Where are my Students in the Digital Spectrum?

In order to understand where your students are in terms of their use and understanding of digital technologies, consider asking the following questions as a survey on the first day of class:

1. How many of you have read a blog?
2. How many of you have your own blog?
3. How many of you have a profile on a network like Facebook, MySpace or Nexopia?
4. How many of you have watched a video on YouTube?
5. Have any of you posted a video on YouTube?
6. Have any of you had an image of you posted on the net without your permission?
7. Do any of you play M.M.O.R.P.G.'s?
8. How many of you know what an M.M.O.R.P.G is?
9. How many of you have an avatar in Second Life?
10. How many of you have participated in Yahoo Answers (asking or answering)?

You may be surprised at how much of an online presence your students have...

I bet you are asking yourself "What the heck is an M.M.O.R.P.G.?"
I am glad you asked. It is a Massive Multi-Player Online Role Playing Game. The most well-known example is World of Warcraft, but there are many others including Everquest II, LOR online, Guild Wars, City of Villains, Dark Age of Camelot, and so on.

These games emulate 'real' environments in that the 'world' continues to exist and to change while the user is not online. The users must work collaboratively, form groups and alliances in order to reach the goals that are presented within the game. Most people in our generation have a hard time seeing the benefit and the draw of this type of environment. Students today have had a great deal of experience with involvement, communication, collaboration and creation. This may give them a different expectation of their learning environments.