Information overload?!

I am writing this in stages as I am slowly catching up with this course and feeling like I have already collected immense volumes of information about everything "21st century education". I set up my Google reader and as I careen at near light speed into the world of the Personal Learning Network, I need Googles to protect my eyes from the insane amount of information shrapnel emerging from my CRT (or should I say LCD).

In some ways, I find I love this thing (my PLN) in that it provides (and has the potential to provide further) all the information I could ever hope to want or need. On the other hand, I stare at the screen the same way I stare at shelves of books in Barnes and Nobel - not really knowing what is good, what isn't, how to discern, and in a paranoid kind of way, I worry about missing something.

I took a break for a few minutes there to reflect on what I have written and also browse the feeds in my Google reader - suggested by the COETAIL facilitators and decided that I need some kind of filter to sift through all the posts etc (they can't expect me to read all of them can they?) that only spits out the stuff I want to read (or I guess should read with regards to my course commitments). I actually think such a filter exists and it is called "time and experience" - something that is always at a premium in the world of teaching IB Physics and IB Chemistry.

Is this where I am headed? See overwhelmed (Jeff Utecht)

I know I need to find the time - for browsing - for finding what I like - tracking it - and booting out the rest. With regards to my course, I still don't know what I am looking for being just a mere a fledgling in the buzz of 21st century education and still a little hesitant to jump from the nest. I am guessing the pieces will fit together somehow and with a little patience, and some guidance, a tangible picture will form.

What I did find (somewhat randomly) was a great link to a piece of software that is FREE and an alternative to Starry Night for those of us that need to teach astronomy. Check out Stellarium. The most interesting blog post I read dealt with the false perception that our students are technologically competent. Read on here for more information (I especially like the examples and it made me think about the possibility that some of my expectations are unrealistic)