Monday, October 17, 2011

Digital Overload

I think I am suffering from digital overload. I mean really, how much technology is too much? I manage a virtual charter school which means I spend my entire work day in front of a computer. I typically have so many programs and windows and tabs open that I need two large monitors to see it all. When I'm not on my my computer, I'm on my smart phone tapping out a text message or recording a voice memo. And now my head is spinning with all of the Web 2.0 tools I have investigated in the past few weeks. Let's make a quick list, shall we?
Image courtesy of i/8681/i02/digital-overload-stress-101109-02.jpg?1296144628

Blogger, edmodo, ThinkQuest, EduBlogs, Xanga, WikiSpaces, WetPaint, PB Works, Twitter, Flickr, Picasa, Photobucket, Google reader, Bloglines, Google Sites, Screenr, ScreenJelly, EyeJot, Jing, Ning, Diigo, Delicious, micromobs and Facebook. And that is just the very tippy top of the iceberg when it comes to what is all available out there. How does one make sense of it all?

I know, I'll create an RSS feed to organize it all in one convenient location. Except that now I have 729 articles in my aggregator waiting for me to read them.
Wait, I have a better idea. I'll start following some Web 2.0 experts on Twitter so that I can keep up to date on the latest and greatest tools. I mean that's got to be easier right? How long can it take to read a 140-character tweet? Hold on now, each one of these tweets contains a link to another blog or website to read. And half these things look like they are written in a foreign language. What's with all the @'s and #'s? I'm following 40 people and they are all posting 10 times a day so that's, ummm, 400 tweets! No time for that.
OK, I've got it. I will just friend everyone and like every website and organization I'm interested in on Facebook so I can keep up with what's happening that way. Only now my newsfeed is so clogged up I can't find out what my second cousin needs for Farmville...
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2 comments:

  1. John WOctober 20, 2011 at 10:05 PM

    This is a fun post! I really empathize with your feeling over loaded with digital media. I almost think that there will be an eventual backlash versus the go go go we are placing on ourselves with using all this tech. Do you think that it will ever slow down or is that just wishful thinking?

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  2. AnonymousOctober 23, 2011 at 2:35 PM

    I completely agree with you. The problem is not what to do, but how to choose from the many possibilities. As with anything in life moderation is the key. Just add one of two of the techniques that we discussed in class to your daily routine. Find the things that really give you the most value, and do those. That way you can limit the overload, at least that's what I keep telling myself.

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