​This summer is blistering hot. It’s no wonder that people are trying to get as close to beaches or cooler climates as much as possible. Media plays a role in message design. The information we take in and understand. Do you know what message design is about? More importantly, do you know what Cognitive Load Theory (CLT) is all about?
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We experience message design on social media, art, education, and other fields where learning takes shape, and we, as learners, go through a metamorphosis of information that we may or may not know about. CLT is a framework that helps us understand how our brains process information and learn new things. We have working memory, which, for me, at times, has limited capacity, and becoming overwhelmed with too much information is exhausting. There are three types of cognitive load – intrinsic, extraneous, and germane. Intrinsic load is the complexity of the material itself, like when you are trying to learn something, in your opinion, hard to understand. Extraneous load is unnecessary information or distractions that make learning harder, like watching a YouTube video to learn something. The curator has too many elements, including lousy background music, making it hard to concentrate, and you become annoyed. Germane load is when we put effort into understanding and learning the material. The point is the goal of the three. The goal is to reduce extraneous load, manage intrinsic load, and maximize germane load, making learning more effective.  

Humans learn in diverse ways - visually, auditory, kinesthetically, through reading/writing, socially, and logically. Mayer’s Multimedia Theory underscores the power of combining words and pictures in learning, showing that this approach is more effective than using words alone. When multimedia is thoughtfully designed and relevant, it reduces extraneous cognitive load and bolsters our comprehension. 
So, the next time you watch a video or visit a website to learn something, etc., check your learning to see if it is overloading you.

I recently talked with someone who asked me about my educational pursuits. I expressed that my voice didn't matter and then needed to explain my meaning. Of course, MY VOICE matters; however, framing it in the context of scholars' voices that have gone before me and who have shaped theory and philosophy is helping me find a different perspective on my voice. My understanding of theory and philosophy is growing and deepening like a fine wine. I know learning a deeper understanding, appreciation and questioning for different theories will be enhanced in the coming years.

Recently, I read an article about affective computing to detect and interpret emotions, and according to the article, it was forecasted to become a 37-billion-dollar industry by 2026. It was noted that this was mainly due to the COVID-19 pandemic increasingly disrupting our lives and forcing us to live online to some extent. There are many positive aspects of the expansion of technology. The explosion of immersion experiences with artists like Monet and Van Gogh has been prevalent in today’s culture to invoke emotional responses that allow multisensory reactions for those who go to one of the shows. It is on my list of things to do in my lifetime. 

There is such a thing as social science because it provides tools to measure social dynamics. Social science helps us understand how people interact and measure those interactions. It looks at nature, the environment, and the mind and community relationships. Social science is a melting pot of science and adds the essence of the human condition.

​Ralph Waldo Emerson is a famous poet, essayist, philosopher, and influencer of his time for the transcendentalist movement. While I don’t understand transcendentalism to its full degree, I’ve enjoyed Emerson’s poems and recently found myself reading the first chapter of his ‘Nature’ essay. To my surprise, I enjoyed reading it. There were parts that I found myself understanding and wanting to read more and parts that still have me asking ‘What do you mean?’

Communication is a part of listening, expression and learning.  It can be verbal and non-verbal. Communication can be done with action, like the beautiful way the deaf community speaks to each other, spoken word poetry, a baby smiling because they recognize your voice, or body language. Technology positively impacts communication with computers, the internet, social media, live streams, podcasts, and yes, vlogs and blogs, yet there is more; however, there are harmful ways, such as losing personal connections with people, messages being misinterpreted in emails, privacy/security concerns, too many hours of screen time - a yin and yang.

​As someone who uses technology to communicate professionally and personally, learning theory grasps technology to help understand and process new information. These theories should consider how technology impacts communications because, realistically, the world is changing fast, and technological advances are growing in leaps and bounds. Learning theory should consider these impacts on instructional design, pedagogy, assessment, and training spaces due to the implied audience. You have to put yourself in the other person’s shoes when designing content by making sure the learning objectives match what you are developing, or what needs to be learned, planning the logistics of training space, and even your teaching style is communicating a compelling message and instruction. I wonder what perspectives philosophers of the past would have on technology? I hope the human elements of sharing through communication never disappear so that reducing loneliness and lack of connection, even in education or self-paced learning, diminishes.

Image by OpenClipart-Vectors from Pixabay

A famous proverb talks about preparing a child in the right direction; those foundational truths will be preserved when they are old. I believe that is true. People learn in different ways. Humans are not robots. Our thoughts and experiences are a part of who we are. What I learned as a child is still with me today. Now, let's go a few steps backward; what does it mean to be human and know? Being human is a gift on many levels. You can use your brain, sight, and limbs, experience feelings, and nurture your soul. Knowledge is a part of being human. How you understand information and being able to decipher that information to navigate education, situations, and life experiences is all a part of the human condition.

​As a life-long learner, knowledge constantly changes, and how you receive or perceive it changes over time. Knowledge is not a cookie-cutter conformity, nor is it black and white. Knowledge is to be questioned, explored and transformed. I accept left and right-brain attributes by debunking being told I am solely a left or right-brain individual. Stepping out of my comfort zone, making mistakes, and growing from them will help my personal learning theory. With that being said, learning should be holistic, emphasizing the integration of cognitive, social, cultural, and practical dimensions in the learning process.