ENG3790 D700 | Prof. Ellis | "Remember to put your squirrels in The Squirrel Room!"
Week 3: Lecture
How do you go about organizing all of this?
Beginning of Class Writing
Click on the heading of this blog post title aboveāāWeek 3: Lecture,ā scroll down to the comment area, and write at least 250 words in response to this weekās readings. You can summarize the readings, you can relate the readings to your own experience or something else you have read or learned about, etc. Any writing of 250 words or more that are related to the readings are fair game for this weekly assignment at the beginning of class.
Post your comment after 20 minutes even if you donāt reach the 250 word minimum threshold.
Why we are doing this: It helps you organize your thoughts before discussion and it gives you regular writing practice.
Discuss this weekās readings.
Conduct exercise using the photo that you brought to class.
Review homework and readings for next week.
12 thoughts on “Week 3: Lecture”
In “Adult Learning-related Learning Theories, Belanger provides an overview of some important theories pertaining to adult education. The chapter breaks down the following five theories: andragogy, transformational learning, self-directed learning, experiential learning, and situated learning.
The first theory, andragogy, deals with focusing on the learner’s self-concept and the role of experience in learning. The second theory is transformational learning, which is based on the idea that adult learners experience significant changes in their perspectives and personal views by learning. The third theory Belanger discusses is self-directed learning, which highlights the learner’s autonomy and responsibility for their own learning. The fourth theory is experiential learning, which is based on the idea that learning happens through the processing of actual experiences. The fifth and final theory is situated learning, which touches upon the importance of context when learning.
“Information Architecture: Five Thing Information Managers Need to Know,” by Farnum, argues that effective information architecture is essential for the successful management of information in the digital age Farnum discusses five key principles of information architecture that are important for information managers to understand.
The first principle is that information architecture is about more than just organization. The second and third principles are the information architecture is a collaborative and iterative process, respectively. The fourth principle is that information architecture is closely tied to information retrieval. The fifth and final principle is that information architecture is a specialized skill.
In “What is information?,” Haller delivers an overview of information architecture and gives us a practical definition of the term. Haller notes that there is no one single definition for information architecture. He does offer a definition that states that “the structural design of shared information environments.” He goes on to discuss principles that he believes are important for effective information. These principles are to design for the users, start with a strategy, focus on the content, use a systemic approach, and to emphasize findability.
SUBJECT: Information Architecture, Learning Theories, and Digital Libraries
Adult Learning-related Learning Theories by Sharan B. Merriam and Laura L. Bierema explore some interesting theories related to adult education. I think this article is vital to help us utilize these theories in our current academic career and lifelong journey of obtaining new skills and knowledge. The author discussed how environmental factors could shape behaviors, and these ideas reminded me of a book I’m currently reading, Atomic Habits, by James Clear. He speaks a lot about building good habits and uses many of the theories in this article to back up his writing.
In another article, Digital libraries and information access: Research perspectives, by Edward A. Fox, discuss challenges digital libraries face in providing adequate access to information. While digital libraries are essential to the information world, they require the development of user-friendly interfaces. In my own experience, I found navigating through these sorts of libraries to be a bit challenging or demanding on the eyes. The information I gathered from the article allows me to think about ways we need to evolve and meet the users’ needs to read and sift through information on digital libraries.
Information architecture: five things information managers need to know was a valuable read for me as a student information architect. This article highlighted the importance of things information managers need to know about information architecture. One of the points that caught my attention was “designing structures that help people navigate and understand information.” I thought that sentence was a good overall definition of information architecture. I also noted that information architecture is an iterative process that is always ongoing and continually involves testing and user feedback. Therefore, adjustments will always need to be made!
There is not one definition of Information architecture (IA) that everyone agrees on. Though every website has some form of IA, it is done on the background. The biggest thing to think about is the audience’s reason they go to a website or search for something. Navigation is key to give results that an audience member wants. Making sure the user interface is easy to maneuver and find what they are looking for. IA individual does not run the website day-day but designs concrete pages in the background doing a multitude of user experiences.
