This started with an email...

...from NextDraft by Dave@davenetics.com January 4, 2012 where in item no. 2 Time to Get Up and Go to iPad for post he addresses the tendency by educational institutions in many states resist the use of technology in learning environments and "the use of more tech in the classroom will be a hot national issue in 2012." In this brief he provides a link to the New York Times collection of articles on technology in the classroom. One particular article, We Live in a Mobile world, by Will Richardson caught my mind in the last paragraph where he says, "Access in our kids’ pockets will force us to rethink much of what we do in schools. For one thing, we have to stop asking questions in classrooms that students can now answer with their phones (state capitals anyone?) and instead ask questions that require more than just a connection to answer -- questions that call upon them to employ synthesis and critical thinking and creativity, not just memorization. Anything less is not preparing them for the information rich world that we live in." Employing synthesis and critical thinking and creativity over memorization is definitely a, if not THE, direction to go in education.