The number of academic bloggers is increasing rather rapidly… below are some of the ones I check regularly (and find insightful and interesting).
Cognitive Science and Psychology
- Daniel Willingham:Â Science and Education Blog
Willingham is a champion of putting psychological science into practice. I find myself constantly agreeing with his interpretation of findings and implications of research. He also gives a great deal of practical advice for educators and has provided the best explanation of why learning styles are not a useful construct (for improving education, at least). - Robert Hausmann: Dr. Bob’s Cog Blog
The focus of Dr. Bob is to convey principles of cognitive science in ways that are both entertaining and useful. He focuses on teachers and school learning, but the principles are always general and applicable to all learning contexts, even informal, corporate, and self-directed learning. In very exciting news, Dr. Bob turned his blog into a book that you can get through iTunes. - Christopher Chabris: Cognition, Psychology, Science, Games, and more
One of the authors of The Invisible Gorilla (and researchers who conducted the original studies). He is also well known for his interactions with and critiques of Jonah Lehrer. My favorite thing about his blog is that he welcomes dissent and embraces healthy confrontation… there is far too little of this (especially in academia where we like to think we’re always objective). - Scott Barry Kaufman
With a focus on creativity, positive psychology, and other important issues, his books and research hit a lot of topics I think technologists often overlook. The study updates are useful, and like Chabris, there is a consistent pattern of healthy skepticism.
More focused topics
- Mark Guzdial: Computing Education Blog
Mark is one of the most creative and innovative educators I’ve ever met and definitely counts as one of the “rock stars” of modern computer science. His research is proof that the science of learning and educational practice can come together and work. He covers topics all the way from policy to how to teach loops and variables to novices. Mark had a profound influence on me in graduate school (even though he was at a different institution and I only saw him once a year) by making a simple suggestion about a paper to read. It changed everything for me. - Dan Ariely: Behavioral Economics
Dan Ariely’s research doesn’t deal directly with learning or technology, but having read all of his books I can say that I’m deeply envious of his ability to run some of the most interesting studies I’ve ever seen. Behavioral Economics is one of best examples of how interdisciplinary research can shed light on how the world works and how people make basic decisions. I also have a deep appreciation for his profound humility that his books (and TED talk) very much reveal.
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