net gen - how do we teach them?

Who are they?

Who are we?

…and most importantly

How do we teach them?

Who are THEY?

Students today are digital, social and multitask masters.

They pay “continuous partial attention.”

They are online all day seeking communication and virtual contact.

Expressing themselves online is done so frequently and effortlessly, that it is not differentiated from face-to-face contact.

Who are THEY?

They are accustomed to information arriving in instant video, audio and text extractions.

They are used to processing an assortment of information coming from both the electronic and physical world simultaneously.

Who are THEY?

BABY BOOMERS GENERATION X

Description Me generation Latchkey generation

Attributes OptimisticWorkaholic

IndependentSkeptical

Likes ResponsibilityWork ethicCan-do attitude

Public activismLatest technologyParents

Dislikes LazinessTurning 50

Red tapeHype

Who are WE?

Who are THEY?

“Digital Natives”

Who are WE?

“Digital Immigrants”

• It's part of our world.• Technology is so embedded in our society, it'd be hard not to know how to use it.• It's really helpful - it makes things faster.• Abstract concepts are often easier to grasp when technology is used effectively as a teaching tool.• Some students at my school who weren't great students are better ones now thanks to computers.• Technology allows us to learn as much as we want to about virtually any topic.• I usually connect with friends either to get help or to help others.

When high school students were asked why technology is essential to their education, responses included:

Prensky, 2001:

“ Digital Natives accustomed to the twitch-speed, multitasking, random-access, graphics- first, active, connected, fun, fantasy, quick-payoff world of their video games, MTV, and Internet are bored by most of today’s education, well meaning as it may be. The cognitive differences of the Digital Natives cry out for new approaches to education with a better fit.”

Tapscott, 2009:

“ The current…model of education…is not appropriate for kids who have grown up digital and are used to interacting with people, not just listening. The old educational model might have been suitable for the Industrial Age, but it makes no sense for the digital economy, or for the new generation of learners. We should change the education system to make it relevant to them.”

Pletka, 2007 This generation increasingly perceives that school is of no value. Analog teaching methods and the TTT (talk, text, test) approach to lessons is driving the statistic up.

“…in the last 20 years the numbers of students who find schoolwork meaningless has risen another 12%. Additionally, the number of student dropouts has also risen from about 23% in 1969 to its current rate of 32%”

What Does This Mean

Our World is Changing

EducationMust Change Too

•They're consumers rather than producers of knowledge. • Students expect teachers to know technology. That means software. Note: computers are not technology. Computers are like sewers and roads. They're just there. • Reality is no longer real. What happens in cyberspace is just as real as in the physical world. • "Doing" is more important than "knowing." In other words, what you know is less important than knowing where to get the answer. "You don't have to master the subject anymore," Sharpe said.

What do we know?

•They have zero tolerance for delays. When they send an email, they want an answer immediately. • They're master multi-taskers. Music, TV, computer games, chat rooms -- all are operating while the student is studying at a workstation. • They prefer typing to handwriting. • They blur the lines between consumer and creator by sampling information on the Internet and producing new forms of expression.

What do we know? (cont.)

How does this…

Become this?

• Breaking up lectures with group work, adding multimedia elements and online extras will please our Net Gen students.

• Strategies for a more active lecture include, using video clips, mini-demonstrations, interactive games, student collaboration, podcasts and on-line discussions: blogs, forums, etc.

• In the case of library instruction and reference, providing 24/7-chat, LibGuides, full-text databases, e-books and digital videos or streamed content are necessary.

How to Reach & Teach the NetGen

• Instead of coming in with lesson plans that begin “Here are the three causes of [whatever], please take notes,” try “There are three main causes of [whatever it is]. You have 15 minutes to use your technology to find them, and then we’ll discuss what you’ve found.”

• Use blogs for writing assignments and peer-critiques. Millennials are self publishing on a daily basis and enjoy social networking sites. Points could be awarded for genuine participation and peer assistance though these online support systems outside of class.

• Use chat functionality to establish peer relationships and support outside of the classroom.

Alternatives to Lecture

•Use the Library’s online resources, chat, eBooks, digital videos, etc.

• Connect students with professionals online: photographers, writers and researchers via email to receive critiques on their work.

• Clickers are another example of incorporating interactive technology with teaching. Clickers can create an interactive learning experience.

Alternatives to Lecture (cont.)

• Be clear about boundaries and expectations, and enforce them. • Avoid using technology for technology's sake. • Help students develop concentration and focus in their learning -- qualities that are being fragmented by multi-tasking. • Make them better and smarter consumers of knowledge. Help convert them from passive consumers to active producers. • Define teacher’s role in this new environment. Show them good teaching practices that use technology. • Don't lose sight of the objective to encourage "deep learning" with course and curriculum design. • Don't let students' expectations drive course design and pedagogy.

Good Practices

Just when you thought it was safe…

The Next Challenge…

The “Neomillennial”

“Neomillennial” Learning Styles

•Fluency in multiple media and in simulation-based virtual settings•Communal learning involving diverse, tacit, situated experience, with knowledge distributed across a community and a context as well as within an individual•A balance among experiential learning, guided mentoring, and collective reflection•Expression through nonlinear, associational webs of representations•Co-design of learning experiences personalized to individual needs and preferences

How Can We Keep Up?

• Change educational culture and norms.• Educate all faculty & staff through relevant & on-going professional development.• Coordinate all technology purchases.• Secure consistent funding for technology.• Provide responsive technical support.• Encourage parent & community involvement.

How Can We Keep Up?

•Is it Age or IT: First Steps Toward Understanding the Net Generation http://www.educause.edu/Resources/EducatingtheNetGeneration/IsItAgeorITFirstStepsTowardUnd/6058•Planning for Neomillenial Learning Styles: http://www.educause.edu/EDUCAUSE+Quarterly/EDUCAUSEQuarterlyMagazineVolum/PlanningforNeomillennialLearni/157325•Educating the Next Wave: http://www.therecord.com/links/links_06042615593.html•Educating the Net Generation – Pletka•Digital Natives, Digital Immigrants – Prensky•Grown Up Digital - Tapscott

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