27 - Core Note Functions - I see the four core note functions of text management as the “first principles” of note taking, serving as a set of useful lenses to look at the tools and methods of note taking throughout history. They can also be used for thinking about modern note taking. The four core functions are: storing , sorting , selecting , and summarizing (Blair 2010, pg 15) . I’ve also added compiling to the list.
The core functions emerge from the main purpose of note taking .
You can analyze how the functions individually have evolved over time and also how they manifested throughout the various mediums of knowledge management. See 5A .
53 - Storing is the process of recording information for future reference. The two important aspects of storage are the medium and workflow. The medium is where you store your notes. Do you write it on a clay tablet, piece of papyrus, note card, or note taking app? The workflow is the process you stick to for recording your notes and any rules you follow. In the zettelkasten , a workflow rule would be the principle of atomicity, where you keep a note small enough to allow an idea to be referenced…
95 - Sorting is when you systematically arrange items into separate groups based on common features (Oxford Dictionary ). Typically this is done to make the storage and retrieval (5c) of information easier. It can also be used in a more exploratory way to learn more about your notes.
Sorting methods have emerged from the need to add structure to large bodies of information that emerged from the [information overload] involved with [evolving mediums].
96 - Selecting is the process you used to retrieve the information you are looking for. Typically people use [finding devices] that help you by sorting the information or using a search algorithm .
To start the selection process, you need a information trigger. In memory terminology this would be known as a retrieval cue , whether it be a word on a page, something someones says, or a evocative smell.
97 - Summarizing is the process of creating a brief generalization of a body of information. It is a layer of structure that allows us to more easily process a body of information, creating a very shallow model in the process.
Summarizing is one of the ways to deal with [infoglut]. The other being the creation of structures that allow you to search the information.
123 - Compiling follows along the same lines as summarizing, whereby you are deciding what information is worth taking notes on in our infoglut society. This is an important skill to have because we have a limited amount of time on earth, so a certain amount of efficiency is necessary.
28 - Mediums of Information Management are the different ways we record information or knowledge.
Biological Information is stored and used through DNA, one of the basic forms of order. See Demon in the Machine .
Memory - information is stored through the use of small-world networks of neurons in our brains. It is believed that our brain has 100 trillion connections between 86 billion neurons (DK Publishing Brain 2020, pg 27 ).
External Memory - idea of using external monuments and tools as ret…
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