Girl Geeks -- Extra Post of the Week

I caught an article on Wired.com today and had to post it.

5 Tips for Raising Your Girl Geek

I was raised by a Mom and Dad with geek-ish tendencies. We have a computer by the time I was 7 (1984) and they let me use it. My Dad and Brother introduced me to sci-fi, superheros, Lego, and of course, Star Wars. My mother introduced me to musicals, reading, and music. My whole family has always supported (thought sometimes laughed) my geek-ness, especially when it got them discounts.

The Annoyance Factor

I was discussing with a co-worker last week some the online learning techniques. As we talked I mentioned that we have to balance the added interactivity with "the Annoyance Factor."

The Annoyance Factor is the level of annoyance that a certain element will annoy the student versus the amount that element will enhance the learning of the student.

For example, I took an online based software class a little while ago. Each section had a introduction slide that was around 5 seconds, after which I had to click to continue with the module. This annoyed me to no end. Of course, I want to continue after the first slide, so why should I have to click. It had only be 5 seconds so it wasn't to add interactivity or make me re-engage with the lesson. Did this additional click add at all to my learning? Would my learning have been decreased if the slide had automatically continued?

So there it is, The Annoyance Factor. What do you think?