Organizing Information
"Information is a source of learning. But unless it is organized, processed,
and available to the right people in a format for decision making,
it is a burden, not a benefit."
~ William Pollard
Effective organization of information is another key competence for L2L. This competence includes multiple dimensions.
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It concerns how you look up the information for your study. The way you collect information affects the reliability and suitability of your information. For some subjects, Wikipedia information is acceptable while for others it is not. Again, quantitative data are preferable to qualitative data in some subjects, or vice versa in others. For some subjects, a mixture of both sorts of data is desirable. Make sure that you know the requirement. Only use the information suitable for your purpose.
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Organizing information also concerns how you store the information on your computer, clouds or physical folders. This would directly affect the efficiency and reliability of your retrieval of information. Only a systematic organization of information can save you from wasting time looking up the information you have already stored. To avoid confusion, delete duplicated or useless files and folders from your computer or cloud drive. Always streamline and revamp the folders before the start and after the end of a course.
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You need to prioritize the information you have collected. Some information, while it is useful and relevant, may not be useful for your research. Prioritizing your information may also re-orient the direction for your organization of information.
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In the big data era, you should understand how Google functions. Your search results are selected by Google in relation to your browsing history. Google aims to feed you with the information they think you like or are likely looking for. Using the same search keyword on two people's computers could generate different search results on Google. Always deliberate on the objectivity of the data you find from Google. The same issue happens to YouTube, which is under the same company of Google. Check out the video by Eli Pariser, who cautions against the filtering of information that one obtains from Google.
Extended tasks and questions
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1. Use your and your friend's computers to google with the same search keyword such as
"Egypt" or whatnot. Try three different keywords and see how information is presented in
the search results on the two different computers. Then, think about the question of how far
the information you collect through Google is objectively reflective of the information
about the topics you are looking for.
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2. Compare the use of your computer drive and cloud drive on some platforms. What are
the pros and cons for either use? Which one is more effective and why?
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3. Roughly estimate how many folders and sub-folders are stored on your computer or cloud
drive. Can you tell the percentage of useful folders? And how many folders are
outdated and have not been used for 1, 5, 10 or even more years?
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4. SCAMPER is a creative problem-solving method to generate new and innovative ideas and
applications. Suppose you are asked to apply the method of SCAMPER to re-
organize and re-prioritize the information on a topic you have in hand. How far can
you adopt the SCAMPER method? In the video, you will find out
how to apply SCAMPER for various designing purposes. Select the methods useful for
redesigning the organization of information. See how far you can go with SCAMPER.
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