Who Would You Phone?
Posted October 7th, 2005 at 09:12pm
Back in 1986, during my last year of high school, there was a radio trivia contest to win tickets to a concert. I didn’t have much money, but I really wanted to go see this particular group, so I sat myself beside the radio one Monday morning, phone in hand, and waited. Now, my head has always been overflowing with completely useless information –probably more so at that time in my life– so I knew I stood just as good a chance as anybody else. Finally, they asked the question: “What was David Bowie’s theatrical rock-star persona backed by the Spiders from Mars?” I dialed as quickly as I could, but (hampered by my old rotary phone, no doubt) I was not the first, and so didn’t win the tickets. For three more mornings, I did the same, each time knowing the answer, but failing to be the first to call. On that Friday, however, the question was much harder: “Whose band did Canadian singer Gowan borrow for the recording of his Strange Animal LP?” This time I won the tickets. (The answer, by the way, is Peter Gabriel, who was recording in the same studio around the same time.)
I was proud of my accomplishment, elated by that vindication of the sheer width and breadth of the mostly impractical data stogged tight into my brain. It seems a little foolish in retrospect, but the accumulation of knowledge was –for me– the most distinguishing facet of my self-identity.
Back then, information was far less transitory. I remember reading and studying endlessly, trying to retain every nugget of information I could, whether it was useful or not. Now, I have become lazy. When a question is asked and I don’t know the response, a quick search on the Net will generally take me directly to the right information. The question answered, the details then drop away from my mind, and I usually forget it completely. I suspect most people do this nowadays, relying upon the Net far more than memory. When someone dials a friend from Who Wants to Be a Millionaire?, are they really choosing their most knowledgeable friend, or simply the fastest with Google? Who would you phone?
I have a very large library, encompassing thousands of books and covering hundreds of topics (many quite obscure), and I’m very proud of it. The problem is, sometimes I neglect to use it. The other night, I spent the better part of an hour Googling for information about tree identification. I found lots of bits and pieces, but little of any coherent and wide-ranging coverage. Then I realised… there were several books on the bookshelf behind me concerning that very topic. Yes, I can be oblivious at time, but in this case I think it was more a matter of how technology is changing the way I seek and retain knowledge. My need for a “quick fix” led me to a search engine, and not the shelves.
All of this makes me a little concerned for students today. True, the Internet is probably the best resource possible for scholars and teachers: the world’s largest conceivable library, with mostly free access to almost any snippet of information mere moments away. But with so much data, so free-flowing, has information become a mere tool, like pencils and erasers, fit for the moment and then quickly discarded once beyond its utility?
One might make the point that there was no guarantee that students would remember information culled from a paper encyclopedia, or that they might retain information of no pertinent and practical usage. But information was harder to come by, and –I believe– dissected slower. They say that in 1900, we encountered 1000 pieces of significant information per six months. In 1960, it was within one week. Today, it’s within one hour. How much knowledge can we actually retain when our “seven plus or minus two” short-term memories have to constantly filter, direct and trash most of that data?
It also begs a question: which is better, the instant access to vast quantities of lower-quality (on average, that is) information, or the more difficult access to rarer quantities of high-quality information? A Google search, or the hefty Encyclopaedia Britannica up on the library shelves? The accumulated and often erroneous perspective of thousands of writers, or the careful crafting and fact-checking by a skilled few? (This, of course, is one of the main reasons given by the Britannica company for continuing to use their rather costly work instead of the Net at large, and especially the Wikipedia.)
I wonder how long will it be before each student carries PDAs that display answers to any common question at the click of a button? (The time is almost here, I know.) Where, then, will that lead the education system, and how can it adjust to the notion of near-instantaneous research replacing memory?
I’ve been spending a lot of time recently wondering about this, how our educational tools might better compensate for new ways of learning, filtering information and retaining useful knowledge. Many minds far greater than mine are occupied by these same thoughts, I would guess.
Hmm… perhaps I can Google for them….
9 Comments Add your own
1. John Madocks | October 8th, 2005 at 4:51 pm
Right about that same time (perhaps 1985) I won tickets off the radio to see a concert (which I also could not afford to pay for - I was sitting by the radio too). The question was, “What band had ex members of the Baby’s and Santana?”
Do you know the answer?
P.S. I knew the answer to both your questions. I still love Gowan.