Education is a continuous learning environment that we follow throughout our lives. Learning does not stop and is a never-ending cycle. Looking at learning in diverse ways places importance in our development. New adaptive forms to transform our thinking into profound knowledge. In a transformative learning framework, thinking gives way to produce action.
The new ways to think are incorporated into the internet because it is anything but linear. To start working in the field of information architecture, we need to know the thinking process of definitions and how we would navigate through it. Articulating how information is shown is how to perceive the background framework a website needs to fully understand what we are signed up for. When we think about what information audiences want, we must first think about why they are trafficked into the website. Thus, we build a mind frame of what we need to incorporate which is the ending of the beginning. With more experience we gain in information architecture, we still always need to crave more.
For this weekās readings it was about defining information architecture and identifying the jobs and responsibilities of an informational architect. The three readings that were assigned I thought it was interesting how no one could officially define information architecture. That even still to this day, there isnāt a generalized agreed upon definition. The responsibilities and roles of information architecture are somewhat established as well, but the person who’s doing them is still unclear. There are multiple jobs and persons in position of power who need information architects, but deciding who does the job can seem complicated. It falls down to either computer scientists, technical writers/editors, or graphic designers. But because there is a lot of work going into a website, no one can really say whoās allowed to do what. But I think this should be a collaborative process of multiple as everyone has their strengths and weaknesses in specific areas.
By reading these articles and journals, I understand the perspective of the agreement on claiming what information architecture is. I donāt know how long this line of work has existed for, but I know everything changes. The job description can update and either more responsibilities can be added or taken away. Itās either learning or updating your skill set to keep up these technological times. Because as time change, so does the technologies that come along with them. So, there will be a need for information architects in the near future. But the question that I have is: will there ever be an established general definition of information architecture and who are the people that are allowed to become informational architects?
But the level of design, information, and communication that has to be established when creating a website is staggering and is something I didnāt know happened on an every-day basis. But reading this definitely made me appreciate more the websites Iāve accessed over the course of my life.
This weekās readings were about the different ways in which we learn. In the article, Theories in Adult Learning and Education, Verlag Barbara Budrich explains the humanist approach to learning. She explains it as being explored by two specialist, Abraham Maslow and Carl Rogers, and that it a way of learning by fulfilling our individual potential and becoming self-actualized. Also, that we are the center of that process of learning and that we learn through relating things to what weāve experienced prior. Roger also explored the relationship between the learner and the facilitator, which shows that in order for someone to learn through this approach the facilitator must be willing to allow the learner to be the center focus and raise questions to have the learner explore their own curiosity.
I found this approach very interesting, it reminded me of what I learned in school about the Montessori experience, where children are able to go out and learn from their environment without interruption from the teachers, but that if they needed help their teachers were there for them. Another way of learning that was discussed is experiential learning. This was said to be a way of learning that is a process by which knowledge is created and that this happens significantly when a person has a transformative experience. I could relate to this because I feel like I personally learn best when Iāve experienced something transformative, where it leaves me having to do something new or tackle something I have not experienced before.
In particular this week I really appreciated “What is information architecture?” not only for the on-point use of an xkcd strip, but also for highlighting how, as Richard Saul Wurman noted, thinking of IA as merely a series of scaffolds and frameworks can be actively unhelpful in designing information structures for human use.
I find that this dilemma – how we think information should be presented versus how it could be most helpfully presented – pops up constantly in modern life. There are obvious applications, such as creating a resume, but also much less obvious ones. I use a computer program to run tabletop RPG games online, and the IA choices in that program constantly baffle me because they’re clearly based on generally organizing the information available in the game by some sort of master hierarchy, rather than providing easy access to what users are most likely to need. It reminds me of how LinkedIn will constantly prompt me to add specific types of information to my profile, despite these recommendations being entirely different than the recommendations given in their LinkedIn Learning videos as to how to best create a profile.
I also again appreciated “Adult Learning-related Learning Theories” for its rundown of complex psychological topics, similarly to the previous reading from the same book. I look forward to reading further entries from Theories in Adult Learning and Education and may seek out the book in its entirety when I have time (perhaps over the summer). Psychology is an extremely complex field and I often find myself feeling overwhelmed when I attempt to navigate it on my own, but Budrich is very skilled at providing summaries that can be used to get at least a surface-level grasp of big ideas, especially by contrasting them to each other.
