Exploring Instructional Design Resources

    As instructional designers, we do not have to reinvent the wheel. Instead, we depend on learning theories, educational designs, and the knowledge of other experienced instructional designers. During my research, I found three blogs or resource sites relevant to my work as an instructional designer.

1. The Edublogger is an educational resource site where teachers can provide prompts and educational experiences while providing opportunities for students to do the same. Through videos, virtual field trips, and the ability to embed activities and external websites directly into a blog, educators can have students not only read or hear information but also experience and interact with their learning. When it comes to learning, educators need to think through how students learn and how they can apply this information—and this is achieved by allowing students to create blog responses after manipulating and interacting with activities through an online blog (Walden University, LLC, n.d.). An educational blogging website geared for students is an excellent tool that I can utilize throughout my time as an instructional designer, especially since I work specifically in developing educational courses for elementary students. 
2. The eLearning Coach is a blog designed to provide basic instruction and strategies as well as helpful content for instructional designers. Whether it be choosing an appropriate color palette for an online learning platform or developing higher-order thinking within the design of a course, this platform provides a wealth of knowledge for individuals who are entering both the corporate realm and the educational realm of instructional design. Engaging students in high-order thinking is an essential piece as an instructional designer, as encouraging critical thinking and assessing in the higher levels of Bloom’s taxonomy is what truly allows a student to understand and apply knowledge to their life (Chandio et al., 2016). Regarding the blog itself, it is evident that the blogger devotes time to creating visually appealing posts and engaging the reader. As an instructional designer working for a company that designs and offers online educational options, this blog has several features and resources that apply directly to my everyday work.
3. Dashe and Thomson is a business devoted to providing design solutions for online learning and training. Specifically, Dashe and Thomson has a blog dedicated to learning and development. The blog offers a variety of resources and articles revolving around best practices for education and training. One theme that arises through their blog posts is the understanding that learning and training cannot successfully take place unless designers comprehend the process of learning. Robert Gagne’s nine-step learning process can be seen throughout their blogs, as a significant emphasis is placed on grabbing a learner’s attention and accessing prior knowledge, presenting new information, practicing and assessing the latest information, and then providing feedback that guides the learner to further learning (Northern Illinois University, 2020). As an instructional designer who currently creates courses for elementary students as well as develops training for new hires within our department, Dashe and Thomson’s blog has valuable knowledge that I can benefit from as I continue my development as an instructional designer.

References

Chandio, M. T., Pandhiani, S. M., & Iqbal, S. (2016). Bloom’s taxonomy: Improving assessment and 

        teaching-learning process. Journal of Education and Educational Development, 3(2), 203–221. 

        https://doi.org/10.22555/joeed.v3i2.1034
Northern Illinois University Center for Innovative Teaching and Learning. (2020). Gagné’s nine events of 

        instruction. In Instructional guide for university faculty and teaching assistants. 

        https://www.niu.edu/citl/resources/guides/instructional-guide
Walden University, LLC. (Producer). (n.d.). An introduction to learning [Video file]. Baltimore, MD: 

        Author.