Finding knowledge on the Internet: implications for the knowledge-driven curriculum

Abstract

This article offers a critique of Michael Young’s perspective on the Internet as it relates to the knowledge-driven curriculum he supports. I argue that the Internet is a site of both theoretical knowledge and everyday concepts which challenges the differentiation of knowledge that premises much of Young’s writing. Google searches from the perspective of a student and teacher show that theoretical knowledge with vertical links to subject and disciplinary communities as well as coherence built through links between concepts is fairly readily accessed on the Internet. The importance of information literacy for students, the critical need to curate content on the web, as well as the implications for the curriculum of framing ‘knowing’ as encompassing ‘being familiar’ and comprehending’ are highlighted.

Keywords:

• Internet
• curriculum development
• knowledge management
• information technology

Notes

1. Although Young uses various terms in his differentiation scheme, I will simply use ‘knowledge’ to refer to Young’s theoretical/abstract knowledge and ‘everyday concepts’ to refer to his ‘everyday’ ‘common sense’ form of knowledge.

2. UNESCO defines mobile learning as ‘the use of mobile technology, either alone or in combination with other information and communication technology (ICT), to enable learning anytime and anywhere.’(UNESCO, 2015).

3. Here, I use typical US terms for secondary school subjects, even as there is substantial variation from state to state. I also acknowledge a US bias to the search results using google.com discussed here.

4. John Meyer brought the distinction between ‘knowing’ and ‘knowing that one should know’ to my attention.

5. While the ‘being familiar’ label for this second kind of knowing is awkward in English, there is better support for the two-fold nature of knowing in other languages such as ‘wissen’ vs. ‘kennen’ in German and ‘conocer’ vs. ‘saber’ in Spanish.

Additional information

Notes on contributors

Elizabeth H. McEneaney

Elizabeth H. McEneaney is an associate professor in the Department of Teacher Education and Curriculum Studies at the University of Massachusetts – Amherst, College of Education, Furcolo Hall, Amherst, MA 01003, USA; e-mail: [email protected]. Her current research interests include equity in teaching and learning in STEM fields and small group dynamics in middle and high school contexts.