Before examining the opportunities and challenges in educating the Millennium Generation, I decided to see how this particular generation is defined by Wikipedia. What I discovered is that the Millennium Generation is referred to by many different names, including Generation Y, Millennial Generation, Millennials, Generation Next, Net Generation, and Echo Boomers ("Generation Y", n.d.). Regardless of what you call this generation, the characteristics they share are generally undisputed: "an increased use and familiarity with communications, media, and digital technologies" ("Generation Y", n.d., para. 2).
So what does this mean for educators? In order to effectively teach this generation, it behooves us to consider the opportunities, as well as the challenges, we are likely to face. According to Horne (2010), "these [are] high-tech students, many of whom have short attention spans and very little interest in their teachers' 'antiquated' teaching practices" (p. 10). The YouTube video entitled "Joe's Non-Netbook" (Lehmann, 2008) confirms that many Millennials view the traditional printed textbook as "antiquated".
Fortunately, the Michigan Educational Technology Standards for Students (2009) aims to move beyond the printed page. Consider a few of the expectations outlined therein: (1) communication and collaboration, (2) research and information fluency, and (3) digital citizenship. Setting well defined technology standards supports the shift in education as described by Horne (2010), "...educators and students benefit from this exciting shift in education that emphasizes application, rather than just acquisition of knowledge" (p. 11).
However, despite the many opportunities afforded by the implementation of technology in the classroom, there are many challenges too. For example, although technology enhances research and information fluency, the students I help everyday often lack the fundamental, underlying knowledge of the research process itself. These students are at a great disadvantage despite their comfort level with technology in general. Case in point, if a student is unaware of how to construct a search strategy using Boolean operators and truncation, they are likely to retrieve far too many results from a database search (assuming they know which database to search in the first place).
Another challenge is related to the concept of digital citizenship. Although technology enables students to explore the world like never before, it also exposes them to more dangers. These dangers go beyond online predators. I was shocked to discover that "more than a quarter of young people have been involved in some form [of sexting]" while the prevalence of sexting is even greater among young adults ("Poll finds sexting common," 2009). What I found most disturbing of all was the students' nonchalant attitude. Has it become so commonplace that it is now the new normal for so many of today's youth?
As educators, I believe that we must first understand how technology has affected this generation so that we can better guide them in how to use it more effectively and, in some cases, more wisely. We are teaching in an exciting time when the opportunities and challenges are great indeed. While watching Joe's reaction to the printed text in Joe's Non-Netbook, the phrase "the world is flat" came to mind. Those living so many ages before us thought the world was flat. Joe's perception of the printed textbook was that it too was flat. But Joe and his generation know that the learning experience doesn't have to be that way. As educators, let's explore the possibilities that exist when we use educational technology to make learning a more interactive and "less flat" experience. After all, the Millennium Generation expects nothing less.
Bibliography:
Chris Lehmann (Poster). Joe's Non-Netbook [video]. (2009, March 28). Retrieved from http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SkhpmEZWuRQ
Generation Y. (n.d.). Retrieved from http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Generation_Y
Horne, M. (2010). A new role for CTE. Techniques: Connecting Education and Careers, 85(4), 10-11.
Michigan Educational Technology Standards for Students (METS-S): Alignment with NETS 2007 and the 21st century framework (2009). Retrieved from http://techplan.edzone.net/METS/
Poll finds sexting common among youth (2009). eSchool News. Retrieved from http://www.eschoolnews.com/2009/12/03/poll-finds-sexting-common-among-youth/
What a beautiful job you did outlining the importance of understanding our students' generation to educate them properly. Your reference to the fact that "the world was flat" is a great comparison to the use of technology in the classroom. Furthermore, I agree that students are lacking the basic fundamentals of research as well. There are a lot of distractions for students on the internet, and without properly knowing how to search for information, an abundance of research time may be lost. I'm sure that in your line of work your eyes are open to this concept more than most people. Thank you for sharing your thoughts on such an important topic!
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