Welcome to group 2: week 3: chapter 5 - too much information
"Thinking about information overload isn't accurately descibing the problem; thinking about filter failure is" (Shirky, 2008b, quoted in Asay, 2009, quoted in Kear, 2011)
Poor Beaker! We all know how it feels to be overwhelmed. Too many tags, an inbox that's full to bursting, 39 unread discussion messages, two outstanding assignments and 64 pages to read......ouch. So what's the answer? To crawl into bed and hibernate until spring? Unfortunately, no. Though some people do give up and wave the white flag, what we need to do is persevere, work our way through the muddle and actually get something out of the time and effort we are putting into our studies.
This week we are going to talk about 'Too Much Information' - what it looks like, what it does to us and how we can cope with it. Our intent is to 'put the proof in the pudding' and NOT overwhelm you with lists of readings and endless discussion posts to read and respond to. We have tried to make this website a fairly straightforward, step by step guide through the chapter that shouldn't take up too much of your time, energy and efforts. We've used videos and cartoons where possible (hopefully Beaker has already got you smiling) in order to break it up a bit and not rely too heavily on textual information. After all, we've all been overwhelmed with that!
So why don't we get started!
Welcome to Jane C. and Kris' Seminar Three - Too Much Information.
Here is what you will be required to do this week:
1) Read Chapter 5 (it's a fairly easy chapter to read and you will likely recognize a lot of the tools covered there as we have used a number of them effectively in OLTD).
2) Watch the videos (two more videos that will take about five minutes of your time) in the following pages and use them to help explore your own feelings and experiences of being overwhelmed by too much information. Also read through all of the pages and any links we've provided to get an overall view of our topic.
3) Go to our wall at (wallwisher.com) and post your thoughts using our questions to guide your responses. We are looking for input here and not in d2l (in order to avoid those 39 unread messages!) and will check in on a daily basis to make sure we catch any points that might further our discussion - so check back whenever you can!
4) Formulate a blog post of 200-300 words on your weebly site outlining how you deal with information overload in your own life. Part of the purpose of this week is idea exchange and by sharing our own strategies we might help each other find new ways of dealing with our own feelings of being overwhelmed. Please post a link to your blog post in d2l (sorry!) so that we can access and comment on them.
5) At the end of the week complete a quick survey (the link to this will be posted in d2l) to let us know your thoughts on the week (and to provide us with feedback from which we can complete our own reflections).
And that's it - nothing to feel too overwhelmed about!
Learning Outcomes for this week:
1) To build an understanding of what causes information overload and results it has on student participation;
2) To identify tools and tricks to help people feel less overwhelmed when completing an online course;
3) To reflect upon how we might better approach our studies in order to get the most out of our courses without becoming overwhelmed by work load.
So let's begin - please go to the next tab: Seminar 3 Readings.
This week we are going to talk about 'Too Much Information' - what it looks like, what it does to us and how we can cope with it. Our intent is to 'put the proof in the pudding' and NOT overwhelm you with lists of readings and endless discussion posts to read and respond to. We have tried to make this website a fairly straightforward, step by step guide through the chapter that shouldn't take up too much of your time, energy and efforts. We've used videos and cartoons where possible (hopefully Beaker has already got you smiling) in order to break it up a bit and not rely too heavily on textual information. After all, we've all been overwhelmed with that!
So why don't we get started!
Welcome to Jane C. and Kris' Seminar Three - Too Much Information.
Here is what you will be required to do this week:
1) Read Chapter 5 (it's a fairly easy chapter to read and you will likely recognize a lot of the tools covered there as we have used a number of them effectively in OLTD).
2) Watch the videos (two more videos that will take about five minutes of your time) in the following pages and use them to help explore your own feelings and experiences of being overwhelmed by too much information. Also read through all of the pages and any links we've provided to get an overall view of our topic.
3) Go to our wall at (wallwisher.com) and post your thoughts using our questions to guide your responses. We are looking for input here and not in d2l (in order to avoid those 39 unread messages!) and will check in on a daily basis to make sure we catch any points that might further our discussion - so check back whenever you can!
4) Formulate a blog post of 200-300 words on your weebly site outlining how you deal with information overload in your own life. Part of the purpose of this week is idea exchange and by sharing our own strategies we might help each other find new ways of dealing with our own feelings of being overwhelmed. Please post a link to your blog post in d2l (sorry!) so that we can access and comment on them.
5) At the end of the week complete a quick survey (the link to this will be posted in d2l) to let us know your thoughts on the week (and to provide us with feedback from which we can complete our own reflections).
And that's it - nothing to feel too overwhelmed about!
Learning Outcomes for this week:
1) To build an understanding of what causes information overload and results it has on student participation;
2) To identify tools and tricks to help people feel less overwhelmed when completing an online course;
3) To reflect upon how we might better approach our studies in order to get the most out of our courses without becoming overwhelmed by work load.
So let's begin - please go to the next tab: Seminar 3 Readings.