Ubiquitous access to information is a good thing when using sources of information that are presenting correct, unbiased information.  Students having access to this information is a great thing when they should be using it.  If a student is curious about a subject and wants to go deeper than their lesson did, they are able to use the internet to learn more.  If a student needs clarification on a topic that they didn’t quite understand they can access material such as khan academy to find that clarification that they need.  However, easy access to information can quickly become a problem when sources are not reliable or when students are accessing them when they should not be. For example, if students find their homework assignment online and don’t take the time to check the answers, they are not only cheating on their homework and not properly covering the material but are also getting the wrong answers.  Similarly, topics that are controversial are likely to have very strong divides on the internet and it can often be hard to discern what is true from false or what has actual support versus what is just opinion. Ubiquitous access to information has, for the most part, limited students’ critical thinking and creativity. Unless a student is pushing beyond the material covered in class, most students are using the ubiquitous access to simply find answers to their homework problems thereby cheating themselves of truly learning the content.  In some cases, the homework is meant to challenge the students by asking them to think creatively or critically, and rather than engaging it and developing that skill they just look the answer up online. Often times, students use the information when they are being challenged to avoid the challenge and thereby avoid developing their critical and creative thinking.  

Ms. Tucker could help her students develop 21st century skills more by giving them a set amount of time to brainstorm on their own during class or even outside of class.  Then after time is up or during the next class, she could go over her procedure to make sure the kids have the right idea of what they should do or should have done. Any discrepancies or mistakes could become learning opportunities for the students to critically analyze the situation and figure out what did or did not work and why.  Structuring times like this for the students to be on their own and then come back together to look at what they’ve done is a good way for Ms. Tucker to maintain the integrity and efficiency of her class while also allowing her students to grow and develop 21st century skills.