A team of scientists from Carnegie Mellon University has uncovered how the brain organises concrete nouns like ‘apple’ using fMRI and developed a consistent model that has major implications for how we organise information for learners (taxonomies). would speculate that aligning a learning taxonomy or curriculum to this model, would enhance its encoding within the brain or at the very last minimise cognitive barriers and the chance of misunderstanding or misreprsentation. Tags: Brain-based learning Instructional design curriculumn semantic taxonomy MORE >>

A team of scientists from Carnegie Mellon University has uncovered how the brain organises concrete nouns like ‘apple’ using fMRI and developed a consistent model that has major implications for how we organise information for learners (taxonomies). would speculate that aligning a learning taxonomy or curriculum to this model, would enhance its encoding within the brain or at the very last minimise cognitive barriers and the chance of misunderstanding or misreprsentation. Tags: Brain-based learning Instructional design curriculumn semantic taxonomy MORE >>

Caspian Learning has produced a useful taxonomy of immersive learning simulations in their white paper Serious Games in Defence Education (Word or PDF, 4MB). Although the paper addresses a single vertical market, the taxonomy is of general interest. Here's a list of the categories in the taxonomy (the descriptions are mine, not theirs): Egocentric performance sims Single player game, where the player takes on the role of a single character in a 3D space. Caspian's own sims fit this category. The action unfolds in real-time. Classic example is SimCity. MORE >>

He does this in a variety of ways, but what caught my eye (Thanks to the formidable Wilfred Rubens ), was how he uses and interprets Blooms taxonomy for this digital age. Bloom’s taxonomy was not revised by Andrew, but by Lorin Anderson and David Krathwohl , who published their findings in 2001. Well, the way Andrew makes Bloom’s revised taxonomy relevant is amazing. Andrew Churches is curriculum manager of computer studies and teaching and Learning technologies at the Kristin school in Albany Auckland, New Zeeland. So where does Andrew’s wiki come in? MORE >>

Many conversations around interactivity in formal learning programs rests on the tools. Does WebEx allow polling? Can you have threaded conversations in Second Life? What if you gave keypads to members of an audience? And those are all good questions. But at the same time, we need to nurture cultures around interactivity that are independent of any technology. We need vocabulary and expectations around interactivity itself. Here's a suggestion, hopefully useful in practice if not in theory: Level 0 : The instructor speaks regardless of audience. Most books fall here, and some lectures. MORE >>