Ruth Clark posted at ASTD an article titled “ Why Games Don’t Teach.” ” It’s a deliberately provocative title, meant to draw attention and cause controversy. more accurate title would be “Some Games Aren’t Effective at Making People Remember Content,” but that’s a lot less likely to grab attention. Before I continue, I want to say that I enjoyed her book, eLearning and the Science of Instruction , and I have found some of the research there valuable. respect her past contributions to the field. Results were similar with the Cache 17 game. MORE >>

Several weeks ago, I had the pleasure of meeting Lauren Hirsh. Lauren needed to do an informational interview for her masters program, and I needed some new profile pictures. The pictures turned out terrific; I’m sure I got the better end of the bargain.). During the interview, Lauren asked some very thoughtful questions about the relationship between theory and practice. made this comment as part of the interview: It’s easy to get caught up in theories without really looking at whether the research support is there. Gagné’s Nine Events. Bloom’s Taxonomy. Neither did Bloom. MORE >>

During the July 7 early #lrnchat about social media and social learning, there was a lot of discussion about lurking. In response to the question “What are some ways you learn through social media that aren’t collaborative, with other people per-se?&#. replied : I do a fair amount of lurking (ie “legitimate peripheral participation&# ). also retweeted this message by Colby Fordham : We all like sharers, but there is a value in lurking. You] have to [learn] the rules and important topics. and Jane Bozarth replied. …and then stop lurking. But is that always necessary? MORE >>

I love how some of my posts from 2007 still generate regular comments, such as this question today about software for creating a portfolio. First, if you’re wondering why you need a portfolio , read Tom Kuhlmann’s explanation. Portfolio by cirox. If you’re trying to plan or create a portfolio, check out April Hayman’s very thorough series on creating an instructional design portfolio: Decide what skills you want to showcase. Gather artifacts. Choose a CMS. Market your portfolio. April’s CMS post only addresses WordPress and Joomla. MORE >>

I received a question from a current classroom teacher who is hoping to make the career move to instructional design. Specifically, she wanted to know how to prepare for an interview for an instructional design position. Any sage wisdom? I’m brushing up on ID jargon, but want to be as prepared as possible. What questions might they ask? Anything I should avoid discussing? Anything I should make sure to discuss? You’re guidance would be greatly appreciated. cc licensed flickr photo shared by hartboy. Committee work is OK, but not nearly as good as collaborative curriculum work. MORE >>