In the same vein as Caroline's post, I will discuss digital literacy. Because I don't use it, I am still confused by the generation terminology. Generation X, Y, millenium babies, Ok I know what the last one is.

I'm told that my generation (and likely yours if you are reading this) grew up with the digital age and the generation currently in elementary school is growing up benefiting from and better utilizing the structure in place. However, because many of my instructors were (and in some cases continue to be) relatively technology illiterate, many classroom experiences did not go beyond basic word processing. I am sandwhiched between older generations that expect my expertise due to, rather than in spite of my youth, and a younger generation more in love with information technology than I ever was or am.

A former roommate spoke of a new divide occurring. In the 90's, the technology literacy divide was based upon who could send email or program a television remote. That divide still exists, but a further division has cropped up. This separates those who can simply send email and chat online from those who can create and edit webpages, alter photos, do file transfers, and perhaps play advanced games. (I will not consider advanced programming a further divide because I see it squarely within the professional realm).

This roommate observed that, like so many other things, the second divide was one of cash flow. Students attending better funded schools, and who went home to more elaborate computers learned what I will call the advanced basic skills while those in poorly funded areas rarely learned more than the shape of a keyboard.

This is perhaps a bit harsh, and I do not disagree with Caroline that anything beyond the basics is unnecessary. But I do point out that in many cases, those bound for college and beyond are often expected to know more about computer use, the internet in particular, than their instructors. I wonder how this will change over the coming decades as today's information literate learners take up faculty positions.