Can 2 blogs and 1 Web site make you a better Instructional Designer?

This week’s mission was to find few online sites that I deem useful as  Instructional Design resources and write a short critique of each. I chose two blogs and a web site I found through a blog. I didn’t chose to critique the actual blog,IDEMILY, that led me to the web site due to lack of content but I am thankful for finding TED. The following sites helped me gain perspective and knowledge.

 I hope you find my critiques useful and instructive enough to visit the following sites often and recommend them to others.

TED ideas worth spreading

This is a multifaceted site with vast content choice. I had to narrow it down and focus quickly or I could be happily lost in this site for hours. I focused on a playlist of “talks”. The Re-Imagining School series has 12 talks. Audio is available for downloaded to your desktop as an MP3 or straight to your iTunes account. Videos download in MP4 format with your choice of resolution. The topics range from teaching in a Global classroom to how to use video to reinvent education. I appreciate the video format and the wonderful diversity of topics and the variety of speakers chosen. This is great resource to find not only educational information but also a vast amount of knowledge on technical issues too. A blog is also available HERE. As Ken Robinson says, “everybody has an interest in education” and this site feeds my interest.

IDC RESOURCES

This blog is divided into Instructional Design, Technology, Blackboard and an Un-categorized section. Posts are from two authors and frequently include graphics and video. Posts are short enough to provide a quick read, reflection, and response from the reader. The two authors, Heather Henson and Tony Toon, have different backgrounds that combine offering a good view into the field of Instructional Design. Heather Henson has an educational background and years of experience designing online and traditional, and mixed trainings. Tony Toon, just love that name, calls himself the Master of the Internet. At first, I thought this self-appointed title was a bit much but after reading that he has a degree in Computer Science, I will reserve judgment- for now. I will be coming back to this site for new ways to use software. For instance, Tony has at least one use for Jing I didn’t consider before. I have this software in every training lab but considered Jing next to useless compared to SnagIt.  I will revisit Jing in the coming weeks and see if Tony’s application changes my mind.

Cathy Moore  let’s save the world from boring training!

This site gravitates toward fun. Ideas for designing with flair and using different methods to engage the learner are frequent topics included within this blog. Topics range from using humor to reduce anxiety and stress for your learners to how to help the client understand their training needs. A convenient side bar menu offers quick links to popular posts, recent posts, site topics, workshops, and more. There is even a resource tab with E-learning samples and Cathy’s recommendations for becoming an Instructional Designer. This site is focused more toward business rather than education. I feel this site offers a more “hands on approach” to ID than other educational centered venues. Therefore, I would use this site to jump-start ideas and get a more well-rounded view of Instructional Design.