Beloit College Mindset List

Beloit College has posted its Mindset List for the Class of 2012:

The class of 2012 has grown up in an era where computers and rapid communication are the norm, and colleges no longer trumpet the fact that residence halls are “wired” and equipped with the latest hardware. These students will hardly recognize the availability of telephones in their rooms since they have seldom utilized landlines during their adolescence. They will continue to live on their cell phones and communicate via texting. Roommates, few of whom have ever shared a bedroom, have already checked out each other on Facebook where they have shared their most personal thoughts with the whole world.

I've been reading these since they posted the first one for the Class of 2002, and I'm always amazed at what cultural touchstones students are either missing or consider to be as if they had always been with us. One of my most vivid memories was asking one of my high school students about this item on the Class of 2002 list:

28. "The Tonight Show" has always been with Jay Leno.

She agreed. I asked her if she knew who Johnny Carson was, and she looked into the distance and said that while her generation knew he had been the host of "The Tonight Show," they never really thought about it.

I'd like to see the Class of 2002's reaction to the list for the Class of 2012...

Author Photo Adventures

In her post Adventures in Author Photos, gnomi presents two photos she took that we were considering for my author photo.

I think people will be amused by the second photo....