I’m not your Information Butler
information September 10th, 2008Warning: Rant Below
“Do you have some time tomorrow to swing by my office for some Blackboard training? I’m interested in posting my syllabus and learning how to manage my roster”.
“Sure, is 10AM okay with you?”
“Yep, see you at 10″
This is an example of the type of conversation that I have everyday. Pretty banal, eh? The problem is that my group just offered 2 training sessions on this very topic. And in response to specific requests and being sensitive to people’s time we offered them in condensed 60-minute sessions. We advertised via email, and on two (two)! web sites (one with RSS), and took advantage of plenty of face-to-face opportunities to remind people about the date, time, and location of the workshop.
The response?
“Sorry I missed it but I didn’t know. I wish you had told me.”
This is just a tiny example but I find it rather ironic that in the age of information overload there are people who claim they didn’t know. Don’t get me wrong. I know how emails can get buried and I understand that dates and times can be forgotten. What I can’t understand is how it’s become an expectation that information is distilled, synthesized, and labeled for individuals to use. I can’t do that. I’m not your information butler.
September 12th, 2008 at 12:39 pm
I love that phrase “information butler.”
We have this system at Franklin Pierce called the Raven Flash. Instead of sending out mass emails, staff and faculty submit them to the system (there’s an online form), and a nice organized digest-style email goes out once a day. I find as a reader it helps me sift through announcements more efficiently… and I have NO excuse now to overlook notices of important events.
September 12th, 2008 at 5:36 pm
Thanks Tracy. I wish I could take credit for the term but I actually heard it first from Mike Caulfield (http://mikecaulfield.com/). I laughed out loud when I heard him use it in very much the same context as this post. I think all of us who pass information feel like an Information Butler a lot these days.
September 15th, 2008 at 9:44 pm
Jenn: Why not turn your BB lectures in to screencast tutorials using camtasia? That way, you can simply direct your information misfits to your screencasts posted on your website.
BTW, it’s cool to see Tracy Mendham commenting..never met her in person, but have borrowed lots of ideas from her website (e.g., using gabcast for oral reports)!
September 16th, 2008 at 6:25 am
Great idea Larry. This is another example of a practical application of low-tech/high impact technology. I’ve thought about capturing and posting on a YouTube-like site but have always balked at it for other more vain reasons
I think you’re on to something though. So here I go: folks can either attend the Delicious workshop on 9/29 or watch the screen cast which I WILL post.