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The best thing about this generation of web tools is the potential for dialogue. More importantly, it’s the ability to put an idea out there, get criticized, rebut that criticism, and still get feedback from the critic. It’s not always that rosy, but when it is, it’s very good.

I want to point you first to a post in which Michael Wesch, the coordinating professor of the “A Vision of Students Today” project noted earlier this week, has highlighted a reply from a reader flipping the perspective of the video back to eyes of a professor. I think the reader’s point will resonate well with many educators.

Equally striking is Wesch’s reply, (Clarifications on “A Vision…”) to a post by District Administrator columnist, Gary Stager. Stager takes Wesch to task and Wesch steps up to the challenge. This is a very well stated reply and represents a top-notch example of such an online exchange.

His most notable statement, in my opinion, without regard to this particular context is this:

The great myth is that these “digital natives” know more about this new information environment than we do. But here’s the reality: they may be experts in entertaining themselves online, but they know almost nothing about educating themselves online.

Again, I’m always interested in your reactions. See the comments link just below this post on the tech blog site and add your reply.

Something to chew on. Take a look at this short film (If the clips are missing in your email or RSS reader, go direct to the tech blog and view it there).

More clips are available at mediacultures.net at Kansas State University. A transcript is available on the class blog.

So… what do you think? I realize there are an abundance of ‘ya, buts,” but I’m interested in your thoughts on what this means for us today. What reasonable steps could be taken in the direction needed? Be careful not to dismiss that content as irrelevant just because these are older students. Add your comments/responses on the Instructional Tech blog site.

Two other sidenotes:

1.) The collaborative editing tool noted in the video is Google Docs. It is free, accessible anywhere online (It remains blocked in some districts. Ask.), and includes essential word processing, spreadsheet and presentation tools. This is a great tool for collaborative student projects, especially in that it tracks user edits making it possible to see who’s actively participating.

2.) Some people have raised the points the students make about using Facebook and working on other things during class as just cause to ban the use of laptops and other devices from the classroom, most commonly in college settings. The real question this raises is whether the laptops are the cause or the effect of the distraction.