It is probably a good thing that Colleges begin testing students' Internet IQ.
"They're real comfortable instant-messaging, downloading MP3 files. They're less comfortable using technology in ways that require real critical thinking...Some of the institutions involved are considering using the test on incoming students to see if they need remedial classes," says Teresa Egan of the Educational Testing Service.
I really want to see the test before jumping in on this...but I do have a few generational concerns. Will the educators in these same institutions be tested to see how they compare with the student body? Will there be some sort of IIQ (Internet Informatics Quotient) that will be expected of the entire university community (can't you see it now in the promotional material)? And what if...the hunters become the hunted (i.e. the student IIQ begins to exceed that of those who propose to teach them)? Is this the juncture when students become more accountable for the actual learning of an entire learning community (including the instructor)? Will prospective faculty be expected to exhibit an IIQ of a particular level? And, the ultimate discomforting question: How would I do on such a test compared to incoming students?..(it is, afterall, all about me! *grin*)