Tech-Savvy Students?

I had a class yesterday afternoon even though it is summer. They're on their way to London and Prague for two weeks as part of a business May Term course. I was helping them get set up with a class blog on Blogger and a Flickr group to assemble thoughts and pictures on the trip for their families and future students. This is definitely an experiment and I can't wait to see the results.

So I asked the nine students if any of them kept a blog on MySpace or Facebook, or any other program. None of them raised their hand. I had thought a few would have used this feature of social networking. When I got to Flickr, I asked them how many had a Flickr account, and only one of the nine raised their hand. I should have asked how many posted pictures on MySpace or Facebook, I probably would have gotten more hands.

I have been assuming that these students are using all of the major Web 2.0 tools that I have become obsessed with, but I think that's a wrong assumption. I know they're using MySpace and Facebook, I've asked in large groups before and nearly everyone raises their hand. I think next time I have the change, I would like to hear what features they use, and how they use them.

I hope they have fun blogging. This could be a great product when the trip is over.