A lot has changed in the almost twenty years since I last attended college at The George Washington University (GWU) in Washington, DC – new buildings on campus, unfamiliar faces, new courses and the evolution of the digital age.

As a GWU alumnus, I recently decided to audit a graduate course on social media marketing. What I did not realize when I enrolled is that going back to school would be like stepping into the future – a future I used to imagine for my high school-aged boys when they got to college.

Consider my latest class experience, as described in a recent Facebook post:
1. Upload the week’s homework assignment to Blackboard, from my laptop before leaving the office.
2. Catch up with my wife while riding the Metro into DC, by speaking with and texting her on my iPhone.
3. Check-in at GWU using the Foursquare Mobile app on my iPhone, while standing in line at the Starbuck’s near Phillips Hall.
4. [Arrived at class to find a note on the door telling us that class had been moved from Phillips Hall to a new location]  Use the GW Mobile app on my iPhone to get walking directions to Funger Hall.
5. [Missed the new classroom number on the note posted on the door at Phillips Hall; no time to walk back to get it]  Access GW email upon arrival at Funger Hall, using my iPhone to find the room number where class is meeting.
6. Participate in class by Tweeting about the guest speaker’s presentation on my iPad, using pre-established hashtags.

7. Trade Facebook messages with a friend of mine who is attending a GWU basketball game across the street, using my iPhone (he saw my earlier check-in on Facebook and knew that I was here).
8. Surf the web on my iPad during class to look up topics mentioned during the presentation that I am unfamiliar with.
9. Receive personalized feedback from the presenter via the Twitter Mobile app on my iPhone, thanking me for my participation in class, while riding the Metro back home.
10. Connect with the presenter in LinkedIn, using my laptop while watching TV later that night. 

So, I’ve become the tech-savvy college student of the digital age...and the future I used to imagine. How are you using the tools of the digital age to engage your future?