Week 1 Blog Assignment: The Doorway to Professional Learning Communities

This blog, http://www.upsidelearning.com/blog/index.php/tag/instructional-design/ , I found very interesting because it is dedicated to helping beginner Instructional Designers learn ways to improve upon their craft.  There are lots of tools presented to inspire a young designer to look within themselves for ways to better relate to all types of situations.  For someone with no background in this field, I found the material to be very intriguing and beneficial for my future endeavors.  I also really like the way the site is laid out because it also includes pictures and such that attract me and make me want to know what they are talking about.  The comments on some of the posts make me think that there is the potential for a lot of learning from other members of the blog as well!

This blog is actually part of the IDD department of DePaul University, http://www.iddblog.org/, so I feel that it was built to strongly assist people like me who are starting out in this field from an educational stand-point.  I like the layout of the site and found it very easy to navigate.  There is also an interesting blog about online teaching, which is something that I hope to do once I have completed my Master’s Degree.  It also provides a good post about the history of Instructional Design that was quite informative.  Overall, this site is a nice, clean place to get information and share resources.

I really like this blog site, http://www.elearninglearning.com/blog/instructional-design/, as it appears to have a plethora of information that will truly be beneficial for me going forward.  At first glance, I am not that attracted to the layout of the site, but upon exploring further, I see that there is a lot of information here.  One of the posts recommends other sites to explore further that look interesting and I think this particular blog might be the main one I will use in my future endeavors.  There are also useful tools along the left-hand side to assist with many different things, such as using PowerPoint presentations in your design efforts.  Besides the site layout, I really feel as though this site is very powerful and will give me an incredible amount of direction in my career!