Digital Hygiene

Four years ago our middle school was awarded a sizable grant specifically earmarked for purchase of technology and adoption of an integrated and collaborative instructional model. Part of the grant package was the mandate that we provide a good deal of professional development, to insure that we were not simply throwing technology tools and toys at our teachers and students. It changed the way we do what we do.

We invited instructional design and instructional technology experts to our district to lead us through the early, steep part of the learning curve. That summer provided our introduction to PLN's via Twitter, diigo, wikis, blogs, Google tools, Ning, and Skype. It was exciting and overwhelming. In addition to re-thinking our approach to instruction, we were being asked to manage a wealth of unfamiliar digital tools. I knew I would eventually discern which ones would contribute to my efficiency and which were more fluff and sparkle than substance. I did not want to miss something that would inspire or inform me. It required a studied, intentional approach to managing each digital tool.

The phrase "digital hygiene" occurred to me as an apt term for that management. Like "sleep hygiene" and"personal hygiene," this phrase refers to a set of habits that is regular, periodic, and intentionally undertaken to ensure that essential tasks are not overlooked. The pattern of habits is individual and personal. There are some tasks we make sure we do daily. (Check email? Post to Twitter?) Some we do weekly. (Read blogs? Check RSS feeds?) Some we get to as needed. (Update wikis?) Your frequency and mine won't be identical. But we can learn from each other how to better manage the Tsunami of ideas and information that are increasingly available to us.

I avoided Twitter for two years, because the unending stream of information and links that I wanted to/felt compelled to check was simply overwhelming. I asked a colleague how he manages that. He told me that he simply reads the feed when he can, and trusts that whatever he missed, if worthy, will be retweeted enough times that he will see it next time around. That advice enabled me to test-drive Twitter without feeling that I had to read every post, lest I miss something important. Twitter is now part of my daily routine, a task that I can gain from and contribute to at a reasonable level.

Precisely the purpose of digital hygiene.