service (FITS). Its purpose is to provide support for the university’s faculty members in using technology to improve teaching and learning.  http://fits.depaul.edu/Pages/default.aspx

The IDD Blog has articles covering twelve discrete topics and goes back to August 2007. Clicking on the “About” section reveals a cadre of experienced and qualified writers from varying backgrounds.  The general tone of the writing is clear and fluff-free, i.e., well-edited and to the point. Several of the recent articles also demonstrate a sense of humor, e.g., “Please Don’t Interrupt Me While I’m Talking to Myself—Er, My Students” posted by Sarah Brown on November 26th, 2012.

Besides the writing and the evident in-depth knowledge of the writers, the blog’s design is clean and uncluttered with an easy to use navigation system organized by date and by topic. There is a search field and a link with an option to switch to the mobile site.

This blog's usability and wide range of topics make it an excellent resource for anyone planning to incorporate technology into his or her teaching and learning activities. Though some of the posts refer to software which De Paul uses in most cases the information is still generic enough to be applicable to several situations.

Emerging Ed Tech

http://www.emergingedtech.com/

Information from the “About” section of this blog identifies Kelly Walsh, Chief Information Officer at The College of Westchester in White Plains, NY, as the primary writer. Kelly notes that his blog is a personal blog and is not connected to the College. It is intended for those “interested in the use of Internet technologies and other emerging technologies for use in and out of the classroom.”

EET covers over thirty topics with a miscellaneous section covering even more. There are also videos available on this site. The blog is easy to use, has a search field and is easily navigable with access to recent posts below and older posts to the right.

Though somewhat commercialized, i.e., there are several ads, the information is useful and free. The number of categories to be listed on the site may be intimidating; however, I have been a subscriber for several months and have simply ignored those posts which are not relevant to my situation. This is a great resource for learning about new ways to use existing devices, e.g., mobile phones and tablets and about new software.

Cathy Moore

http://blog.cathy-moore.com/

Cathy Moore’s blog is dedicated to “saving the world from boring instruction.” Described as an “international thought leader,” Cathy’s impressive client list give credence to this statement.

Cathy’s blog has an appealing, uncluttered user interface with links to everything the reader needs to know available on the first page. Her writing style reflects her sense of humor and is concise and informative.

I am delighted with her article “What to do if they just want “awareness.”” http://blog.cathy-moore.com/2012/12/what-to-do-if-they-just-want-awareness/

I am a victim of several well-intentioned but meaningless development seminars over the years. Her thoughts on just producing “awareness” resonate with me. All instructional designers should emulate Ms. Moore's insistence on probing the client to get to the real problem and in so doing design solutions which are likely to have a measurable impact.  

These three blogs are an excellent source of information for anyone interested in the field of instructional design and technology.