RE: Learning How to Do and Learning How to Learn (Was: New Hires)

["McDonald-, Nancy A (Nancy)** CTR **" <namcdonald -at- Lucent -dot- com>]

George, you've put the matter quite succinctly.  I wholeheartedly agree.
Case in point:

Many moons ago, (maybe 1988 or so) when I was upgrading my teaching
certificate in California, I was required to take a 'computer science for
teachers' course.  In that course, I was required to learn (in an ancient
Mac--no Apple IIe, I think) Basic programming language, moreover, I had to
create a program that would be used in my teaching environment.  Frankly, at
the time, I thought that course was going to extremes.  After all, why
couldn't I just buy a program to fit my needs?  However, when I had gained
some time and perspective, that programming course became quite valuable, in
that I've had my own first-hand experience in the world of programming,
albeit just a taste.  I had first-hand experience in the conceptual
underpinnings of the technical world, and from that whole new and other
worlds evolved from that.  

That course also included surveying quite a few learning-aid software
applications, (one, I think, was Oregon Trail) and evaluated them in light
of the teacher's perspective.  

I think the combination of delving into the programming world, i.e.,
learning how the tools are built, actually attempting to build the tools, as
well as evaluating a span of tools added a great deal to my own concept of
the technical world and the potentials of the worlds around it as a result.

So mixing the use of the tools, the concepts behind the building, and
evaluating (such as it was) those tools was quite appropriate for a
university course.  We are in a paradigm shift, folks, and the conceptual
must be mixed with the technical.  We must learn our tools.... as they are
changing our worlds.

FWIW,
Nancy McDonald
Lucent Technologies/Bell Lab Innovations
Columbus, OH US