Information Overload
Lately I’ve been overwhelmed by the abundance of the Internet. For a long time I’ve used the Internet as my dictionary, encyclopedia, phone book, map and spiritual inspiration. Only recently have I begun exploring blogs, wikis, RSS, social networks and more specifically the educational uses of Web 2.0 tools. The journey at times can be overwhelming and almost always enlightening. My personal question of late is how to share the best of Web 2.0 without contributing to the information overload.
Today like many others has brought an abundance of information. I received a link to a recorded Women of the Web 2.0 session, I followed the link, began listening to the audio and skimming through the chat archive for the groups weekly WOWs, Web 2.0 tools that they’ve discovered and were impressed by within the last week. There were so many links I gave up about two-thirds of the way through. As I’m checking out the links and being wowed I’m thinking I need to share these with our PLP Team (Powerful Learning Practices). Not by email though, with Web 2.0 that’s become taboo. So I finally decide I can post them on the Ning (social network) we’re creating as a professional development and collaborative tool. So I jump over to the Ning add a new discussion, share the link and decide to add a comment to share a few of my favorites. One of my favorites is a YouTube video entitled A Vision of K12 Students Today which I embed in the videos section. Realizing that today’s to-do list didn’t include this rabbit trail I’m again reminded of information overload.
As the day progresses I decide it’s time to check my RSS feeds and read up on some of the latest educational blogs. Several blog skims through I come across a post entitled Web 2.0 Is the Future of Education as I’m reminding myself to skim when I can (information overload defense tactic) I begin to become engrossed in this post. The writers engaging and I’m interested in his topic. By the time I’ve finished digesting the ten trends I decide this guy knows what he’s talking about. As I continue skimming through the bold items my eyes light on this:
“* Digest This Thought: The Answer to Information Overload Is to Produce More Information.”
Posted by Steve Hargadon on March 5, 2008 4:47 AM
What? How can that be? What does he mean?…We’ll I guess posting things I’ve found elsewhere is producing more information, really re-organizing information.
I’m still digesting this thought. The post is a good one I encourage you to read it. If you have any thoughts as to why ‘the answer to information overload is to produce more information’ please let me know.
March 10th, 2008 at 9:50 am
Internet Indigestion is how I think of the kind of overload that we can experience as we sit with our computer, linked to the rest of the known universe, and bombarded with images, people, words, and pop-ups.
There is no way of adequately digesting everything we encounter in even a five-minute span at the monitor. Two responses have helped me a bit, though I am switching to a metaphor less tied to the digestive system:
1) I go back to the surfing cliche of years ago: go quickly and smoothly and stay on the surface unless a big electric wave demands deeper attention, and 2) once that big wave forces me to ride it out, enjoy the unplanned way in which I am carried powerfully by new or important ideas.
It’s not a solution to everything or for everyone, and there is nothing novel about it. But the 2.0 experience can be all-consuming. I want to dive in, but only after I’ve tested the waters a bit more each day. I want to enjoy the ride, but not at the expense of my own peace of mind. And ultimately, I want to know that my day was dotted with intensity, knowledge, and enjoyment.
Ultimately, learning doesn’t occur in the straight line many of us thought growing up in schools. It occurs when it happens to us, and it’s up to us to decide what is data, what is information, and what is knowledge. The last of the third is precious little — and it is to be deeply valued.