Two Online Journals for IDs and Learning

In the 20^th century, the final frontier was space, but perhaps in the 21^st century our greatest challenge is not far away “out there,” but so close to home that it strikes to the core of who we are-the home of our thoughts and emotions, the human brain. The faster things change with technology, the greater need there is to figure out exactly how the brain and the mind work, and how we can best learn and problem-solve. I took a look at a couple resources, websites and online journals, that purport to improve our understanding in this area.

            Journal of Online Learning and Teaching aka JOLT by MERLOT (http://jolt.merlot.org/currentissue.xml). I had a previous professor recommend the MERLOT website to me, and I have had it bookmarked for some time. I was unaware, however, that they also create an online journal with excellent articles using Creative Commons licensing. [A side note: I’m a fan of Creative Commons, as it helps to further innovation and creativity while appropriately loosening the draconian rules of capital “C” copyright laws; with CC rules like Share-Alike, Attribution, what would be “stealing” becomes borrowing with giving credit where it is due to the author of the source material]. The articles are all relevant to the field of learning, training, and teaching. In the current issue, one article from Johnson and Galy (2013) reported on the efficacy of E-Learning to reach the Hispanic demographic in a Bachelors Business Administration classroom; it reports that self-efficacy and time management are among predictors of success in an Online setting. The articles cover several aspects of both classroom and online teaching and challenge notions in the industry with richly researched and referenced writing. It’s a solid journal from a reputable organization (MERLOT).

            Journal of Problem Solving (JPS) by Purdue University Press (http://docs.lib.purdue.edu/jps/). Purdue University is another organization that I use a lot for their Purdue Owl site that helps with the various writing formats for professional papers, and I check my APA there for the most current information. The JPS is no less relevant, however light it may be on articles per issue (just three in the last issue). Since the focus is more specific on problem-solving while also being an interdisciplinary, touching on psychology, the computer sciences, and other fields. One recent article by Jäkel, Frank, Schreiber, and Cornell (2013) claims that problem-solving research and techniques have stagnated on account of lack of innovation from scientists, or their lack of belief in it. For the trainer, both metacognition and consciousness is essential to problem-solver. I think this journal is useful, but it seems a little short on practical problem solving tips, and it is an academic blog, for sure.                                                               

            All in all, they are both solid resources At some other point I would like to review Luminosity.com, but I have only a limited exposure to it. Some say that the neuroscience simply isn’t there to determine if this sort of gameplay actually improves brain functioning in the future. But possibly more on that later…

References

Jäkel, Frank and Schreiber, Cornell (2013). "Introspection in problem solving." The Journal of

Problem Solving. 6 (1). DOI: http://dx.doi.org/10.7771/1932-6246.1131

Johnson, J. & Galy, E. (2013, September). The Use of E-Learning tools for improving hispanic

students' academic performance. 6 (1). Retrieved from http://jolt.merlot.org/vol9no3/johnson_0913.htm.