Tag Archives: college

Every year, Beloit College issues their Mindset List. (I wrote about it last year as well.) The Mindset list helps the instructors know what they’re dealing with – how do these kids think?

It’s an amazing list that makes you feel old and slightly in awe. Things that you already take for granted, for instance, haven’t really been around that long.

This year, the Mindset List is for the incoming freshmen, graduating class of 2013, born in 1991. Here are just a few examples from the list of 75 items:

• The Green Giant has always been Shrek, not the big guy picking vegetables.
• They have never used a card catalog to find a book.
• Salsa has always outsold ketchup.
• Tattoos have always been very chic and highly visible.
• They have been preparing for the arrival of HDTV all their lives.
• The KGB has never officially existed.
• Text has always been hyper.
• Cable television systems have always offered telephone service and vice versa.
• There has always been a Cartoon Network.
• They have always been able to read books on an electronic screen.
• We have always watched wars, coups, and police arrests unfold on television in real time
• There have always been flat screen televisions.
• They have always eaten Berry Berry Kix.
• Britney Spears has always been heard on classic rock stations.
• They have never been Saved by the Bell
• There has always been a Planet Hollywood.
• There has always been a computer in the Oval Office.
• Migration of once independent media like radio, TV, videos and compact discs to the computer has never amazed them.
• There has always been blue Jell-O.

__

Cheers!

Tweet Michelle @writetechnology, send her technology news at michelle[at]writetech[dot]net, visit her wine blog when you’re thirsty, and drop by her day job.

by Michelle Lentz

Before I get started, let me just tell you that I’m not ignoring all the wonderful (and sometimes odd) startups that announced at TechCrunch50 and DEMOFall08. In fact, I’m a bit overwhelmed by all the reporting. It’s going to take m a couple of days to work my way through it all.

Until then, I’ve got some other interesting startups to call your attention to. In fact, if you’re a college student, or the parent of a college student, you might be more than a little interested in TextBookRevolt.com.

Until recently, this site was known as SocialBib. TextBookRevolt not only makes more sense, but it is the perfect descriptor. I kept a few of my college textbooks – mostly my literature books and maybe a few of the acting books. I hurriedly sold back the $90 general geology books and recieved in turn my $20 from the bookstore. Really, the cost of textbooks is infuriating. A few years back I taught Computer Science at a local college and I went out of my way to find regular books that were available on Amazon.com for affordable prices.

But Calculus, Biology, Programming, and other courses aren’t as fortunate. The books are just going to cost a lot of money. If your professor hasn’t gone e-book yet, then you might want to turn to TextBookRevolt. It’s sort of the perfect combination of Bookcrossing.com and your local used book store.

The basic premise is that students post the books they want to give away and the books they need. The site will help you find a match. Ideally, you’ll find a match on your own campus, but you may have to ship out books. (In which case, the site encourages you to use the low-cost USPS Media Mail option.) You can’t wait until the last minute to use this site, but it can definitely save you some money. You’re giving away your textbooks, but you’re also getting books in return.

I can’t tell you a whole lot more than that, as it requires a .edu address to register for the site. That keeps journalists and spammers out of the site. TextbookRevolt also has a Facebook application, making it even easier for their core audience to connect. I know if I was in college I’d definitely give this site a try.

__
Contact Michelle with your news, apps, and events via email, Twitter, Pownce, or FriendFeed. Visit Michelle at Wine-Girl.net and Write Technology.

by Michelle Lentz

Every year Beloit College prepares the Mindset List, which provides the worldview of the incoming freshmen. Most of those freshmen were born in 1990, which rather blows my mind, and they will graduate college (ideally) in 2012. The mindset list is almost freakish – I can’t believe some of these references.

The list is great at making you feel old, but it’s also fantastic for looking at those folks who will be your employees in about 4 years or so. From that perspective, a mindset list isn’t a bad idea. There are 60 items on the list; I thought I’d share just a couple.

4. GPS satellite navigation systems have always been available.

17. Club Med resorts have always been places to take the whole family.

18. WWW has never stood for World Wide Wrestling.

22. Clarence Thomas has always sat on the Supreme Court.

28. IBM has never made typewriters.

33. The Tonight Show has always been hosted by Jay Leno and started at 11:35 EST.

34. Pee-Wee has never been in his playhouse during the day.

51. The Windows 3.0 operating system made IBM PCs user-friendly the year they were born.

__
Contact Michelle with your news, apps, and events via email, Twitter, Pownce, or FriendFeed. Visit Michelle at Wine-Girl.net and Write Technology.