I is for..........Information.
I had an interesting conversation with my students last week. We were doing some prep work for the upcoming standardized reading test, going over practice questions provided by the state. One of the questions sparked an interesting conversation. I don't remember the exact wording, but basically, here's the question:
If you wanted to know what educational programs Sea World provides, which source would provide the most relevant information?
a) an atlas
b) a dictionary
c) a website
d) an encyclopedia
Most of the kids got this easily: the website, of course. I told the kids this question made me feel old. When I was in 8th grade, there were no websites. Hell, people didn't even have computers. That really blew the kids' minds. How did we live?
Now we walk around with computers in our phones and everything you want to know can be found on some website or other. All this has had me thinking about how I get my information, specifically how I stay informed about current events.
Traditional newspapers are just about a thing of the past. I can't remember the last time I read an article in an actual newspaper. We still have the paper delivered on the weekend, but that's just to get the coupons. I'm sure we won't need to do that much longer. I used to get a lot of my news from TV, CNN and the like, but I find myself doing that less and less. TV news is mostly commentary now, and I can't take all the talking heads passing off their opinions as news.
Nowadays my main source of information is Twitter. I follow my favorite newspapers and pick and choose from the constantly updating headlines. Instead of watching CNN, I follow on Twitter and only look at what's of interest. It's actually quite an effective filter. People are always posting links to interesting articles. Follow enough people on Twitter and you'll hit just about every opinion on anything going on in this great big world of ours.
A lot of people scoff at Twitter. Why do we need to know every waking thought of people we barely know, that kind of thing. And sure, a lot of people tweet minutia that even their closest friends and family don't want to hear about. All that crap is easy enough to avoid and filter out. Once you learn how to use Twitter effectively, it's a great tool for managing the tidal wave of information that modern life sends at us every day.
How do you get your information these days?
Great post. We just had this conversation about maps and atlases. When I was in high school you couldn't even use the globes and such for your projects because they weren't updated, and with countries changing, they just weren't up to date. That's not a problem now.
ReplyDeleteAnd I agree with you. Twitter can be a great source of information.
A mix of blogs and Twitter for me. Not sure if this is creating holes in my news-knowledge.
ReplyDeleteYes, interesting in how times have changed. I wonder what my grandson's children will be able to access?
ReplyDeleteSaying hello from the A - Z
http://sallys-scribbles.blogspot.co.uk/
I agree about Twitter. I resisted it for a while, then signed up but barely looked at it, now I see it's value. It is an effective linking tool for authors and sources and yes, filters the information. It's like the ticker tape, just keeps scrolling along.
ReplyDelete(love how you use interesting in this post)
Play off the Page
I never thought about using Twitter for news, although I know lots of people do. I'm on there but have barely used it, I really need to start using it more effectively. I get my news online as well, I scan the headlines and read what I want to read. I can't bear the constant shouting and arguing on cable news, and the local news is so insipid I can't sit through it.
ReplyDeleteI don't get much news from twitter. I follow Wil Wheaton but made the mistake of following tons of other authors who are not like Wil, do not stay informed, and just use twitter for a pundit to pitch their book.
ReplyDeleteMy biggest source of information is the internet. I check Reddit, BBC, Al-Jazeera, Google News and then in my surfing sometimes I check Wil Wheaton's website which is always up to date on the liberal news that I prefer over Fox. I will pop over to Fox and the WSJ just to see what the enemy is saying.
I didn't realize Wil was such an internet presence.
DeleteI have a Twitter account, but I rarely use it. I still like watching the nightly news, but there again--I don't often get to it. So, that leaves me with the internet, and since I spend a good portion of my time at my laptop, that's usually where I get the news.
ReplyDeleteYou know you can get coupons online, too? ;)
I figured as much. I'm sure we'll make the transition soon enough.
DeleteOh please - do a blog all about how to use Twitter effectively (maybe T?). I still can't get to grips with it properly!
ReplyDeleteMy Twitter skills are pretty basic, so I don't think I'd be much help. I am still considering Twitter for my T post though.
DeleteI get almost all of my news from online sources now. I really felt the effect of my internet addiction while in the UK. I had to turn the cellular data off on my iphone or be charged something like $15 per MB I used. Anyway, I had to rely on free wireless while there (visited a lot of Starbucks). Had no idea what was going on in the world most of the time. Never thought to follow CNN on Twitter.
ReplyDeleteGreat post today for the challenge!!
ReplyDeleteExcellent post. Imagine what our grandchildren will miss having no clue what a non-technology society was all about.
ReplyDelete