2. Ted Bongiovanni | October 9th, 2005 at 6:59 am
I think good educational tools are ones that help users construct meaning around the range of materials available on the web–information is one thing–being educated is knowing what to do with that information–how to order it, apply it, and make connections to other areas.
What’s empowering about Web 2.0 is that it’s much more conducive to meaning making—I thought Seth Godin did a nice job summarizing the potential for meaning making in Everyone is an Expert Cultures had different ways of making meaning, and technology has always influenced how meaning is made.
Think about the history of technology–time was when human culture was an oral culture, when knowledge had to be memorized in order to be passed down. Then came the alphabet and it changed everything. Orders could be written down and disseminated at a distance. Empires grew. Moveable type (Gutenberg–not Six Apart), then the telegraph, and well, then things really got moving. Today’s technology certainly brings new challenges for educators.
My concern about computer based technology and windowed environments is that they have the potential to undermine our ability to focus attention. One could argue that a good education gives one the ability to focus one’s mind. Rote memorization is derided in the United States in favor of “thinking on one’s feet,” but I think there’s room for both. The reason I like plain old paper and a pen (and your most excellent templates) is that they have the advantage of being able to focus attention. It’s me, the pen, and the paper. Perhaps I’ve been practicing longer at screening out distractions in that context. Nevertheless, these are new, fun challenges for educators and the rest of us–it’s an exciting time to be alive.
3. dougj | October 9th, 2005 at 1:55 pm
John: uhm… [/me slaps side of head a few times…] I’m guessing either Journey or Bad English. Hmm. John Waite was in The Babys, I think, so I’ll have to say Bad English. What do I win?
4. John Maddocks | October 9th, 2005 at 4:49 pm
OH!!! You were so close. The answer was Journey! Neal Schon and Gregg Rolie were both with Santana, and Jonathan Cain was a fellow member of the Baby’s with John Waite. And of course Neal Schon, Jonathan Cain and John Waite were all in Bad English together. Bad English could have been the correct answer, accept of course that they weren’t together yet in 1985. That would be about another 4 years in the future.
I am impressed that you were that close though! Unfortunately the million dollar prize will have to stay with me ; )
After 11 years of living in Florida I am moving home to Canada next week! I can’t wait or a Timmy’s and to listen to Kim Mitchell’s afternoon show on Toronto’s mighty Q107. I hope life in Newfoundland is treating you well!
5. spyhole » Who Would&hellip | October 11th, 2005 at 8:33 pm
[…] ormation overflow, short term memory and need for quick searches - build your own opinion a million monkeys typing ยป Who Would You Phone?
[…]
6. appliedthinking&hellip | October 14th, 2005 at 5:03 pm
Exercise your short-term
I wrote about this very topic a number of months ago, and now I have stumbled upon some similar insights at a million monkeys typing in this post: Who Would You Phone?. So, the question remains: what are the
7. jennifer | November 9th, 2005 at 1:19 am
Hi John, I totally agree with you that the internet is just too handy! It can really make one lazy (so to speak).
You mentioned you were moving back home to Canada. I’m also from Canada. How have things gone for yourself and your family. Hopefully things are going well!
Sincerely, Jennifer
8. a million monkeys typing &hellip | January 8th, 2006 at 4:38 pm
[…] And then there’s that darn source of endless interaction, distraction and inaction, the Internet. How is that affecting the way we take in and process information? A few months ago, I posted an entry here called Who Would You Phone?, wherein I gave the example of a quiz show contestant with a choice to phone either someone with a good general knowledge-base, or someone well-versed with Google; I suspect that most people would choose the latter. This post was just picked up by my favourite educational blog, Weblogg-ed: go there and read Will’s lucid commentary, along with some very interesting ideas from his readers. Meanwhile, I’m just going to follow up with a few more thoughts here on my own little venue. […]
9. aondoaver Nyakuma | July 15th, 2006 at 8:00 pm
When I was in the primary and secondary school (in the 80s) the use of caculators in solving arithmatics problems was almost a taboo. No one dared the use.I could solve the most difficult sums (to me) without the caculator.Infact I never knew nor heard of it in my primary school. In my university days it became possible to use it for various reasons including time saving.I sat in my house one day after my masters degree trying to find the answer to square root of 34 without a caculator in hand. For 10 minutes I could not solve this until I called my little nephew in the primary who solved it without a drop of sweat.Like the caculator the internet is fast blocking our memories. What a pathetic situation.
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