Wednesday, May 14th, 2008...11:42 pm
Sufficiency demands Efficiency…
…And just I’m trying to get caught up to speed, when what I really want us to do is just to slooooow down…
It seems like I’m spending a lot of time on the internet these days without getting much done. I’ve spent the last week just trying to figure out how to make my time on this interconnected web more focused and time-efficient. I generally don’t like spending mass amounts of time in front of my computer, but I feel like as I become increasingly connected to the world through computer, the more time is required to sort through, process and respond accordingly. I realize that it’s going to require some significant investments of my time and energy in order to establish connections with professional learning communities (PLC’s) through the Internet. But how can we integrate the use of computer technology our lives in such a way that it doesn’t end up consuming us? Could it be that “machine is us/ing us” as this video by Michael Wesch suggests. It seems there’s so much to tap into across cyberspace that you end up spending the majority of your time in front of a computer just trying to keep up with it all. My back begins to ache at the thought of how much time I can spend in front of my computer. It doesn’t feel like a healthy endeavor in my mind.
On the other hand, I recognize the enormous potential for computer technology to enhance the learning environment and increase connections with the world around us. I also recognize that I’m going through a major learning curve in my computer efficiency skills right now. For instance, I’m just now beginning to employ the use of keyboard short cuts, and have just recently formatted my iGoogle page to become the primary hub for accessing everything I need when I’m on the internet. There is much more room in my development for improved efficiency but unfortunately, that’s going to take a large amount of time and energy to get it all set-up. Things are changing so rapidly that it’s hard to keep up with it all though. Here’s to trying!
4 Comments
May 15th, 2008 at 5:16 am
It is easy to kill a day floating around the Internet looking for and at resources. I have found that as your PLN grows and you become better at filtering information your time can be managed. I usually spend a half hour in the morning going through my email, google reader and last night’s twitters. The rest of the time I can keep twitter on twhirl so that it takes little effort to keep up. It is good you are using your iGoogle page to keep up, I was going to suggest that until you mentioned it.
Keeping up a blog is difficult, I have started several times and quit several times, find a focus and stick with it
May 15th, 2008 at 4:58 pm
Never feel like you have to “keep up”. My brain is been wired to crave a constant flow of information. I’m okay with not knowing everything and also feel great about unplugging. All the best.
May 16th, 2008 at 11:41 am
I was thinking just the same thought earlier about slowing down but I guess this course is condensed for the Spring semester. About efficiency, I, can spend hours in front of my computer and sometimes not accomplish much, which is never a good feeling. I guess if we let the computer consume all our time- it will…I know it holds my attention waaay to easily.
Corinne
May 23rd, 2008 at 9:10 am
Yeah thanks for this post…I often wonder how people do it. I spent last night on phot story for like 2 hours and pretty much accomplished nothing. It is time consuming and its beautiful outside! I guess it is all about prioritizing our time. I hope we can figure it out and still be sure to make time for those we care about!
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