Information Overload with a New Perspective

Hello again readers!
  All of our discussions on information overload have related to the internet and digital information. I want to take a different approach to this idea. Lets remove the digital aspect entirely. For my college student readers think of your individual college classes. Any teachers reading too think of the numorous amounts of work you must read and evalute from each of your classes. Now multiply that. This is how it feels for some students who are in multiple intensive classes at once. The stress we feel is a product the information overload we feel from each of our classes.
   Professors appear to have this mind set that college students are in their class alone and should not focus on their other classes. Due dates are immovable and simply telling the professor that you have too much work due in that week and just didn't get that paper done will get you a "sucks for you" equivalent of an answer. I want to appeal to the students who are overstressed like me to at least try talking to your professor should you need more time. There are a rare few that do understand. And professors, listen to your students. A little intuitive body language reading can help you discover if they are lying or really do need that extension.
   Information overload can happen away from the computer, too. Loads of information is jam packed into each semester of classes and students who take 15 hours of classes can feel overwhelmed especially at the end of the semester. I think that professors should allow more flexible due dates to help their students with this issue. For example, instead of having a paper due April 25th no exceptions they could make them due the week of April 25th. A due date like this eases the tension of a hard due date on a student and allows them to prioritize with their other papers and projects due at this time.
   This collegiate information overload is easily curable with the understanding of a professor and the dedication of the student. I think most students would agree with me, especially at the end of the semester. Until next time readers, enjoy this digital cup of coffee. Sip slowly, it's hot!

Counter Argument Extra Opinion Please!

Welcome back readers!
   I have found an article whose argument is drastically different from the discussions we have been having. The author sees the move of college education to the internet as a bad thing especially when access codes are required that can be purchased only with new books. The author feels that education should remain in the classroom and that this attempt by the college to transfer learning to the computer is a challenge for students who are also working.
   Though I agree that it can be challenging to balance work and school I do not think the requirement of an access code with books is a bad thing. This move of having extra assignments online is an equivelant of having homework in high school. Rather than giving hundreds of worksheets to students for homework, professors can now simply upload it the the website. This move is not meant to hinder learning, but enhance it. It is an inevitable that colleges will come to rely more and more on the internet and it is the student's job to adjust accordingly. I feel that books will continue to grow in having an accompanied online website, and with the progress of time books will be available as used with an access code. It is only so difficult now because it is such a new technology.
   Feedback is welcome readers, I want to know your opinions too!!

Internet with an Educational Future

Howdy Readers!
   I hope you are still enjoying watching the eagles from my last post. I want to continue this line of inquiry but take it in a different direction. To quote my professor "Google is making us stupid" and many people in the world feel this way. Some individual's do rely on the internet much more than they should, but it can be an extremely benificial when utilized properly. For instance, rather than letting children spend their time randomly surfing the internet, parents can invest their time in finding websites that serve as educational hubs.
  Of course nothing can beat good old fashioned lessons at school, but these websites can enhance and reinforce the lessons they learn every day at school. Furthermore, there are video games for both gaming consoles and computers that provide both fun and education. I played the ever popular JumpStart games as a child, and they rarely felt like hard learning lessons. They were fun games that just so happened to allow me to advance by doing math equations.

   Likewise there are whole websites that teach kids the skills to navigate the internet through its use and shows them that learning can be fun. With this there is the underlying message that just as the correct answers and knowledge can advance you through the game, the same can advance them through life. I only hope that whenever I have children there will still be safe and trustworthy sites that can teach them educational skills, and I am sure all of you readers feel the same way.

Espresso Concentrate Extra Management Please!

Welcome back readers!

Today’s cup of Digital Coffee brings you an image of what technical information overload is doing to us. I know at some point we have all felt exactly like this guy looks. Crunched for time and completely swamped with information from the internet he must sort through it all to find what he needs for each project. What’s worse is the perpetual caffeine pumping into his body. Let’s confess we have all used coffee to stay awake into the late hours of the night to finish that project that seems to just sneak right up on you. I know, I’ve been there too.

