Digesting Information


After I read The Information Diet, I wasn’t really sure what to think. Was I reading too much? But then how do I stay “in the know”? How do I help learners become global citizens in order to respect and appreciate different perspectives? How do I relax without watching my favorite show on Netflix?! 

Somehow, news gets spread to us. In terms of mental health, I think there does need to be a limit to our news consumption. However, in terms of building our opinions and beliefs, I do believe that we must do our research. I loved the analogy of The Information Diet. If we always digest junk, then our opinions and beliefs could be shaped around or impacted by that junk. If we digest whole information that is not harmed by outside thoughts and proved by sound and reliable facts or data, then our opinions and beliefs will be healthier. 

In a world where we are so consumed by what’s happening around us and within our communities (local and global), how do we take a break in a healthy and balanced way?

That was and still is my biggest struggle. I’m not a huge News person nor do I have a Facebook and I have 15 minutes a day for social media. But somehow I manage to find out about the latest political scandal, global warming issue, shooting, or an elementary school friend who is married and has five children. However, I do believe it to be important to stay in the know and use reliable sources, but I don’t feel the pressure of having to know every little story in the news or on social media ;) 

Now, how to get others to find their healthy balance? It would be by coaching and informing them! With adults, it’s a bit harder to coach them on how to use resources, but it is so much easier to inform them of their choices. Ask questions about the author of an article, the political stance of a news company, where data was conducted or how it was collected, if the Netflix show is fostering healthy perspectives, etc. It's much easier to have an open conversation with adults that informs then in a discreet way :) 

Comments

  1. PHD-HairmanOctober 20, 2019 at 1:11 PM

    It's overwhelming the information that comes our way 24/7/365! It's somewhat new to us as veteran educators, but to our learners, that's how all they know: videos, games, social media, e-books and possibly news. They are much more savvy when it comes to finding things, but they are not knowledgable as to if it's true or not. They just "google" it as my learners say and they take the heading that fits their interest, they just want the answer not the correct answer. We as educators have to coach them on how to appropriately find fact/fiction, so that they can ready for college if that's their next step.

    Wayne AKA: HAirman-PHD

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  2. Caitlin CordovaOctober 26, 2019 at 11:30 AM

    "How do we take a break?" and "How do we help others find their healthy balance?"--your questions reflect my own thoughts on balance. While it's easy to coach adults with information about their usage choices, will it be as easy to coach/model/fade good information using for students, who are glued to their screens from a young age? Part of our teaching must include strategies for healthy, balanced consumption. From judging good websites to search strategies, these skills will be beneficial to our students as they mature in an age where information, both nutritious and junk, is becoming more readily available.

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  3. Mike CarrollOctober 29, 2019 at 7:42 AM

    "If we always digest junk, then our opinions and beliefs could be shaped around or impacted by that junk." I agree! There is so much unimportant junk and click bait on news sites, social media, and TV that it is hard to not see. Like you said it is important to coach and inform our students because I doubt they are thinking about how their beliefs are being shaped when they are on their phones. Finding ways for them to step back and think about how an article or ad made them feel or what it's really about would help in them forming their own opinions on healthy news sources. - Mike

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