There's something about going to school that keeps my brain active. I don't know if it's the sustained reading, the intellectual discussions, the constantly changing subjects and challenges--or just the motivation I get from regular essay deadlines. But since finishing my schooling (yeah, right, as if I'll never go back), my brain has definitely slowed.

What happens when the teacher steps away--briefly or for an entire term--from the front of the classroom, literally and metaphorically? Instructors at colleges and universities around the world have been trying to subvert the traditional hierarchies of the classroom by using web 2.0 tools to encourage students to collaborate actively not only on projects, but on the construction of conversations and entire courses.

Recently, the director of the teaching resources center where I work turned to me and asked, "What does it mean for students at our university to be digitally literate?" And if answering that question wasn't complicated enough, the additional question implied within it--and how can we encourage instructors to instill digital literacy in their students?--is even more daunting.