Organizing Information Organization and time Management Session 2

In this session we will be learning about the LATCH principle for organizing information practice organizing information in a variety of different ways.

Five different ways to organize information "The LATCH principle" Location Alphabet Time (chronologically) Category Hierarchy If you want to learn more about the five different ways to organize information you can use this link. The categories are explained using dog breeds as an example. https://parsonsdesign4.wordpress.com/resources/latch-methods-of-organization/ The latch principle is also sometimes referred to as the five hats rack. Source: http://www.informit.com/articles/article.aspx?p=130881&seqNum=6 Richard S. Wurman "Information Anxiety 2"

In his book, Richard Wurman says…. “while information may be infinite, the ways of structuring it are not. And once you have a place in which the information can be plugged, it becomes that much more useful. Your choice will be different understanding of the information-within each are many variations. However, recognizing that the main choices are limited makes the process less intimidating.” Note: Richard Wurman is the founder of TED

LATCH- The Ultimate Hat Rack We already employ the five modes of organization in many different ways. Most of us organize our financial records first by time, then by category when we figure our taxes. We organize our CD and DVD collections, libraries, and even our laundry certain ways. Many people get into trouble when they mix the different methods of organization, trying to describe something simultaneously in terms of size, geography, and category without a clear understanding that these are all valid but separate means of structuring information. Understanding the structure and organization of information helps you to extract value and significance from it. Understanding the LATCH organizing principles is like having the ultimate hat rack. Talk about the different way people already organize information and things that they have.

Five hat racks video https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Tgi1JQGHENI Watch one or both of the videos about LATCH/Five Hat Racks video.

Activity How are these examples of information organized?

Location You can organize information by showing a visual depiction of a physical space. Maps are really common ways to organize by location. You might also show information on a diagram with labels. Organizing by location usually requires some sort of visual of an area, thing or place

Examples of Organizing by Location Maps Shopping mall directory Diagrams with labels Webpage Can you think of any others?

Activity: Location Complete the activity by using the diagram to answer the questions. Then draw a floor plan of the room we are in right now.

Alphabetically Organizing alphabetically works really well if you know the specific terms or topics you are looking for. The reader or person looking at the information needs to know what they are looking for so they can use alphabetical order to find it. Alphabetical order is commonly used in books.

Examples of Organizing by Alphabet Index in a book (e.g. text book, recipe book) Dictionary Telephone book Can you think of any others?

Activity: Alphabetical Organization Fill in the company extension list of employees in alphabetical order by last name.

Organizing by Time Organizing information by time is useful for finding information in a chronological pattern. An example would be by the months or years when events happen. Time is also good for showing how things happen over a fixed duration of time.

Examples of Chronological Organization (by Time) Timeline of historical events Facebook timeline of "most recent" events Calendars A joke Instructions to cook something A flow chart to help show or describe a process Can you think of any others?

Activity: Chronological Organization Use the template provided to create a timeline for a typical day. You can use today as an example.

Category Using categories is the broadest of the five ways to organize information. You can use categories to organize information in just about any way imaginable. For example: colour, shape, gender, model, price, or any other categories you can think of.

Examples of Organizing by Category Grocery store products Online shopping sites Office supply storage cabinet at work Can you think of any others?

Activity: Organize by Category Sort the items from the grocery store flyer into the correct categories.

Hierarchy Hierarchies help show how one piece of information is connected to another in order of importance or rank. Hierarchies are used in organizational charts to show who reports to whom. Hierarchy is also used to show scale, like biggest to smallest or heaviest to lightest.

Examples of Organizing by Hierarchy Company organization chart Largest to smallest item Highest cost to lowest cost Eye chart Can you think of any others?

Activity: Organize by Hierarchy Interpret the court system organization chart.

Provinces and Territories of Canada We can use the provinces and territories of Canada to show how each type of organization works.

Provinces and Territories of Canada By Location Source: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Provinces_and_territories_of_Canada

Provinces and Territories of Canada Alphabetical Order by Name Alberta British Columbia Manitoba New Brunswick Newfoundland Northwest Territories Nova Scotia Nunavut Ontario Prince Edward Island Quebec Saskatchewan Yukon

Provinces and Territories of Canada New Brunswick Nova Scotia Ontario Quebec 1867 Manitoba Northwest Territories 1870 British Columbia 1871 Prince Edward Island 1873 Yukon 1898 Alberta Saskatchewan 1905 Newfoundland 1949 Nunavut 1999 Time- Chronological by Year of Existence

provinces and territories of canada Ontario Quebec British Columbia Alberta Manitoba Saskatchewan Nova Scotia New Brunswick Newfoundland Prince Edward Island Northwest Territories Nunavut Yukon By Category- Provinces and Territories

provinces and territories of canada By Hierarchy- largest to smallest population (2014 Stats Canada) Ontario 13,678,700 Quebec 8,214,700 British Columbia 4,631,300 Alberta 4,121,700 Manitoba 1,282,000 Saskatchewan 1,125,400 Nova Scotia 942,700 New Brunswick 753,900 Newfoundland 527,000 Prince Edward Island 146,300 Northwest Territories 43,600 Nunavut 36,600 Yukon 36,500

Activity How would you organize the examples?

Milestone 14

credits This Power Point was created by Laubach Literacy Ontario. The resources can be downloaded free of charge at www.laubach-on.ca. This Employment Ontario project was funded by the Ontario Government. 2015 All website links were accurate at the time of original distribution-March 2015. All of the images and clip art used in this Power Point are from Clipart.com and Microsoft Office.com.