I just finished reading several chapters from Borje Holmberg on conversation theory and his empathy approach.  I was excited to read these to find out Holmberg's theory of conversation.  Ever since reading Andy Gibbons' chapter from his still unpublished work, Instruction and Learning, Technology and Design, I have been drawn to Gibbons' "definition of instruction: … Continue reading Holmberg’s Conversation Theory

With the opening of the new semester, I've begun teaching "Introduction to Middle Eastern Studies" at Brigham Young University.  This is a face-to-face course, but we are implementing some asynchronous elements, including a weekly discussion board using BrainHoney and the sharing of tweets about current events in the Middle East.  For the latter activity, students … Continue reading #mesa201 See What We’re Learning

I've been musing a bit over the articles I blogged on yesterday, and their call for greater theory development.  My first reaction is to agree: we need a stronger theoretical foundation to the field of distance learning. However, I'm also reminded of the proliferation of theories in the broader field of instructional design.  Some would … Continue reading Theory: Diversity vs Focus

For Dr. Charles Graham's class, we read three articles (listed below) that analyzed the trends in distance education research.  The earliest article (Anglin & Morrison, 2000) was published a decade before the latest (Davies, Howell, & Petrie, 2010), yet many of their conclusions were the same.  Again and again, these reviews of the published distance … Continue reading State of the Field

The first article we were asked to read for Dr. Graham's course was one called "Research Worth Publishing," an editorial by Michael Moore published in the American Journal of Distance Education in 2004.  Since the course culminates in a paper with detailed annotated bibliography, and thus much of our work will be putting together the … Continue reading Research Worth Publishing (Moore)

Blogger. Jaiku. Plurk. Tumblr. Twitter. Wiki. Yammer.  What do these terms have in common, besides being near-nonsensical one- or two-syllable words of questionable spelling?  As you likely know, each is the name of a different type of social media.  Such media are proliferating in our time.  Our relationships to social media range from the happily … Continue reading Twitter in the Classroom?

Abstract: Instructional Psychology and Technology is a field which studies processes and practices that facilitate learning, and the technologies that can support learning.  Beginning with theoretical foundations in learning theory, IPT then seeks to understand how instruction can best suit learners of all varieties.  I am studying how to improve instructional conversations in history and … Continue reading What is IP&T? Letter Home

Every truth has four corners: as a teacher I give you one corner, and it is for you to find the other three.  –Confucius The teacher who is indeed wise does not bid you to enter the house of wisdom but rather leads you to the threshold of your mind. – Khalil Gibran Good teaching … Continue reading Favorite Quotations About Teaching

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