Father Google and Mother IMConfessions of a Net Gen Learner

Carie Windham, student, University of Ulster

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Opening up the Millennial Mind

1. Meet the Net Generation2. From characteristics to campus3. Secrets 4. Bridging the divide

View expressed in this presentation may not be

representative of the Net Generation as a whole. But

more on that later….

My computer is the nucleus of my workspace.

When I need info – from how to cite a paper to directions – I’m going online.

Besides IM or e-mail, my cell phone is my primary method of communication.

I’m usually juggling five things at once.

My planner is always full.

Life revolves around the “Big Three.”

The Usual Suspects

Alias: The OverachieverCurrent sentence: freshman,

landscape architectureCrime: Once reported to the

class that an assignment was due on Friday, not Wednesday, so he could claim the only “A” in class. He was 10 years old.

“I’m no idiot. Straight A’s and a college degree

don’t guarantee anything. I’m going to

fight my way to the top -- that’s the only way to

succeed.”

Academically Driven

• Class of 4,500• 77 valedictorians, 87

salutatorians• 70 percent in top 20 percent

of class• Average GPA of 4.11• 22 with perfect reading score

on SAT• 44 perfect math scores• More than half with AP credits

The Usual Suspects

Alias: The Future SpielbergCurrent sentence: sophomore,

mathematicsCrime: Entertained her friends

with verbal caricatures of her office mates on her blog. Then the office caught wind of it…

“I’ve never taken a class in building a Web page or editing a video. But I do it. Why? Because I like that kind of stuff. I

just click my way through it.”

Creators and Explorers

• Blogs, YouTube, Flickr, etc. • Combining platforms

(promoting bands on MySpace)

• Toss out the instruction book• 27.7 percent create and edit

video and audio• 28.6 percent create Web

pages

- ECAR, 2006

The Usual Suspects

Alias: Instant Access ManCurrent sentence: freshman,

undecidedCrime: Left the McDonald’s

drive-through one day because it was “taking too long.” It had been five minutes.

“They call this the information age or something, right?

Look, I want things fast! I don’t wait for video, I don’t wait or mail, I don’t wait for

anything. If I ever had to use dial-up again, I

might shoot myself.”

• 97.8 percent own computers• 38.3 percent started college with laptop and desktop•98.8 percent use to compose coursework• 70.6 percent use Web “recreationally” • 73.4 percent play games

- ECAR, 2006

Technologically Adept

The Usual Suspects

Alias: The Servant LeaderCurrent sentence: senior,

biologyCrime: Turned down a lucrative

offer at a pharmaceutical company to apply for Teach for America. Her mother still refuses her calls.

“My dad is all about, ‘Make money. Make

money.’ I don’t see the purpose in that if it doesn’t fulfill me. I want to be happy. I

want to make a difference. If I’m good enough, money won’t

be an issue.”

Service-minded

• 83 percent of high school students say they volunteered before college

• Survey at University of Texas reveals more than 74 percent of undergraduates do service hours during semester

• Almost 3,000,000 hours of service

The Usual Suspects

Alias: The Life of the PartyCurrent sentence: junior

accountingCrime: Invited her entire

Facebook friends list to her 21st birthday party. It was 500 people.

“My parents don’t understand. They think

that talking online must be impersonal. Or that is

leaves some sort of void. Online is how I talk. I can

communicate with so many more people and manage

so many more relationships. She thinks

I’m more isolated than her generation – I think it’s the

opposite.”

Social creatures

• 99.9 percent create, read and send e-mail

• More than 80 percent use IM daily

• Facebook, a college networking site, counts 16 million users

- ECAR, 2006

The Usual Suspects

Alias: The Multi-TaskerCurrent sentence: junior,

zoologyCrime: On Friday he wrote a

term paper, swiped cards at the gym, ordered flip flops from J. Crew, balanced his checkbook, and set up plans for the weekend – all at the same time.

“If you look at my computer, there are at

last six windows open at the same time.

Information can be accessed so fast and so

easy, why not use that to get more done at the

same time?”

Multi-taskers

• Computer lab observations• Online multitasking

mimicks social patterns• Wireless capability only

expands ability to multitask

-Jones, 2002

The Usual Suspects

Alias: On the Road JoeCurrent sentence: freshman, art

historyCrime: Likes to sit outside the

homes in his neighborhood fishing for wireless.

“I like to take my work and my life anywhere.

