If you work in public education, you've undoubtedly heard people debating the value of "memorizing" (read: quickly learning) content knowledge in school.  Someone -- usually a principal, professional development presenter, or teacher beholden to some pedagogical fad -- will point out that, through the internet, students have access to a wealth of information; so why bother learning facts?  Who needs to know anything when everyone can just search for everything?

What they are missing is that knowledge is an essential ingredient in higher level thinking skills.  If we don't know who, what, where, and when, then we'll struggle to discuss how and why.  If we can't connect the 5 Ws (+ H), evaluation, analysis, and synthesis are impossible.  They are also missing the fact that many real life situations reward the first to be right, so knowing an answer (or quickly generating analysis/synthesis/etc.) without looking anything up does more than just get an A on a test -- it makes you look smart and maybe actually be smart; it can make you more successful than the idiot with a Chrome browser.  This is true for teachers too (check out a recent ReadThinkWriteSpeak article about the need for greater content studies/review during teachers' professional development).  (Intro article continues below.)

Bloom's Taxonomy is one of the most insightful and useful education concepts ever. It is used and reused, relabeled and repackaged, occasionally forgotten but always resurrected. And when people poo-poo knowledge acquisition as prep for a game show or intellectually elitist or old-fashioned or anything else, they are abandoning some of the best research and practices available.  All higher order thinking skills are built on foundation of knowledge, so unless your students are all rare savants, then teaching knowledge is a prerequisite for teaching other "21st century skills." 

I remind students all the time:  If you don't know stuff, you can't think stuff; if you can't think stuff, you can't do much.  

​Please enjoy this short (~16 minute) solo episode.  Leave comments and questions below.  If any listeners/followers disagree about the significance of knowledge, I'm looking for volunteers to discuss and debate this issue.   

ClassCast Podcast Ep.017 features Sam Mull, a Programming & Community Engagement Coordinator with Loudoun County Public Libraries and all-around Renaissance man, talking with host Ryan Tibbens about his love of libraries, his education (including GIS), kayaking, hiking, concerts, woodworking, reading great books, being a good person, and more. This episode is longer than was originally planned because Sam has so many interesting ideas and diverse experiences.  Five shorter highlight clips are available separately, but for those who want to hear it all (as you should), this full episode is for you.
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Support the show (http://paypal.me/TibbensEST)

Check out two highlight clips from ClassCast Podcast Episode 015, featuring host Ryan Tibbens and GIS leader, science teacher, curriculum designer, and expert weather forecaster Mike Wagner.

In this highlight from ClassCast Podcast Episode 015, lead GIS teacher and curriculum developer Mike Wagner discusses the implementation and value of geographic information system classes in schools.  Every school should strive to offer GIS classes like Mike suggests because of the kind of inquiry-based, career-skills focused opportunities they provide (not to mention dual enrollment college credits). Check  out this clip to learn more! 
For more information about LCPS GIS, check Twitter (@LCPS_GIS) and the LCPS GIS website (https://www.lcps.org/Page/212324).
For more information about using ArcGIS Online and the manual that Mike Wagner wrote, check http://learn.arcgis.com/en/educators .

In this highlight clip from Ep.015, expert weather forecaster and GIS teacher Mike Wagner discusses the science (and art) of weather forecasting and why good forecasters should be cautious and conservative. Check out Everyday Weather Services on Facebook for the best snow day (and major event) forecasting in Northern Virginia, Western Pennsylvania, and throughout the MidAtlantic region.

ClassCast Podcast Episode 015 features a discussion between Mike Wagner, lead GIS teacher in Loudoun County, VA (as well as science teacher, curriculum developer, and expert weather forecaster), and host Ryan Tibbens. ​

They discuss using geographic information systems (GIS), particularly ArcGIS, in the classroom; Mike's background and current projects as a professional weather forecaster (specializing in snow day predictions); and why a more experience-based, hands-on, and interdisciplinary style school is needed. GIS can work in every class and subject area and is considered a top five career "area of need," so implementing this technology can create valuable job skills in addition to deeper project-based learning.  Two highlight clips, one featuring an introduction to the GIS class in LCPS and one featuring Mike's Everyday Weather Services forecasts on Facebook, are available in a separate ClassCast update. 

For more information about LCPS GIS, check Twitter (@LCPS_GIS) and the LCPS GIS website (https://www.lcps.org/Page/212324).
For more information about using ArcGIS Online and the manual that Mike Wagner wrote, check http://learn.arcgis.com/en/educators . 
For more information about Mike's forecasts, check Everyday Weather Services on Facebook. 
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