The first reading for week 3 written by Belanger talked about adult related learning. I learned about a few theories regarding the different factors of adult learning. This article explains about cognitive dissonance instigated learning, physiological needs, and self-actualism. Cognitive dissonance learning is the different factors of learning such as reflective practice, a learning environment, and transformative learning. A reflective practice is when an individual reflects on their thoughts and work. A learning environment is a place one uses when focusing on their learning. Transformative learning is when a learner develops a stronger connection to their learning habits.
Adult learning is characterized by specific features. One important feature includes human motivation. Human motivation is centered around human needs. This correlates to humanās physiological needs which is a progress starting from the lowest level that makes itās way to the highest level which is self esteem. When it comes to adult learning, people try to reach their potential and have the drive to succeed in life.
In the second reading, written by Farnum, I learned about the important information managers needed to know in a workplace. I also learned that Information architecture helps build sites by organizing them to make it easier for people to find. Farnum explains that navigation, search, and labeling are the key features of information architecture. Navigation is a feature that helps userās know where they are on that site. Search helps with the specifications for a users requirement. Labeling helps with the page titles and links. This engages the audience to find the information they are looking for.
The third article written by Haller discusses the conversation about reality of information architecture and the true definition. Haller explains when information architecture is needed, and why it is so important.
This text discussed Abraham Maslow the founder of humanistic psychology and his theory about the āhierarchy of needsā and Carl Rogers regarding humanist theory of learning in the 1960s and 1970s alongside adult learning theories. . Maslowās theory is one of the fundamentals taught in nursing school. It played a significant role in determining what the patient would need first and how to go about the treatment plan. From my prior knowledge, it is easiest to think of it as a pyramid with the important needs at the top and goes to the least important. As mentioned in the text, it goes from the lowest level to self-esteem and the need for self-actualisation at the highest level.
From a therapeutic perspective, Carl Rogers focused on how to build a therapeutic relationship between the therapist and the person rather than how to cure them. This can be applied to education because it is not about how to teach but rather how to build a relationship leading them to their own personal growth to actualize themselves. Rogersās 10 principles consisted of how learning is associated with the individual perceiving this information and how more is learned when the student participants. It discussed the adult learning theory throughout this discussion. The most lasting and persuasive is when self-initiated learning occurs. Secondary importance is independence, creativity, and self-reliance. Humanist theorists states, behavior is predetermined by the environment or oneās subconscious. It then discusses how the teacher is the facilitator trying to actualize the learnerās potential, while the learner is the āmain agency of the process.ā Progressive learning is when the learner gets something from it and stimulant when knowledge is shared. One of the ideas that was summarized was that the facilitator has a significant impact on the initial mood or climate of the group or class experience which is relatable to the PTW field as is this text because it is important to realize what the audience wishes to gain from reading or utilizing what you are providing. As a facilitator or teacher the learner also known as the reader in the case should be able to connect to the content.
In the Gale Article about 5 things managers need to know, analyzes what Information Architecture is and demonstrates what it means to be in the field. Information architecture is captured as a relatively new field in which websites are built through organizing, easily manageable. The primary focus is on intellectual work – science and art. It mentions one of the ways that I think about Information Architecture, a real building. Information Architectures design similarly with firstly, understanding how it will be used, creating a blueprint and detailed plan. Across all the texts I have read, one thing stays constant, making sure it is easy to navigate so that the readers arenāt lost. Wurman in 1988, coined the term and a general overview of his definition is organizing and recognizing patterns and having a structured method. Another definition is someone who clarifies the mission and vision and determines how the users will find information. The visual design should enable effective communication. An interactive design has dynamic components.
Top-Down is when the home page is the ficus because it has the main gateway to secondary levels and so forth. The Bottom-Up method is when the lower level pages are the actual content. An example I am familiar with is XML, which breaks information down even further into chunks. There are different formatting/navigational methods such as the breadcrumb method or hierarchy/path. For easier usability to the readers, the search tool should not only provide the ability to search but also should focus on the results pertaining to that specific search alone.
