Class obersvations

I have just completed an observation in a business class this morning.  I was able to watch my teacher keep students involved in the assignments.  The students were creating items in Publisher.  He put an interesting twist in their assignment by having the students take the point of no knowledge of Microsoft.  This caused the students to rethink how they were presenting the material.  Some of the students struggled when he asked them questions, since they assume all have the basic knowledge required to run publisher.  These students made a reference to," using Microsoft publisher since elementary school."  They also stated, "we have made a lot of fliers through out their school years."  Ultimately this shows the experience level of our high school students, and their countless experiences in creating.
One of assignments in graduate school class was to research 21st century learners, and schools.  If students have a lot of experience using different applications, to make the routine assignments more meaningful do we not have change the expectations? Allow them to create, but make sure they move from their comfort level to unknown areas.   I think if we continue to just do things similar, students will continue to just turn in what is expected with little to no thought involved.  The difference between great teaching and just getting the job done centers on higher expectations and making students do more than expected.  This requires more planning, more work and the ability to make appropriate changes.