Enough Web 2.0, sometimes it's good to be passive

Most nights after I get the kids to bed -- if I haven't fallen asleep with them -- I read. I love reading. I have stacks of books next to the bed that are in progress or just waiting for me to crack open. Sometimes, if I've got the energy, I fold laundry or do dishes or even mop the kitchen floor. That doesn't happen all that often. Last night, I went crazy. I watched TV. And I loved it.

Now, we're probably one of the 122 families in America that have tv but don't have cable or satellite. We get about 5 channels. And we don't even have a remote control. It got smashed.

Of course, we watch DVDs and videos and YouTube. Most of our entertainment is on demand. What I want, when I want it.

But last night, I watched commercial tv. I was engrossed. I was a passive recipient of mediocre programming and it was perfect. I hadn't seen any of the shows I watched. I hadn't even heard of some of them.

Now, that's not learning. It's not e-Learning. It's pure entertainment. But it was cozy and comfortable and familiar. Passive. Couch potato. Perfect. I watched for 2 hours and I never once changed the channel. Sometimes it's nice to not have to choose. Sometimes it's nice to be fed entertainment -- or information. Informal Learning, Web 2.0, self-directed, self-paced -- all that stuff requires motivation. I was motivated last night, but in a different way.

There's some lesson in here for me about learning...and teaching...and presenting information.

Maybe it's just where I sit -- on this generational cusp -- computers have happened all around me. But sometimes the familiar is what's right. Sometimes being passive is perfect.