The last article discusses the different definitions and how Danklyn states that Information Architecture is the practice of designing structures. It is about understanding and communicating with another human being. This is implied into the PTW field because of how we can create/adapt to accommodate to other individuals through the proper structure.
The idea of humanism is interesting to focus on because itās something that everyone will experience within their lives whether they know it or not. We know what we know because we have either lived through an experience, or learned it from someone else. Always knowing that as human beings, we have the potential to grow, and learn. As we get older, we learn more and this helps us to develop as complete and whole beings according to Paul Belanger. With Information Architecture, we can look at how the two may correlate with the work we do and our attempt at developing our own understanding of what it is as a whole.
In āAdult Learning-related Learning Theories, āPaul Belanger analyzes the three adult learning theories. The three-adult learning-related theories are humanist, experimental, and transformative. The humanist was developed by Abraham Maslow and focuses on an individual capability and potential. Maslowās research into hierarchical needs is a key concept in humanist learning theory. Experimental learning theory focuses on learning through experiment. The experimental learning theory favors case studies, content presentations, and role playing. Transformative learning theory was developed by Jack Mezirow and focuses on changing the way an individual perceives information. Mezirow describes the transformation theory as āa constructivist theory of adult learningā. The goal of transformative learning is to acquire knowledge through significant experience and acquire a mode to retrieve, test, construct and master a new knowledge.
In his article, Information Architecture: Five Things Information Managers Need to Know, Chris Fanum describes the principles and methodology of information architecture, and the field of information management. Most information architects follow the Rosenfield and Morville methodology that focuses on content, users, and context. Compared to information architecture, Information management is a more mature and established field than information architecture. Information management and architecture share a connection to the information sciences. Information management professionals and information architectures also share a passion for organizing information, creating effective content management strategies, and providing efficient access to the content for users.
In, What is information architecture? Practical definitions and useful principles for our second decade of study and work, Thom Haller claims that organizations fail to present information properly because no one has thought through the IA. Haller also briefly highlights ideas presented at the 2010 Information Architecture summit and discusses the need for definition.
Information Architecture, IA, is referred to as a science, an art, and as part science and part art. A clear cut definition is still a work in progress. What is clear is that the technical communicator really needs it as a way to document information and to label it and retrieve it efficiently. Thom Haller calls it “The art and science of organizing and labeling websites, intranets, online communities and software to support usability and findability”. The application of taxonomies refers to the classification of things. It is simple and complex and called the practice of designing structures so it is all around us.
The key dimension of the humanist approach is to support the learner’s development. Self actualization is a drive to become independent and to have the power to own one’s own decisions. This key component is what I tried to instill in the consciousness of my adult students when I volunteered at the Jersey City Public Library.
Although I only read two of the three readings, I feel as if I was able to learn a lot from those two readings. In the reading of āWhat is Information Architecture?: Practical Definitions and Useful Principles For Our Second Decade of Study and Workā, it felt as if Thom Haller, the writer of the reading, was just as confused when it comes to defining and explaining what informational architecture is and what an informational architect does. In the reading, written by Chris Farnum, it is explained that there are many more aspects when it comes to information architecture. Thereās the visual aspect, the content aspect, and the part that shocked me the most, the control vocabulary.
These articles really had me intrigued with the amount of information given for this type of work. A quote that stood out from Haller was āThis is the distinction between doing IA and being an information architect. Some people embrace IA as central to what they do. Others see IA as a niche discipline or as a small portion of the overall user-centered design process.ā This stood out to me because it is something that kind of connected with me. That someone like me who is taking this class and learning because of a requirement for school, but itās something that I feel that I will be able to use in my future.
Haller, on the other hand speaks a lot more in depth of being able to go into more detail to the type of IA a person can go into. That someone can be able to see the layers that come with being an IA. The jobs and responsibilities if you will. That and IA needs to be able to look into the visual effects, as someone can be able to design a site and the type of words and information used to attract a certain audience in their own way. Which to me is something that called to me and made me feel connected to IA as a topic.
