Conflicting Assumptions about Literacies

This week I interviewed a high school student on his Internet use. I think college teachers are making a lot of assumptions about what kids know.
1. This student only looks at the "first page" of the website and is pretty sure that everything he needs is there. He does not go to links.
2. This student almost exclusively uses Wikipedia because it comes first in a Google search; in his mind, first is best.
3. High schools block almost everything, but Wikipedia is not blocked. Thus, they have fewer choices to make.
Knowing these points, and interviewing other students, will help me with incoming college freshman. The Leu et al article on the following website, argues for the idea of framing the Internet as a literacy issue.
http://www.aera.net/publications/Default.aspx?menu_id=38&id=7886

One of my roles as a High School Liaison is to understand the differences between English educators at the high school, community college, and university and to try to help bridge those differences. This is important for high school teachers so they will better understand what their students might face; for university teachers, so they know what students are bringing with them to college and to better prepare future teachers; and for community college teachers who are in the middle. As an interviewer of prospective community college faculty, I think this article does an excellent job of explaining what community college faculty face, which is not always understood by university faculty. http://chronicle.com/jobs/news/2009/05/2009052901c.htm

What differences have you noticed?

P.S. As I was finishing up this post, a recent GVSU graduate and former student of mine excitedly called me from Houston to tell me that she just got a teaching job at a diverse elementary school. Congratulations, Ali!