Slides to support Jason Neiffer's "Capture: Setting Up Traps to Organize Mountains of Information"

1. Capture: Setting Up Traps
to Organize Mountains of
Information
Jason Neiffer
C u r r i c u l u m D i r e c t o r, M o n t a n a D i g i t a l A c a d e m y
8 August 2011
WP-CSPD August Institute 2011
Missoula, Montana

2. Paperless Handouts
http://www.workshophandouts.com/wildtech11capture
(wildtech11capture is case sensitive)

3. Framework

6. Whoa!
• “The average ‘knowledge worker’ --
basically, anyone who works on a
computer – gets about 93 e-mails a
day…”
• “Because people can be connected
24/7, many of them are.”

7. Not new…
“In this breakthrough
book, Richard Saul
Wurman explains why
the information
explosion has backfired
leaving us stranded
between mere facts and
real understanding…”

8. 1989!

9. New Way of Thinking

10. Workflow
“A workflow consists
of a sequence of
connected steps…”
“A defined set of development stages
applied to a content item…”
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Workflow
http://www.ensemble.cms.vt.edu/user-manual/glossary/index.html

11. Goal
Create a regular set of
steps to process
information, content and
knowledge…

12. The rules
1. Start with one process: develop more over
time
2. Less is more: don’t use four tools when two will
accomplish the same task
3. Review and evaluate: regularly review and
evaluate, then eliminate, enhance or modify
4. Adopt new tools carefully: don’t assume that
you need to use EVERYTHING that is cool, nifty
or otherwise handy
5. Don’t follow these rules: ignore the rules if you
stumble on something that works better for you!

13. Tool organization: XMarks

14. Capture: Google Reader

15. Archiving/Sharing:
Delicious Social Bookmarking

16. Reading: Instapaper

17. Devices:
Laptop, desktop, iPad, iPhone

18. L e t ’s d e v e l o p a
workflow!

19. Workflow Setup 1: Captur e
I n f o r m a t i o n t o K e e p Yo u F r e s h

20. Scenario
I am a world geography teacher
that has a unit for each continent.
I am looking for fresh, current
content to support my unit on
Africa as the textbook is dated
and isn’t as engaging as I would
like it to be.

21. Workflow Process
• Check existing resources
1. • Consider new topics
• Set up traps for information
2.
• Process collected results
3.
• Archive AND/OR
4. • Share
• Review
5.

22. Workflow Process
With Tools
• Check existing resources (Web Search; Delicious)
1. • Consider new topics
• Set up traps for information (Google Reader)
2.
• Process collected results (Google Reader)
3.
• Archive (Delicious, Instapaper) AND/OR
4. • Share (Shareoholic; Delicious RSS Feeds w/WordPress and Moodle)
• Review
5.

23. 1. Review

24. 1. Review

25. 2. Set up traps

26. 2. Set up traps

27. 2. Set up traps

28. 2. Set up traps

29. 3. Process Results

30. 4. Archive: Delicious

31. 4. Archive: Instapaper

32. 4. Share: RSS Feeds

33. 4. Share: Shareaholic

34. 4. Share: Shareaholic

35. 5. Review
• Too wide a net? Too narrow a net?
• Still useful?
• Capturing too much information for my
current projects?
• Using the right tools?
• Able to process the information?

36. “Media Diet”
(Mark Hurst’s Bit Literacy)
Stars
• “Rare sources that consistently give useful, relevant information”
• In workflow: tools that are the core tools you use all the time
Scans
• “Reliably deliver at least some relevant information”
• In workflow: tools that may not be used every day, but so something very well
Targets
• “Sources good for a targeted, single use”
• In workflow: highly specialized tool that you use for special projects
Tryouts
• “Sources that are applying to be in your lineup, but are applying to be there)
• In workflow: new tools form discovery or referral that could end up above

37. In review…
• Questions:
– Time?
– Right tools for the job?
– More efficient way to do the job?

38. Wo r k f l ow S e t u p 2 : H a n d l e
Yo u r C o m m u n i c a t i o n F l o w

40. Inbox Zero
Merlin Mann
http://www.inboxzero.com

44. Workflow Process: Email
• Establish regular email practice (check email 3 times
1. a day)
• Choose action items: immediate action, short term
2. action, long term action
• Immediate action: complete, schedule, share
3.
• Short term action: Schedule, archive, share
4.
• Long term action: Schedule, archive, share
5.

45. Workflow Process: Email
With Tools
• Establish regular email practice (Gmail; check 3 times a day with weekly review
on Sunday mornings to find lost or forgotten action items)
1.
• Choose action items: immediate action, short term action, long term action
2.
• Immediate action: complete, schedule (Google Calendar, CalenGoo on iPad),
archive (Delicious, InstaPaper, Dropbox) share (Delicious, Shareaholic)
3.
• Short term action: Schedule (Google Calendar, CalenGoo on iPad), archive
(Delicious, InstaPaper, Dropbox), share (Delicious, Sharaholic)
4.
• Long term action: Schedule (Google Calendar, CalenGoo on iPad), archive
(Delicious, InstaPaper, Dropbox), share (Delicious, Sharaholic)
5.

46. Long-term strategies

47. Less is more…
• Don’t use tools to try to gather all
information; use filters to gather only
information you think you would use
• Example: the RSS Feed for the New York
Times or even my local newspaper

48. Questions?

49. Thank you!
Jason Neiffer
http://www.neiffer.com
http://www.tec hsavvyteac her.com
Twitter: @tec hsavvyteac h @neiffer