In “Adult Learning-related Learning Theories, Belanger provides an overview of some important theories pertaining to adult education. The chapter breaks down the following five theories: andragogy, transformational learning, self-directed learning, experiential learning, and situated learning.
The first theory, andragogy, deals with focusing on the learner’s self-concept and the role of experience in learning. The second theory is transformational learning, which is based on the idea that adult learners experience significant changes in their perspectives and personal views by learning. The third theory Belanger discusses is self-directed learning, which highlights the learner’s autonomy and responsibility for their own learning. The fourth theory is experiential learning, which is based on the idea that learning happens through the processing of actual experiences. The fifth and final theory is situated learning, which touches upon the importance of context when learning.
“Information Architecture: Five Thing Information Managers Need to Know,” by Farnum, argues that effective information architecture is essential for the successful management of information in the digital age Farnum discusses five key principles of information architecture that are important for information managers to understand.
The first principle is that information architecture is about more than just organization. The second and third principles are the information architecture is a collaborative and iterative process, respectively. The fourth principle is that information architecture is closely tied to information retrieval. The fifth and final principle is that information architecture is a specialized skill.
In “What is information?,” Haller delivers an overview of information architecture and gives us a practical definition of the term. Haller notes that there is no one single definition for information architecture. He does offer a definition that states that “the structural design of shared information environments.” He goes on to discuss principles that he believes are important for effective information. These principles are to design for the users, start with a strategy, focus on the content, use a systemic approach, and to emphasize findability.
TO: Professor Ellis
FROM: Naila Butt
DATE: 21 FEBRUARY 2023
SUBJECT: Information Architecture, Learning Theories, and Digital Libraries
Adult Learning-related Learning Theories by Sharan B. Merriam and Laura L. Bierema explore some interesting theories related to adult education. I think this article is vital to help us utilize these theories in our current academic career and lifelong journey of obtaining new skills and knowledge. The author discussed how environmental factors could shape behaviors, and these ideas reminded me of a book I’m currently reading, Atomic Habits, by James Clear. He speaks a lot about building good habits and uses many of the theories in this article to back up his writing.
In another article, Digital libraries and information access: Research perspectives, by Edward A. Fox, discuss challenges digital libraries face in providing adequate access to information. While digital libraries are essential to the information world, they require the development of user-friendly interfaces. In my own experience, I found navigating through these sorts of libraries to be a bit challenging or demanding on the eyes. The information I gathered from the article allows me to think about ways we need to evolve and meet the users’ needs to read and sift through information on digital libraries.
Information architecture: five things information managers need to know was a valuable read for me as a student information architect. This article highlighted the importance of things information managers need to know about information architecture. One of the points that caught my attention was “designing structures that help people navigate and understand information.” I thought that sentence was a good overall definition of information architecture. I also noted that information architecture is an iterative process that is always ongoing and continually involves testing and user feedback. Therefore, adjustments will always need to be made!
TO: Professor Ellis
FROM: Khaled Akam
DATE: February 21, 2023
SUBJECT: Architecture Clutter
There is not one definition of Information architecture (IA) that everyone agrees on. Though every website has some form of IA, it is done on the background. The biggest thing to think about is the audience’s reason they go to a website or search for something. Navigation is key to give results that an audience member wants. Making sure the user interface is easy to maneuver and find what they are looking for. IA individual does not run the website day-day but designs concrete pages in the background doing a multitude of user experiences.
Education is a continuous learning environment that we follow throughout our lives. Learning does not stop and is a never-ending cycle. Looking at learning in diverse ways places importance in our development. New adaptive forms to transform our thinking into profound knowledge. In a transformative learning framework, thinking gives way to produce action.
The new ways to think are incorporated into the internet because it is anything but linear. To start working in the field of information architecture, we need to know the thinking process of definitions and how we would navigate through it. Articulating how information is shown is how to perceive the background framework a website needs to fully understand what we are signed up for. When we think about what information audiences want, we must first think about why they are trafficked into the website. Thus, we build a mind frame of what we need to incorporate which is the ending of the beginning. With more experience we gain in information architecture, we still always need to crave more.
