Maintain Your Brain but Educate Your Mind

Label1. The Brain.

Do we utilize our brain to its fullest potential?  I think we use it as much as we know how to use it.  Instructional Designers and Educators have many strategies to strengthen the brain.  There are different learning styles, activities that require higher order thinking as well as technology.  Another way “is to present information that is compatible to how the brain operates” (Coch, Dawson, and Fischer, 2007).  I found this statement to be very interesting.  The authors discuss methods of storing and retrieving information using the mind and brain.  I never really thought of the mind and the brain as different components but I hope you will find this reading as enjoyable as I did.  The authors really had me thinking about the difference between the psyche and intelligence when it comes down to learning information.  I always thought instruction geared towards understanding the brain and the functions of the brain, see figure1.  What do you think about this quote, “Rather than argue that instruction should be compatible with the basic operations of the brain, I argue instead that instruction should be compatible with the basic operations of the mind” (p. 31).  Hum, never thought of it like this.  The brain and mind is the same thing right?

I read a blog that discussed the “Difference between Brain and Mind” (“The difference between,” 2010) and I found it very interesting.  There was an analogy used that compared the brain and mind to hardware and software.  So in essence, we store the mind in the brain.  Even though we use our mind for essential skills as thinking, feeling, etc., our brain is the component to make sure the mind operate correctly.  In order for you to use M.S. Office software, you have to have a computer to load the information.  Therefore, the brain is the hardware and the mind is the software. 

Please go on the websites and read about the powerful brain, and comment below.  I would like to hear your responses regarding operations of the mind and brain.  Do you think Instructional Designers, Educators, and Organizational Leaders should concentrate more on educating to the mind or brain?  Please give your comments below.

References

Coch, D. , Dawson, G. , & Fischer, K. (2007).Human behavior, learning, and the developing brain : typical development. (pp. 31-46). New York: The Guilford Press.Retrieved from http://site.ebrary.com/lib/waldenu/docDetail.action?docID=10188998 LeftHandersDay.com. (Producer). (1999-2009).The way your brain is organized. [Web Photo]. Retrieved from http://www.lefthandersday.com/tour2.html The difference between brain and mind [Web log message]. (2010). Retrieved from http://controlmind.info/human-brain/the-difference-between-brain-and-mind

The New Wave of Education

Education is currently evolving everyday.  There are new exciting ways to educate our children.  With the modern technology in today's society it is not good to continue with the conventional way of education.  So now what's new?  What can we gain from this new exciting techno world?  We have facebook, blogs, RSS, iPhone, Twitter, (Mason, 2011) and many more media avenues as in Figure 1.  Now we ask how we can incorporate this explosion into educating our children?  Many businesses today utilize the web for many of their day to day activities: virtual meetings, chat rooms, job announcements, networking, and public responses.  Teachers now have to be creative in their teaching and learning skills.   



Fig1. On-line media.

 I can remember sitting in a classroom where the teacher just lectured all day.  I was uninterested in the topic as well as feeling very sluggish and weary.  Can you imagine sitting in a classroom for 2 hours reading and listening to lectures?  Well this is what many students do on a daily basis.  In order to keep up with the demands of this competitive society, students have to be skillful in the modern technology.  Educators and Instructional Designers have to teach using social media sites as guides for learning new material. Our students need to be aware of what is on the web and what our organizations are using.  Most students are technology savvy anyway, but there is still a need to instruct students in areas where the demand is not visible.  Students have to be aware of all of the different learning tools available for them.  Instructional Designers need to be aware of learning theories "a source of verified instructional strategies, tactics, and techniques" (Ertmer & Newby, 1993 p. 51), in order to effectively teach.

In this blog there will be links to other blogs where technology is the focus on learning.  You will explore how Internet sites make a difference in a child's learning.  These skills are essential for students to succeed in the workplace and more corporations use digital collaboration on a daily basis (Ferriter, 2009, p. 37).  You will also look at how more instructors are using unconventional ways of educating our children.  Please leave feedback on your intake of technology in the classroom and how you think education should be moving forward.

References

Ertmer, P. & Newby, T. (1993). Behaviorism, cognitivism, constructivism: comparing critical features from an instructional design perspective. Performance Improvement Quarterly, 6(4), 50-71. Retrieved from http://sylvan.live.ecollege.com/ec/courses/72033/CRS-CW-5693692/6115%20Readings/Wk1_Ertmer-Newby-beh-cog-const.pdf 

Ferriter, B. (2009). Learning with blogs and wikis. Educational Leadership, 66(5), 34-38. Retrieved from  http://web.ebscohost.com.ezp.waldenulibrary.org/ehost/detail?vid=3&hid=8&sid=0b697fe4-1fdb-4dff-b415-744151c59833%40sessionmgr15&bdata=JnNpdGU9ZWhvc3QtbGl2ZSZzY29wZT1zaXRl#db=a9h&AN=37007618              

Mason, K. (Photographer). (2011). What is social media marketer assistance. [Print Photo]. Retrieved from http://residualincomepsychiatrist.com/2011/09/04/social-media-marketer-assistance/