Synthesizing Information Diet


In reading and reflecting on my peers’ comments from my previous blog post about the Information Diet, I realized how much we have to teach ourselves and our learners how to filter information. The CRAP test is simple, yet do we really do it? Are we addicted to the junk? Yes, we are, which creates an unhealthy and imbalanced relationship with information. But one thing that my peers agreed upon is focusing on teaching a “healthy” balance and helping our learners understand what they are reading, why they are reading it, and how it will impact them. And this is where the CRAP test is important! Their comments about “reading junk” and balancing our information intake really extended my understanding of how to implement a design plan with the element of building a healthy relationship with information.
One of my peers also mentioned how information is thrown at our learners constantly whereas some of us grew up without technology and know how to take a step back (or at least have experienced moments without being dependent on technology). As educators, we have to continually adapt our teaching style to the next generation as their habits will change. I think I was wrapping my mind around this generation before I even thought about how to adapt teaching different habits or skills to different generations, and my peers reminded me that when designing for information use, I have to take a step back and think about the audience and their information consumption. 

Comments

  1. Caitlin CordovaDecember 3, 2019 at 6:47 PM

    As you said, we have to continually adapt. It is easy to stick to what is familiar; I could teach Latin like my high school Latin teacher, but schools look and students act differently than when I was a student. When libraries were the predominant way to research, it made sense to learn how to use call cards, navigate the stacks, take advantage of the research desk, etc. This is still a valuable skill, but being able to navigate "digital libraries" is an additional set of skills that must be taught.

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