To: Professor Ellis
From: Tiana Beatty
Date: 02.21.2023
Subject: Weekly Readings
For this weekās readings it was about defining information architecture and identifying the jobs and responsibilities of an informational architect. The three readings that were assigned I thought it was interesting how no one could officially define information architecture. That even still to this day, there isnāt a generalized agreed upon definition. The responsibilities and roles of information architecture are somewhat established as well, but the person who’s doing them is still unclear. There are multiple jobs and persons in position of power who need information architects, but deciding who does the job can seem complicated. It falls down to either computer scientists, technical writers/editors, or graphic designers. But because there is a lot of work going into a website, no one can really say whoās allowed to do what. But I think this should be a collaborative process of multiple as everyone has their strengths and weaknesses in specific areas.
By reading these articles and journals, I understand the perspective of the agreement on claiming what information architecture is. I donāt know how long this line of work has existed for, but I know everything changes. The job description can update and either more responsibilities can be added or taken away. Itās either learning or updating your skill set to keep up these technological times. Because as time change, so does the technologies that come along with them. So, there will be a need for information architects in the near future. But the question that I have is: will there ever be an established general definition of information architecture and who are the people that are allowed to become informational architects?
But the level of design, information, and communication that has to be established when creating a website is staggering and is something I didnāt know happened on an every-day basis. But reading this definitely made me appreciate more the websites Iāve accessed over the course of my life.
To: Professor Ellis
From: Sandy Fougeres
Date: 2/21/23
Subject: Week 3 Readings
This weekās readings were about the different ways in which we learn. In the article, Theories in Adult Learning and Education, Verlag Barbara Budrich explains the humanist approach to learning. She explains it as being explored by two specialist, Abraham Maslow and Carl Rogers, and that it a way of learning by fulfilling our individual potential and becoming self-actualized. Also, that we are the center of that process of learning and that we learn through relating things to what weāve experienced prior. Roger also explored the relationship between the learner and the facilitator, which shows that in order for someone to learn through this approach the facilitator must be willing to allow the learner to be the center focus and raise questions to have the learner explore their own curiosity.
I found this approach very interesting, it reminded me of what I learned in school about the Montessori experience, where children are able to go out and learn from their environment without interruption from the teachers, but that if they needed help their teachers were there for them. Another way of learning that was discussed is experiential learning. This was said to be a way of learning that is a process by which knowledge is created and that this happens significantly when a person has a transformative experience. I could relate to this because I feel like I personally learn best when Iāve experienced something transformative, where it leaves me having to do something new or tackle something I have not experienced before.
In particular this week I really appreciated “What is information architecture?” not only for the on-point use of an xkcd strip, but also for highlighting how, as Richard Saul Wurman noted, thinking of IA as merely a series of scaffolds and frameworks can be actively unhelpful in designing information structures for human use.
I find that this dilemma – how we think information should be presented versus how it could be most helpfully presented – pops up constantly in modern life. There are obvious applications, such as creating a resume, but also much less obvious ones. I use a computer program to run tabletop RPG games online, and the IA choices in that program constantly baffle me because they’re clearly based on generally organizing the information available in the game by some sort of master hierarchy, rather than providing easy access to what users are most likely to need. It reminds me of how LinkedIn will constantly prompt me to add specific types of information to my profile, despite these recommendations being entirely different than the recommendations given in their LinkedIn Learning videos as to how to best create a profile.
I also again appreciated “Adult Learning-related Learning Theories” for its rundown of complex psychological topics, similarly to the previous reading from the same book. I look forward to reading further entries from Theories in Adult Learning and Education and may seek out the book in its entirety when I have time (perhaps over the summer). Psychology is an extremely complex field and I often find myself feeling overwhelmed when I attempt to navigate it on my own, but Budrich is very skilled at providing summaries that can be used to get at least a surface-level grasp of big ideas, especially by contrasting them to each other.
