So, I was reading web 2.0:  new tools, new schools last night.  In Chapter 2, it gets into students and learning.  I love how it talks about just how ingrained information technology is in these students.  I am 30 years old and consider myself very comfortable with technology.  I can work with hardware and software.  I know how to use the social networking sites and I know the benefits and disadvantages associated with them.  I also know that I do not really use them that much.  I am much more comfortable with face-t0-face interaction.  I don’t even like to leave messages or talk with the automated answering systems with banks.  I really just prefer to talk with people.  The point is that while I grew up on the eve of the information age and have, somewhat, embraced these new technologies, students today cannot remember anything else.  Companies like The Disney Channel have websites designed for children under the age of 5.  I have to stop myself from thinking, “what on earth is a four year old doing on a computer?”  That, however, is the age in which we are living now.

I enjoyed reading about Anderson and Krathwohl’s study.  I first read that study last semester when preparing for a presentation about writing objectives.  In order for students to embrace inquiry learning, they need to have some background, or schemata, from which to start.  I firmly believe that ideas are more powerful than facts, but some facts are worth knowing (it’s hard to appreciate the Revolutionary War without knowing about the events that led up to it, but the ideas that came out of the War are still applicable today).  When we are planning out lessons, we need to keep in mind not only the content to be learned but the dimension of knowledge and the manner in which they learn it.  In alot of ways, taking advantage of these newer technologies can help us to do all of this.