That might be texting on the bus or listening to

music when I’m running. Or just checking e-mail

when I’m waiting between classes.”

Mobile Users• iPods more “in” than beer• Still “wired” when wireless• 61.3 percent own

music/video device• 19.8 percent use a PDA or

smart phone

- ECAR, 2006

Translating to the classroom

• Overbooked• Want to explore• Community outreach• ADD• Want technology options• Like interaction, social spaces• Want to learn anywhere

Driven Creators Service-minded Multi-taskers Technology users Social creatures Increasingly Mobile

Overbooked

- Students like organizational features of CMS

- Would be great to be able to access our schedule and campus events in one location

- Like to be able to take our learning on the go – think podcasting supplementals

Creators

- Have “toys” available for use on campus

- Consider alternative formats for classwork

- Don’t put limitations on imagination

Service Minded

- Show connections between our class and the world

- Imagine a spring break trip to Belfast to do cross-community relations

- Think of doing an ad campaign for a start-up company

- What about volunteering at a local non-profit for credit?

Multi-Taskers

- Don’t be a talking head- Present in multiple formats- Show a pig’s

decomposition, don’t recite facts

- Play anti-war music, don’t talk about the movement

- Show an adaptation of The Painted Veil

Technology Users

- Remember, we communicate with technology, consider it

- Open your mind to the technologies we want to use

- For class messages, look at how we receive info

Social Creatures

- Give us a chance to collaborate online

- Create places where we can collaborate

- Encourage discussion in class

- Participate in discussion boards

- Class seating to reflect group thinking

Increasingly Mobile

- Let us take our learning on the go

- Think about a “guided tour” on our cell phone

- Let me download a lecture to my iPod

- Create places that support working anywhere

#1We’re not

expecting to write a blog,

while listening to podcasts,

after we meet you in Second

Life.

A Few Secrets….

A Few Secrets….

• We think we’re ahead of the curve. • Expectations are low.• Yet, desires are high. #1

We’re not expecting to write a blog,

while listening to podcasts,

after we meet you in Second

Life.

#2We’re not sure we want to see

you on Facebook.

A Few Secrets….

#2We’re not sure we want to see

you on Facebook.

A Few Secrets….• Students use technology to communicate and to socialize. They might not want it in the classroom. •Think less about the technology, more about the intended use. • Ex:

See iPods Find Class use Identify Need (Mobility) Look for Technology

• Make sure technology connects to learning goals. We don’t want busy work!

#3We’re not the tech geeks you think we are.

A Few Secrets….

#3We’re not the tech geeks you think we are.

A Few Secrets….• The ocean is an inch deep• Use technologies important to our interests.• Might not understand older technologies

#4We can navigate the Web but we

can’t really analyze it.

A Few Secrets….

A Few Secrets….

•We know how to use the Web, but we rarely think about that use. • Often confused about how to look for resources or who to trust. • Might not think about or understand copyright. • A bit ignorant about how our information is used or viewed. • Need instruction in info-literacy

#4We can navigate the Web but we

can’t really analyze it.

#5Yeah,

technology is distracting. But so’s doodling.

A Few Secrets….

#5Yeah,

technology is distracting. But so’s doodling.

A Few Secrets….

CLICK HERE:

blogs.usatoday.com/gennext

#5Yeah,

technology is distracting. But so’s doodling.

A Few Secrets….• Technology has nothing to do with our attention spans. • Use technology to engage class. Ex: Listen to music on iPod. Point students to sites• Who said you had to be behind the podium? • Make expectations clear.

View expressed in this presentation may not be

representative of the Net Generation as a whole. But

more on that later….

“If an evaluation is the only thing standing

between me and the door. I’m thinking about the door.”

- Meredith B.

How do you talk to students?

• Don’t rely upon “end-of-course” feedback. • Don’t give a survey at the end of class. • “Free food” and “free perks” always work. • Odds are low if you circulate an e-mail without an incentive.• Low pressure group conversations work better than one-on-one.

Places to look….

www.digitallearning.macfound.org

blogs.usatoday.com/gennext

www.pbs.org/newshour/generation-next

www.educause.edu/NetGenerationLearners/5515

Copyright Carie Windham, 2007. This work is the intellectual property of the author. Permission is granted for this material to be shared for non-commercial, educational purposes, provided that this copyright statement appears on the reproduced materials and notice is given that the copying is by permission of the author. To disseminate otherwise or to republish requires written permission from the author.