To: Professor Ellis
From: Jaida Clouden
Date: February 21, 2023
The first reading for week 3 written by Belanger talked about adult related learning. I learned about a few theories regarding the different factors of adult learning. This article explains about cognitive dissonance instigated learning, physiological needs, and self-actualism. Cognitive dissonance learning is the different factors of learning such as reflective practice, a learning environment, and transformative learning. A reflective practice is when an individual reflects on their thoughts and work. A learning environment is a place one uses when focusing on their learning. Transformative learning is when a learner develops a stronger connection to their learning habits.
Adult learning is characterized by specific features. One important feature includes human motivation. Human motivation is centered around human needs. This correlates to humanās physiological needs which is a progress starting from the lowest level that makes itās way to the highest level which is self esteem. When it comes to adult learning, people try to reach their potential and have the drive to succeed in life.
In the second reading, written by Farnum, I learned about the important information managers needed to know in a workplace. I also learned that Information architecture helps build sites by organizing them to make it easier for people to find. Farnum explains that navigation, search, and labeling are the key features of information architecture. Navigation is a feature that helps userās know where they are on that site. Search helps with the specifications for a users requirement. Labeling helps with the page titles and links. This engages the audience to find the information they are looking for.
The third article written by Haller discusses the conversation about reality of information architecture and the true definition. Haller explains when information architecture is needed, and why it is so important.
This text discussed Abraham Maslow the founder of humanistic psychology and his theory about the āhierarchy of needsā and Carl Rogers regarding humanist theory of learning in the 1960s and 1970s alongside adult learning theories. . Maslowās theory is one of the fundamentals taught in nursing school. It played a significant role in determining what the patient would need first and how to go about the treatment plan. From my prior knowledge, it is easiest to think of it as a pyramid with the important needs at the top and goes to the least important. As mentioned in the text, it goes from the lowest level to self-esteem and the need for self-actualisation at the highest level.
From a therapeutic perspective, Carl Rogers focused on how to build a therapeutic relationship between the therapist and the person rather than how to cure them. This can be applied to education because it is not about how to teach but rather how to build a relationship leading them to their own personal growth to actualize themselves. Rogersās 10 principles consisted of how learning is associated with the individual perceiving this information and how more is learned when the student participants. It discussed the adult learning theory throughout this discussion. The most lasting and persuasive is when self-initiated learning occurs. Secondary importance is independence, creativity, and self-reliance. Humanist theorists states, behavior is predetermined by the environment or oneās subconscious. It then discusses how the teacher is the facilitator trying to actualize the learnerās potential, while the learner is the āmain agency of the process.ā Progressive learning is when the learner gets something from it and stimulant when knowledge is shared. One of the ideas that was summarized was that the facilitator has a significant impact on the initial mood or climate of the group or class experience which is relatable to the PTW field as is this text because it is important to realize what the audience wishes to gain from reading or utilizing what you are providing. As a facilitator or teacher the learner also known as the reader in the case should be able to connect to the content.
In the Gale Article about 5 things managers need to know, analyzes what Information Architecture is and demonstrates what it means to be in the field. Information architecture is captured as a relatively new field in which websites are built through organizing, easily manageable. The primary focus is on intellectual work – science and art. It mentions one of the ways that I think about Information Architecture, a real building. Information Architectures design similarly with firstly, understanding how it will be used, creating a blueprint and detailed plan. Across all the texts I have read, one thing stays constant, making sure it is easy to navigate so that the readers arenāt lost. Wurman in 1988, coined the term and a general overview of his definition is organizing and recognizing patterns and having a structured method. Another definition is someone who clarifies the mission and vision and determines how the users will find information. The visual design should enable effective communication. An interactive design has dynamic components.
Top-Down is when the home page is the ficus because it has the main gateway to secondary levels and so forth. The Bottom-Up method is when the lower level pages are the actual content. An example I am familiar with is XML, which breaks information down even further into chunks. There are different formatting/navigational methods such as the breadcrumb method or hierarchy/path. For easier usability to the readers, the search tool should not only provide the ability to search but also should focus on the results pertaining to that specific search alone.
The last article discusses the different definitions and how Danklyn states that Information Architecture is the practice of designing structures. It is about understanding and communicating with another human being. This is implied into the PTW field because of how we can create/adapt to accommodate to other individuals through the proper structure.