What is important to remember is that with the right resources and time management we can avoid coffee overdoses and late nights. More and more search engines allow for Boolean searches which can help drastically cut down on the information that is brought to your computer screen when you search a topic. Time management is another way to improve your information exposure. Focus on getting things done when on your computer rather than aimlessly surfing the internet, which internet seems to make very tempting. Anything to get out of doing that awful research, right?

All in all readers I want to make a goal with you that we will NOT become this crazed man hooked on an IV of coffee to be able to function. We will manage this crazy amount of information and come out successful!

Until another time,

Barista Brianna!

Digital Media With Extra Beauty

Howdy readers!
   I would like to take this opportunity to bring you the more positive side of the digital era. We have discussed all the negatives of information overload and how it will affect future generations. Today I want to bring you a clip that really should be equated with small digital miracle. This live stream is of an Iowa Bald Eagle nest. Recently, thousands of viewers were able to witness the eggs hatching of this increasingly rare bird. There are also several different eagle cams that have been set up around the country for viewers to watch.
   This, readers, is the positive side of our digital world. Most people would never witness such a miracle yet with our technology we can show the world how beatuiful these creatures are. Children who live in the city can be exposed to the beauty of nature with this sort of technology. Eagles are becoming increasingly rare, a simple internet search will tell you that. Perhaps with this sort of footage, more people can come to appreciate the eagle as more than just the national symbol. It is a beautiful living creature that deserves to survive. What is there to be said for a nation that poached its national symbol to extinction? It will be a sad day that this occurs. But until that does happen I want to encourage you readers to spread the word about this amazing footage that could only be accomplished in a digitally advanced world like our own.
   If we spread the world, perhaps more people will become aware of the beauty of our natural world, and just maybe we can change the fate of these beautiful birds. In the mean time I encourage you to watch the hatching of the third egg that is due to occur any day. It really is a miracle.

Information with extra Blogs

Hello again readers. Today I have a rhetorical analysis for you all. I found two interesting blogs discussing topics similar to our discussions as well.
This first blog entitled Information Overload? Time to Relax Then discusses information overload on a personal level rather than the Internet. He uses ethos by giving examples of his own personal experiences with information overload in news feeds to build credibility with his readers. He uses the 'I've been there' method to gain trust. He uses logical explanations like "anything really worth seeing wouldn't just appear once and vanish", to show readers that important information won't pass them by. From here he explains how it is easy to backtrack on the important topics and read what one wants to read. He argues logically that this method is sufficient to catch any truly interesting information. He then transitions this method to how he uses it in his email, giving the reader an idea as to how they can too manage their information overload in their daily lives.  He also downplays the credibility of inbox letters by saying " not [to] worry about missing the once-in-a-lifetime opportunity lurking somewhere in one of your inboxes – it'll be around again shortly." If we filter information, the important stuff will keep cropping up is his overall take away message.
Blog number two I have for you readers is called Information overload: Do you ever take a break from technology? and derives its resource for information from the referenced book. This blog begins by explaining the title of the book and the overall idea of the main idea of the book. Because of this Shakespearean reference, the author seems more credible for already understanding the book before the reading it. It is largely agreeing with what the author of the book says about information today and subtly encourages the reader to buy this book. The author of this blog uses many quotes from the book to increase logos. This blogger also poses questions to the reader to draw them in to the blog and get them thinking about their own life in relation to what this book says. The book's author, Powers, says the blogger offers guidelines such as "He sets forth some rules that his family lives by and explains how turning off the Internet and smartphones all weekend every weekend offers peace and quiet to the household." An intersting idea. All in all this blog makes the book sound very interesting and it may just be a great read!
If you are having problems with information overload as well I hope you will seek a book similar to this one or try managing better your online habits. Until our next meeting, enjoy your digital coffee.

