Ok! We’re beginning to get it! This week has brought several points home and I want to start with this one:

Venting about troubles « Barbaranantz’s Weblog
I have had so much information to read in the last 3 weeks I don’t know what I have read. I have read 4 chapters in books, thousands of blogs (Ok, maybe not thousands), created numerous blogs, attended 5 meetings, created two blog accounts, one aggregate count, instant messanger account, tapped in account and still managed to host a birthday party, 3 days a week tae kwon do, 3 days a week soccer, take my son to the doctor, and (oh yea!!) teach class. I have so many user names, it takes me at least 3 to 4 tries to log in any of the above names sights. I have information overload. I love the fact that I am learning, but I am not a “digital native” and don’t work at light speed like my students (yet). I feel as thought I am not grasping all the information that I need to be in order to be able to participate fully in our class. I still can’t figure out how to add wordpress to my gmail account to blog there without having to go to the wordpress site.

First, let’s address the issue of “digital native.” The issue of fluency is a question of practice. Even adults can learn a new language. The only advantage kids have is that their brains are wired for early language acquisition but that passes fairly quickly as the objectives of cognitive development shift from acquisition to integration. This whole “digital native” thing is a cute idea, but show me an adult who’s had the same 500 hrs of intense practice as any kid and I’ll show you somebody who’ll outperform the kid any time.

Second, the idea of “information overload” is a real one. The problem is that as you gain more and more insight into the where and how of communication, you begin to really appreciate how much you’re missing. Learning to deal with this — sorting, prioritizing, sifting, and disposing of information — may well be the key skill. I’m constantly appalled by my peers in the Educational Technology community who can’t deal with as few as 20-30 extra email messages a week. Just so you have some perspective. I follow over 400 blogs in my aggregator. I have 25 podcasts I listen to. I get between 400 and 500 email messages a day. On MSN, I have over 300 “buddies” and Yahoo has 50 contacts. That’s just online. I have the same issues of “day job,” kids, spouse, lawn, shopping, housework, and all the rest as anybody else.

I’m hardly a “digital native” given that the internet didn’t exist when I was born. Computers barely existed in 1952.

So what’s the difference? Practice.

Here’s some strategies for dealing with information overload.

• Don’t sweat it. You can’t get to all of it.
• Email is easy. Toss the spam without reading it. Prioritize the remaining incoming and scan and delete informational messages like listserver traffic. Only give time to the important messages like job, family, whatever is important to you.
• Blogs are easier because the RSS feeds carry a summary. Scan them quickly and don’t bother with the full posting unless the title and first couple of lines grab you. (This class is, of course, an exception.)
• Writing a blog is MUCH easier when you have the “Press It” bookmarklet from WordPress. You can find it at the bottom of your “Write > Posts” page in wordpress. Just drag it to your shortcut bar. When you see something you wanna write about, select the text you want to use in your post (like I picked part of that paragraph up there) and click the “Press It” link. You’ll be taken directly to your blog with the relevant passage already copied in with the reference link.

Practice, not Age, is the determining factor. Don’t be discouraged or buy into the “if you dont learn it when you’re young, you’re at a disadvantage” argument.

This entry was posted on Thursday, September 6th, 2007 at 7:59 AM and is filed under Technology. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.