This content is located in CAPS under Social Implications: Impact on Society for Grade 12.

Teaching “Information overload” offers a unique opportunity to connect theory to students’ everyday experiences. As information becomes increasingly abundant and accessible, the challenge lies in effectively identifying, managing, and making sense of it. This makes the topic highly relevant to students’ academic and personal lives.

To contextualise the topic, introduce the concept by asking students to reflect on times when they felt overwhelmed by too much information. Relate this to everyday experiences, such as researching for a school task, receiving notifications from multiple apps, or following trending topics online. These relatable scenarios ground the topic in practical reality.

Engage students with an interactive activity. Divide the class into groups and assign each group a specific topic to research using various sources (e.g., search engines, news websites, and social media platforms). Challenge them to extract only the most credible and relevant information in a limited amount of time. Afterwards, discuss the difficulties they encountered, such as irrelevant information, conflicting data, or source credibility.

To deepen understanding, introduce tools and strategies to manage information overload effectively:

1. Keyword Filtering: Teach students to refine their online searches by using specific keywords and Boolean operators. Demonstrate how tools like Google Advanced Search can help streamline results.
2. Organisational Tools: Familiarise students with apps like Evernote, Notion, or Microsoft OneNote, which help organise and categorise information. For under-resourced environments, suggest using physical notebooks and index cards as an alternative.
3. Evaluating Credibility: Equip students with criteria to assess the reliability of sources, such as checking author credentials, publication dates, and the presence of bias. Use examples to show how misinformation can spread, linking it to “fake news” as a societal issue.
4. Digital Decluttering: Discuss the benefits of curating online spaces by unsubscribing from unnecessary newsletters, managing app notifications, and organising bookmarks in browsers. Highlight how these practices reduce cognitive overload.
5. Role of Algorithms: Explore how algorithms on platforms like YouTube, Instagram, and search engines influence the type of information students see. Encourage critical thinking about whether these algorithms contribute to or alleviate information overload.

To assess understanding, have students create an infographic or short presentation summarising the topic. For instance, they could present a “5-Step Plan to Avoid Information Overload,” integrating the tools and strategies discussed in class.

Lastly, connect the topic back to its societal implications. Discuss how managing information overload is a critical skill in the workplace, where professionals often deal with vast amounts of data. This not only prepares students for future challenges but also fosters a broader understanding of how ICT impacts society positively and negatively.

Encourage students to share their personal strategies for managing information overload, creating a collaborative and inclusive learning environment.