Upending the Infodemic Curve through Documentation and Productivity Tools

Simply put, we have progressed from a linear, low-tech and trainer-led instructional space (Education 1.0) to a democratised, interactive, flexible, feedback-oriented, tech-enabled and learner-centric enterprise (Education 4.0 and Education 5.0).

Generative artificial intelligence (GAI) has just made it more convincing that the predictions of the Knowledge Doubling Curve will be fulfilled sooner than later.

The case relativity of time

Seconds drag for a drowning man; years fly for an investor racing against time. Where do you stand as a student of history, life, and the revolutionary technological megatrends currently unfolding before our very eyes? Your New Year Resolutions for 2023 are now shaping up against the harsh realities of time, aren’t they? It has been well said that we tend to overestimate what we can achieve in a day and underestimate what we can achieve in a year.

Facing a new pandemic in education and work

Ever heard of “infodemic”? Look it up! This is a new social and knowledge-related pandemic. What are the implications of generative artificial intelligence (GAI) for the future of education and work?

Education has evolved through various stages that scholars refer to in their signature lingo as directed transfer, progressivism, and co-constructivism among others. Simply put, we have progressed from a linear, low-tech and trainer-led instructional space (Education 1.0) to a democratised, interactive, flexible, feedback-oriented, tech-enabled and learner-centric enterprise (Education 4.0 and Education 5.0). Technology has been the engine driving the fast evolution. COVID-19 has been the accelerator fuelling the faster and at times involuntary push to conform to new ways of teaching and learning.

GAI has just made it more convincing that the predictions of the Knowledge Doubling Curve will be fulfilled sooner than later. The curve postulated that knowledge in the 21st century would soon double in a matter of days, then hours, as opposed to taking years the way it was decades ago. In a world overflowing with information and accelerated access to knowledge, thanks to technological innovation, only purposeful learners can thrive as authentic knowledge leaders.

Technology, as such, is your frenemy; it is a friend and force for good when used responsibly and productively but a foe and distractor when used irresponsibly without purposeful and productive learning outcomes.

Not so fast, disciplined practice will triumph

As the monthly Mentor Gems series continues, interesting questions arise. Is the series necessary anymore? We have just realised the amazing power of #ChatGPT, which has been ruling the headlines and seems destined to upend the career of instructors, writers, and content creators whose routine tasks can be automated. Not so fast, the age-old wisdom in thorough documentation remains a timeless treasure trove to the disciplined and passionate learners. The discipline of painstakingly documenting procedures and key lessons from every assignment still holds out. Have you properly documented your experience during industrial attachment or project assignments after graduating? You may need that memory two decades later and will truly regret not having immortalised it through proper documentation. I am a witness.

Be quick to name technology as a threat to the future of education and work and I will be slow but sure in asserting that the power of educators and workers with the studious curiosity and mastery of documenting lessons assiduously is mostly underrated. Being a keen listener and observer cultivates matchless value in the marketplace and triumphs against odds. This is a gradual process that eventually delivers decisive and resounding success. Ask an author whose seminal book and bestseller has come out after years, with each year contributing small bits in days of disciplined efforts ending in organised documentation. Ask a lad who started off by subscribing to Dictionary.com or The Free Dictionary by FARLEX for daily enrichment with novel words and expressions what became of his expressive power after two years of disciplined daily commitment to the exercise.

The paradox of poverty amidst plenty

With ready access to abundant knowledge, learners are becoming more and more deficient in the qualities of studious curiosity and thorough documentation. Herein lies the paradox of poverty of creative ideas amidst plenty of readily accessible information. As a student, dare to be different to reap long-term gains where others only see shortcuts and excuses to be lazy. Keep a journal and an organised documentation of new lessons daily; get curious; learn to engage effectively through formal and dignified communication, made evident in your speech, cover letters, CVs, and emails; establish a consistent digital identity through a specific line of messaging on social media; instal and diligently use productivity tools on your smartphone to make technology a friend and welcome accelerator of your productivity instead of a distractor from your goal through infodemic.

Ready productivity tools for your underutilised, if not often misused, smartphone

Here are some productivity tools or apps you may have been overlooking. They can, however, transform outcomes for you in 2023, right off your underutilised, if not mostly misused, smartphone: Adobe Scan, Dictionary.com, handyCalc, The Free Dictionary by FARLEX, Evernote, One Calendar, Our World in Data, Todoist, Translator, and Worldometer, among others. If as a youth you are already using half of these apps on your smartphone, then Kenyans can declare you a Shujaa. Whether you identify with the drowning man or the racing investor, time will tell the difference. I conclude by drawing a parallel statement to a key message from the book by James Clear entitled Atomic Habits: You will not rise to the crest of the tech wave but rather fall to the level of your disciplined commitment to documenting and utilising the productivity tools technology brings along.

Technology, as such, is your frenemy; it is a friend and force for good when used responsibly and productively but a foe and distractor when used irresponsibly without purposeful and productive learning outcomes.

I hope any youth on a mission will draw priceless wisdom from this Mentor Gem to make a difference in the world. Join our regular hybrid IBD mentorship series and stay tuned for the next Mentor Gem, next month.

admin

This is the product of more than a decade of dedicated experience in research, skills development, training, and mentorship. Through mentorship and career development fora, IBD empowers youth with the knowledge, international exposure, and digital fluency they need to be emancipated global citizens with borderless influence for sustainable development.