"Technology does not necessarily improve education "Technology does not necessarily improve education. Take a simple innovation like the pencil: One can use it to write a superlative essay, to drum away the time, or to poke out someone's eye." (Veenema & Gardner, 1996) LOVE this quote.

Reducing Cognitive Overload: Effective Integration of Web 2.0 Technologies Jennifer J. Little, MLS, Reference/Instruction Librarian, The College at Brockport, State University of New York, jlittle@brockport.edu Anne M. Canale, MS CDIT, Independent Consultant, Instructional Design, Instructional Technology and E-learning, annemcanale@gmail.com Ed Tech Day 2010, Ithaca College, Ithaca, NY March 25, 2010

Why do we care? Instructional professionals need to know if Web 2.0 technologies support or disrupt learning. New technologies which ones support learning? which ones trends-fads, the “bells & whistles”? How do we create learning experiences that reduce CO, thus enhancing and improving learning? Onslaught of web 2.0 technologies; and their impact educationally. Ubiquitous.

What is Cognitive Overload? One’s cognitive capacity for learning is limited; often called information overload. Often obvious: Poorly designed Disorganized Irrelevant/redundant information Aesthetically unappealing Distracting; noisy; busy Poor use of font/color/style The course, lesson, artifact, web site, elearning tool, etc., etc.

Types of Cognitive Load Intrinsic - amount of cognitive processing required to comprehend the material Germane (relevant)- learner engaged in making sense of the material using familiar/new schema. Extraneous (irrelevant)-amount of cognitive capacity used for cognitive processing is not relevant to the goals of instruction; does not contribute to learning (Mayer, 2008) We’re trying to reduce extraneous, thus increasing the learner’s germane/intrinsic learning. Extraneous CL is as instructor/course developer,  p12.

Cognitive Load Theory Learning principles - result in efficient instructional environments as a consequence of leveraging human cognitive learning processes. Universal – all types of content, all delivery media, all learners. Application-use fundamental tools of training (text, visuals, audio, technical content, soft skills); design; incorporate into all delivery platforms (print/online) Techniques to help learners free their working memory load so that information may be stored in their long-term memory. Application of cognitive load theory principles leads to efficient learning.

Practical Applications Based on research; educational theory and sound pedagogy. We’ll now show you a few examples of the good, the bad and the ugly…

http://dpgraph.com Example: The “LESS IS MORE” principle not used. DPGraph: Dynamic Photorealistic 3D Graphing Software for Math and Physics Visualization dpgraph.comn Principles violated: Pare content down to essentials. Eliminate extraneous visuals, text and audio.  Eliminate redundancy Poor use of color Poor use of graphics Distracting http://dpgraph.com

With all due respect…http://www.tltgroup.org/resources/blogs.htm This is the top section of the web page. See next slide.

This is the bottom half of the same web page. http://www.tltgroup.org/resources/blogs.htm

A good example: A Library Research Guide following the principles to manage cognitive load: Western Virginia University, http://libguides.wvu.edu/content.php?pid=23575&sid=221937  Supports attention: Uses cues and signals to focus attention to important visual and textual content Integrates explanatory text close to related visuals on pages and screens Integrates words and visuals used to teach computer applications into one delivery medium. Aesthetics: Clearly defined headings Navigational tools Appropriate use of font/style Consistency within entire site Good alignment of words and pictures http://libguides.wvu.edu/content.php?pid=23575&sid=221937 

"Technology does not necessarily improve education "Technology does not necessarily improve education. Take a simple innovation like the pencil: One can use it to write a superlative essay, to drum away the time, or to poke out someone's eye." (Veenema & Gardner, 1996) As we said…..

Resources http://cognitiveloadandweb20.pbworks.com/ FrontPage