To: Professor Ellis
From: Bria Glenn
Date: February 21,2023
Subject: Week 3 Lecture
The idea of humanism is interesting to focus on because itās something that everyone will experience within their lives whether they know it or not. We know what we know because we have either lived through an experience, or learned it from someone else. Always knowing that as human beings, we have the potential to grow, and learn. As we get older, we learn more and this helps us to develop as complete and whole beings according to Paul Belanger. With Information Architecture, we can look at how the two may correlate with the work we do and our attempt at developing our own understanding of what it is as a whole.
In āAdult Learning-related Learning Theories, āPaul Belanger analyzes the three adult learning theories. The three-adult learning-related theories are humanist, experimental, and transformative. The humanist was developed by Abraham Maslow and focuses on an individual capability and potential. Maslowās research into hierarchical needs is a key concept in humanist learning theory. Experimental learning theory focuses on learning through experiment. The experimental learning theory favors case studies, content presentations, and role playing. Transformative learning theory was developed by Jack Mezirow and focuses on changing the way an individual perceives information. Mezirow describes the transformation theory as āa constructivist theory of adult learningā. The goal of transformative learning is to acquire knowledge through significant experience and acquire a mode to retrieve, test, construct and master a new knowledge.
In his article, Information Architecture: Five Things Information Managers Need to Know, Chris Fanum describes the principles and methodology of information architecture, and the field of information management. Most information architects follow the Rosenfield and Morville methodology that focuses on content, users, and context. Compared to information architecture, Information management is a more mature and established field than information architecture. Information management and architecture share a connection to the information sciences. Information management professionals and information architectures also share a passion for organizing information, creating effective content management strategies, and providing efficient access to the content for users.
In, What is information architecture? Practical definitions and useful principles for our second decade of study and work, Thom Haller claims that organizations fail to present information properly because no one has thought through the IA. Haller also briefly highlights ideas presented at the 2010 Information Architecture summit and discusses the need for definition.
Information Architecture, IA, is referred to as a science, an art, and as part science and part art. A clear cut definition is still a work in progress. What is clear is that the technical communicator really needs it as a way to document information and to label it and retrieve it efficiently. Thom Haller calls it “The art and science of organizing and labeling websites, intranets, online communities and software to support usability and findability”. The application of taxonomies refers to the classification of things. It is simple and complex and called the practice of designing structures so it is all around us.
The key dimension of the humanist approach is to support the learner’s development. Self actualization is a drive to become independent and to have the power to own one’s own decisions. This key component is what I tried to instill in the consciousness of my adult students when I volunteered at the Jersey City Public Library.
TO: Professor Ellis
FROM: Lisette Rivera
DATE: 02/21/2023
SUBJECT: Weekly Readings
Although I only read two of the three readings, I feel as if I was able to learn a lot from those two readings. In the reading of āWhat is Information Architecture?: Practical Definitions and Useful Principles For Our Second Decade of Study and Workā, it felt as if Thom Haller, the writer of the reading, was just as confused when it comes to defining and explaining what informational architecture is and what an informational architect does. In the reading, written by Chris Farnum, it is explained that there are many more aspects when it comes to information architecture. Thereās the visual aspect, the content aspect, and the part that shocked me the most, the control vocabulary.
These articles really had me intrigued with the amount of information given for this type of work. A quote that stood out from Haller was āThis is the distinction between doing IA and being an information architect. Some people embrace IA as central to what they do. Others see IA as a niche discipline or as a small portion of the overall user-centered design process.ā This stood out to me because it is something that kind of connected with me. That someone like me who is taking this class and learning because of a requirement for school, but itās something that I feel that I will be able to use in my future.
Haller, on the other hand speaks a lot more in depth of being able to go into more detail to the type of IA a person can go into. That someone can be able to see the layers that come with being an IA. The jobs and responsibilities if you will. That and IA needs to be able to look into the visual effects, as someone can be able to design a site and the type of words and information used to attract a certain audience in their own way. Which to me is something that called to me and made me feel connected to IA as a topic.