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
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
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
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 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.
