Innovation and risk-taking: "I want to define educational technologists or educators that are willing to use technology in their classrooms as “risk-takers” or “innovators.” These are people who are willing to try something new without worrying if it will be a success or failure. They derive pleasure from playing with both new and old ideas and employing them in a variety of ways. These people are natural problem solvers."
Comment: From my experience with learners in a laptop program, I believe risk-taking is the most important skill in using technology. Those students who are willing to play and experiment consistently end up as the most capable learners (at least when learning with technology). To a degree, we should be fostering the willingness for learners to experiment and fail during the learning process.

3:16:23 PM    

Why do trainers have trouble with e-Learning?

"Most people who have spent time in the field of teaching and learning will readily admit that learning is not a clear, structured, uni-directional process. Learning is, as I've often stated, messy and chaotic. If our main function as educators and trainers is to foster learning, then we have a terrible match with current technology tools."

Matching tools to tasks. Seven years ago, I started work with elearning. Initially, it consisted of a software program that managed student marks and organized content. The internet was still in its infancy. Most technologies were simply used as an extension of what was doneweofije... [Connectivism Blog]

2:48:32 PM    

What is "brain-based learning?"

"This paper briefly defines and describes brain-based learning, a theory that is under investigation in higher education, and offers suggestions on how that theory may be implemented in the delivery of information and facilitation of online classes in higher education. Implications for online educators are also presented."

Brain-Based Learning: Possible Implications for Online Instruction - Stephanie A. Clemons, Intructional Technology and Distance Learning. As higher education institutions push for more online courses instructors are faced with issues and challenges related to teaching in the online learning environment. Regardless, of whether higher education’s impetus is fueled by cost-saving measures, or [Online Learning Update]

2:46:24 PM    

Central Role of Expectation in Cognition: "I think we’re undergoing somewhat of a slow revolution in the cognitive sciences. The field is slowly coming to focus on the central role of prior expectation in cognition.
Evidence that prior expectation has a large effect on the interpretation of sensory input is by no means new, but it seems to me that people are focusing on prior expectation more and more when they theorize about the mind."
Comment: I guess this is similar to what we mean when we say a person "only sees what they want to see". The statement at the end of the post is particularly informative on how we devise our own learning: "sensory processing (as well as other aspects of cognition) is best understood as centered around prediction and prior expectation, not incoming sensory data." We aren't objective, rational people. Our cognition is an intricate interplay of emotions, desire, logic, motivation, and meaning. When we look at learning - as an advanced cognitive process - it's little wonder it is such a complex (and misunderstood) process.

2:24:07 PM    

Denham Grey's wiki of his presentation for Association of Knowledgework - Knowledge Sharing and Social Software: "During this presentation Denham will discuss emergent software tools that can be used to share knowledge commonly called - social software technologies - examples include podcasts, collaborative concept maps, web feeds & blogs, tagging and social bookmarking. We will explore how they are part of a set of an exciting new genre that assist with conversations, make connections, promote collaboration and help context sharing."

2:22:25 PM