One in, one out
Sunday, March 30, 2008 at 09:39AM 
I thought about Mr. Creosote this morning after getting an e-mail from Miguel Guhlin inviting me to join his Diigo network.
No, Miguel, it wasn't the body shape that triggered the connection.
For those of you who may not know or remember, Mr. Creosote was an archetypal glutton played by Terry Jones in the 1983 Monty Python movie The Meaning of Life. Creosote eats, vomits and eats more until a final mint, as I remember, causes his entire body to horrifically explode.
I am worried that Diigo just might be that final 2.0 mint. At what point does one's social networking time commitment become so consuming that one figuratively explodes?
I am therefore adopting the same rule I apply to adding books to my bookshelves, clothing to my closet and RSS feeds to my reader - for every item I add, I toss one as well.
I believe it to be the only path of sanity and survival. Entirely too much of my life is already taken up by trying to keep up.
So, for those of you who kindly ask me to try something new, please include in your invitation that which you belive I should also dump.
Much obliged.
Oh, I am guessing our classroom teachers feel much the same way I do - if not more so. As technology "pushers," do we ever suggest those things that can be dropped - or only things we think they should be adding?
Reader Comments (13)
That is an excellent point and I do feel that same wall come up every time I approach my teachers with another one of my Web 2,0 finds. However, I do like Diigo better than delicious. Of course, I am very limited with time and techno experiences so I rely a lot on reading other blogs such as yours and this one, Metanoa. He has compared del.ic.ious, diigo, and zotaro. Sounds convincing to me - at least worth checking out.
Ooops spelled that wrong and no link... Metanoia http://www.bretagdesigns.com/technologist/?p=531 Sorry, I have a new MAC and don't know how to hyperlink to a word in a comment said the mouse to the king.
Doug, excellent point! I follow a similar approach. While I'm subscribed to a variety of tools, there are only a few that I integrate into my daily work. There's a difference, I'm sure you know, between an awareness of the possible tools and what you actually use. This awareness for teachers includes knowing what tools are available...and what will actually be usable in a certain situation.
More to this in my tangential response here:
http://tinyurl.com/2gqzyx
With appreciation,
Miguel Guhlin
P.S. I definitely would have put you on my list if there'd been a body connection to that exploding Cresote!
I like your idea of dropping something every time you add something. It makes a lot of sense. As a teacher, I am constantly hearing of the “latest technologies” to try and utilize in my profession. The problem is to find the time to implement them, and when I do accomplish this, it becomes outdated. I think part of the problem is that I try to use these new concepts, while keeping the old one’s going. I’m not saying that the old one’s aren’t effective, but can I make the new concept’s work better if I drop some old one’s? Only time will tell.
I totally agree with the 1 in 1 out in theory- although I am one of the world's greatest packrats. I think that with diigo or any other tool that we use or advocate to teachers to use, the key is to offer a better solution to a problem or task that they do anyway- not add more work. For example if you use social bookmarking, diggo seems to do it all and can offer other cool options like webslides. If you use word, then zoho or google docs can offer you the same thing with other options that may be helpful
For my teachers who like powerpoint, offering slideshare or an online presentation tool can open new doors, without being overwhelming. More and more keeps being added to the teacher's plates- history teachers now have 50 years more history to cover, teachers are expected to teach character education, health, differentiate instruction, etc. It seems never-ending. Offering a new tool for the box of tricks that actually makes a current task easier- and being around to hand-hold if necessary while they learn it, is the way to go...even if you don't manage the 1 in 1 out system very well.
@Matt Willey The whole notion of outdated technologies drives me a bit nuts. What is the shelf life of a technology? I still use VHS for some things but by some metrics it is quite outdated. I also love old computers. Part of this comes from teaching in classrooms for years with very old equipment that I had to find creative uses for. I think the problem has to do more with the usefulness of a technology than its age. Often after showing teachers a new tool they ask me if they should all abandon old ways of doing things for this new way or that new thing. I usually tell them to make the switch if they can see how it will either make their lives (or their students learning) better or if it will make them more efficient. When we take and toss we need to do this kind of assessment. When a computer is slated for the chopping block we need to ask ourselves if it really has no further use for us. Can it be used as any kind of workstation? Do we need all of our machines to handle video editing? Will Diigo add enough value to our lives that it will replace one or more things that we already do and do them better?
Thanks for the post. It is true that one can become inundated with information and tools to use in the classroom. It is important for the "technology pushers" and other users of technology to pick and choose what they share/use. There are a lot of tools out there but that doesn't necessarily mean that they will translate for school use. Is it any different when planning a lesson/unit? I have lots of materials to choose from, I decide on what the core materials will be and throughout the year try to add in new materials/tools that will provide added value to the students.
If you throw too much at people who are not ready, you tend not to get the desired outcome you are looking for.
Hi Brenda,
Thanks for the link to Ryan's blog post. (I remember reading it but it did not register.)
Be sure to read Miguel's post that is similar about how he is using one tool to replace a number of others at: http://tinyurl.com/2gqzyx
All the best,
Doug
Hi Maureen,
If you haven't seen it, check out Jamie Vollmer's piece call The Burden about how school's responsibilities have grown since 1900! It's amazing.
http://www.jamievollmer.com/burden.html
All the best,
Doug
Hi Carl,
You must be the bane of every salesperson's existence! Don't you know the economy depends on buying new things we don't really need. I hope I don't have to question your patriotism here ;-)
All the best and thanks for the common sense approach,
Doug
Doug..
Posted on my blog:http://www.sentimentsoncommonsense.com/?p=34
"Doug Johnson did it for me again in his post titled “One in, One out”. Doug, I am with you! That, of course, is true only if that last mint is the horrible cheap stuff served in most eateries. My advice: Look for the really good chocolate and savor the power and seductiveness of quality. Like good chocolate, a quality tool will be enjoyed and savored for a long time!"
As usual... you make me think!
I think you should add me and drop Miguel. =) Or maybe vice versa.
Hey, Scott, I have both Dangerously Irrelevant and LeaderTalk (as well as Around the Corner) hardwired into my feedreader. I can't say I have the time to read each and every pearl of wisdom in the blogs, but they all get a scan anywho...
Oh, I still wish you'd ask your guest bloggers to include their names within their posts. Impossible to tell when reading withing GoogleReader who the author is otherwise.
I hope spring has come to Iowa. Still ice on the lake here!
Doug