Multitasking with a sprinkle of negativity

Today readers I would like to propose a somewhat new train of thought for our topic of "Information Overload" pertaining to the Internet. Think about how many times a day you get on the computer to look up information about one particular topic or something you need help on. Twice a day? More? I know I go to the Internet for nearly every question I have these days, even just random thoughts. How often do you do this while multitasking? You remembered that you needed to look up something while you are in the middle of cooking dinner, or perhaps in the middle of doing homework. I've done this my fair share of times. Multitasking makes many people feel like they are getting more things done more quickly in this fast paced world, but is it really all that beneficial. More often than not things like the Internet, meant to speed our work along, side track us into doing other things. For college kids, facebook, is a major issue. Many adults get online to look up something and get side tracked by an interesting news article only to discover fifteen minutes later they hadn't accomplished their original task.
Things like this is what makes multitasking so ineffective. It seems more efficient to sit and focus on doing one task until it is finished rather than completing a little of this and that yet an our later nothing is completely done. I want this post to challenge you readers! The next time you catch yourself trying to multitask make a list and write it down. Don't get distracted my Internet multitasking, but actually accomplish the first two things on your list and see if you don't feel like you have gotten somewhere rather than doing a little of a million things. With this caffeine filled cup I leave you readers. :)

Scholarly Mocha Latte

Today, readers, I propose a scholarly article I found for your benefit discussing the concept of more or less technology in the university classroom. The trusty TAMU Library research database led me to this article, which I find most intriguing. It discusses the idea of bringing more or less technology into classrooms through a survey conducted of business students. Rhetorically this article is very neutral and clear in explaining the purpose of the study. Students were asked to a series of questions based on whether their current class uses a moderate amount of technology or little to no technology. Most of the classes responded that they would feel the need to attend class more if technology were removed from their class, probably due to most teachers currently posting notes online. Furthermore students are less willing to take a class with little to no technology, indicating that college students may be too dependant on the use of technology for learning. Students in this study also felt that they would learn more and be able to take better notes if professors used technology such as power point. The study indicated that students in classes of using technology would overall disapprove of removing it while classes without technological use would like it to be brought in. The author notes that this study needs to be expanded to be truly accurate in learning how the use of technology can enhance the university classroom. I would like you, readers, to ponder this article further and think about what these results mean. Is the college classroom benefiting from the use of technology or are college students using technology as a crutch? With this thought I leave you until my next brew of digital coffee.

Search Results With a Double Shot of Reputability

Today's digital coffee topic consists of a story for us all to consider. Pretend you are a fifth grader and you are excited to be learning about volcanoes this week in class. Your teacher has challenged you to build the best volcano you can over the weekend and the best winner gets a suprise. You rush home as excited as can be and turn on the computer eager to learn about how the volcano works and the best methods for building one. You click over to Google and search "volcano projects". 4,010,000 results are generated with this search.
An adult is more adept to shift through this information and find credible sources than our hypothetical fifth grader. He or she would be so overwhelmed with all these results it begs the question, How much information is too much? With the proper search terms one can narrow down the results to 200 or even less if searching for a specific topic. The key to getting these specific and accurate results is to know what you are looking for.
Let’s return to our fifth grader. If he had the knowledge to more accurately search for his volcano project he might try the same search but with quotations. This small adjustment cuts his search down to 13,200, still a sizeable number. He may wish to do something he can build himself; by adding “kids can make” to “volcano projects” still in quotations, the results number only 1,840. For our fifth grader this number is much better than 4,010,000 results. He can now click on these websites with the knowledge that his results are going to be geared more to what he is looking for.
This same principle can be applied to the searches adults use every day to cut down on the overload of information allowing for more reputable and accurate results to be delivered. Today’s digital cup of coffee thought is, with the right knowledge we can narrow down our search results, but should reputable sites be this hard to come by?

Barista Brianna

Howdy! Everyone and welcome to my little coffee shop of digital information. My name is Brianna and I will be your barista, serving up a cup of hot information on the topic of digital information overload, information quality, and learning. I have found that, while skimming the Internet, there are so many sources that offer so many takes on each story it has started to be what I would call an "Information overload" on the Internet these days. You never know which sources are credible and half the time they are so full of the author's opinion it gets distracting to try and pick out the facts. This will be one of the topics I will discuss later on; I am also particularly interested in the way the classroom has changed over the past years and the direction that it is currently headed.