It seems to me that my younger students, say those in their early thirties or younger, have embraced technology to the point of not needing to retain information. Many of them see the internet as their bank of knowledge that they can refer to at any time to gather facts, and that facts equal knowledge. Having a keen ability to do an internet search, and quote things found therein, in my opinion, does not constitute "knowledge". While I believe technology is an excellent tool, it is only that, a tool, and like most tools, without the knowledge to know how to get things done without it makes one venerable and is a setup to fail.

One of the issues, for this cohort is a lack of experience in writing essays or answering essay questions. Many of these students write the way they speak, which is to say that they use slang and acronyms; rather than write out the word "you" they use the letter "U". Their spelling is poor although they have the benefit of "spellcheck". What can be done to help them learn to write whole words and sentences which make sense.

With "problems" like ADD, ADHD, weird behavior,quirks that aren't the "norm" and other individual traits a person may have. These traits are seen a problems that need a cure, so the students can conform to classroom rules and standards. This way they can all learn the same information that everyone else is learning. My Question is, are we holding back some people who may be great thinkers who would think outside the box and discovery new things or look at things differently to resolve problems that the "normal" people have not. By giving them drugs and counseling to try to turn them into everyone else? We may be preventing them from ever becoming the people they could have been. I.E. weird/not normal people like, Newton, Einstein,Henry Ford, Benjamin Franklin, Thomas Edison, Orville Wright, Wilbur Wright, and Alexander Graham Bell. The list is huge, this is a small example.

I am an automotive instructor and teach about the importance of customer satisfaction, csi scores, language, appearance ect. to students who want to fix cars, but these above qualities are very important to todays employers. Trying to make them realize that they may be the best technician ever, but if they can not communicate with a customer it is all for not now is very hard for some students to get

We do not let phones out at all during each period which last 2 hours. Some students can not deal with it and they try and sneak a check. We have to give out infractions to get them to stop. We need to come to some kind of an understanding on this issue. The phones are part of everyone's life now.

I have noticed that even though these gen y students think that they can do it all, the ones who are multi tasking with their electronics do not get all of the information needed when doing theory. They basically get all of the electronic info, but loose out on good old listening

So I am early gen y 1984, most of my students are also of gen y. I do find it's pretty easy for me to relate with them and teach them the information they need to learn. I do have a few students that come from boomer and gen-x generations. I do find that teaching boomers is difficult. I have to completely change my methods and strip back the technology. Gen-X seems to be easier to teach than the boomer generation but it really is a hit or miss depending on how early in this generation they are.

I love this idea. I have my students create a Plagiarism Contract in week one of my class and it has the same effect. Let them research what plagiarism is, let them tell you what the consequences are and have them write down why they aren't going to do it.

It seems, through reading these posts, that instructors have a general aversion to teaching Gen Y students. They are often deemed as lazy, inconsiderate, "sheep" that tweet and Facebook all day. We have to embrace that this is the environment in which they grew up in, and work with them to mold them into the learners we want them to be! After all, they didn't create the technology that they are using incessantly, the generations before them did-- so why are we blaming them for using it, when we should be teaching them to use it responsibly?

There are so many useful tools that one can use from this classroom. The real challenge is how to apply it and how to keep our students engaged so that they want the information. Many times I get frustrated when my supervisors says that I do not keep them engaged enough when they are receiving below average grades. It is not the instructors fault if the student is lazy, late or absent a lot, does not study for their quizzes and have this gen y attitude that everyone is a winner. Bottom line it is what it is and survival of the fittest in the real workplace.

Technology can be a valuable tool and at times it can be of no use. In the kitchen I always stress the importance of knowing the how's and why's of cooking. One must know the rules before you can break the rules. I say this because no matter what technology says certain skills require technique over technology. If one cannot boil water, how do you expect the pasta to cook. Every now and then you get one student who decides to do things their way and the outcome is no where as your demo. For their critic I have them taste it before I do and have them taste it again and again and ask the same question........do you like it. Soon after realizing that they made a mistake, I will then ask them what did they learn and surprisingly they will tell you everything that I stressed in lecture what not to do. Now they have learned and earned something.

Technology is a very useful tool for those who chooses to use it. Often times you see students along the back of the class that claims that they are using their cell phones for research, but in reality you find them texting or looking at other outlets like Facebook. I will take their phones away and continue with the lesson plan and will often put them into small groups to analyze the problem and have that one student be the spokes person for that group. Its sad that the ones who are in class are the ones who succeeds while the slackers find out the hard way. IMO

So my job as an a Chef Instructor is to keep my students engaged so that they do not lose interest in the subject matter. I find that by teaching the old mortar and brick methods are not very effective. What I have tried and seems to work is to ask them to analyze the recipe without looking at any of the steps of preparation, and use technology via internet or you tube and have them work in small groups to come to a conclusion on how they would prepare this dish from start to finish. The final outcome is quite surprising at times.

my husband is bipolar and has been for 25 yrs. He is very smart and picks up new information very easily. when he was in high school and college it took him many hrs to study, where it took other students less time

I am Graphic Design instructor and as such tend to be much more technology-based in my instruction. It would be good for me to keep in mind how intuitive the digital realm is to the GenY students as opposed to GenX, and possibly baby boomers who come through my class. But regardless, I feel like I need to get the older students up to speed. Are there any other technology-based instructors who have adapted their class for the older generations?

If anyone struggles with the demand for instant feedback I recommend using an online grade portal so the students can login and see their overall and individual assignment grades anytime. Even if your school does not provide this feature, there are some great websites like www.engrade.com. Engrade has really improved relations between my feedback-demanding students and I. They used to come ask me every single day (unable to wait for a weekly progress report), now they have access anytime and we only have to discuss it if they feel there is a discrepancy.

As an educator I must seek to establish a direct communication with my students to enable the optimum delivery of course material. The system of delivery will be chosen based on the needs and perspective of the students. Awareness of generational differences can facilitate the learning process by tailoring teaching methods that will successfully engage the student's inner desire to learn new material and grow in the ability to "critically think".

Sometimes students get a little carried away with the "why?" questioning and it leads away from what my course is focusing on which leads me to start discussing something that is covered in one of their other courses they are currently taking. I have to catch myself and stay close to the topic. Sometimes though, it seems the students are put off by the "you'll get to it in your 103 class" type response, and I have to politely explain that we need to stay on topic in order to cover the material for this class. The why on top of why can lead down a long and deep rabbit hole to a point that has little to do with the original topic. This exact thing happens when researching on the internet.

I think most GEN Y people need to unplug for a bit. If student's can't go 3 or 4 hours without checking their phones, then they really have a problem. Are they really that afraid of being "by themselves" or "alone?" I think there's some merit to being able to unplug and truly focus on a task at hand.

I have found that there is a time and a place for multitasking in the classroom and it is NOT when I'm going over new and complicated material. GEN Yers seem to think they can be on the internet, check their cell phones, glance at Facebook, etc and still understand the complicated information I'm going over. They "hear" it, but they're not processing and retaining the information. I really need their attention 100% when I'm going over step by step how to do something. If they miss a step, things don't work. Then I wind up explaining it all over again and students get frustrated.