Digital Media and Critical Thinking

I have heard the allegations that today's kids are digital natives, which I recently remarked was not what my new experience is.

I am newly aware, acutely aware, of the tension between:

(1) the importance of critical thinking/higher order thinking and the rootedness of these skills in a liberal arts education.  Generally learning a particular "tool" is not helpful in and of itself because the tools are always changing. However,  with excellent critical thinking and problem-solving skills, today's learners will be able to adapt to changing technical skills

(2) a fairly certain understanding that though critical thinking and problem-solving can be generally learned, there are specific skills inherent in adapting to digital technologies that many do not just "pick up."  Many find new tools intimidating, and one must gain problem-solving experience specific to the domain of digital technologies and message design and communication using these tools to feel confident in their use.

This brings to life, really for the first time for me, a real interest in the questions being posed out there by others about the tension between education (credentialing) and education (learning). I loved Downes' post this week about responding to criticism about Web 2.0. He comments, in regards to, I assume K-12 institutions:

Schools were designed for a particular purpose, one that is almost diametrically at odds with what ought to be the practices and objectives of a contemporary education, an education suited not only to the information age but also to the objectives of personal freedom and empowerment.

I can't help but wonder whether this applies to higher education too. I want my teaching to be different. I want to teach undergraduates as I would adult learners, but I've been told that undergraduates are different, and this might be a fair assessment. (Might be--or the advice about how to relate to students is rooted in a particular hidden curriculum which may or may not be necessary). In fact, probably too many adult learners are not self-directed, a general weakness within the assumptions of adult learning theory. I want to guide students in understanding how to find information for themselves, to navigate the digital world that is everywhere and rapidly shifting, whereas I am not confident that these are goals of all higher education instructors.  I do believe that this is the value that a liberal arts education brings to students.