I think there is definitely less of an interest and need to "know" things that can be easily looked up and that extends to a reluctance to learn things that are not needed or can easily be looked up. For example its common to learn the state capitals as a child growing up, but such knowledge in general is not often useful as an adult as a fact needing to be recalled. It is however important to have general knowledge about the world and geography in general.
I see this as the most difficult problem to overcome when teaching this generation of students. Why learn something when you can just Google it? Some things must be learned. When you take board exams you can't Google. If learning and understandng doesn't happen there is no chance of passing national boards which are required before being hired in the jobs they were supposed to be training for.
Lauren,
I think this is a great strategy & can also help them learn which are the more reliable sites on the internet & which should probably just be avoided.
Dr. Ryan Meers
I agree that google makes it difficult for retention. On the other hand, if a student wants to look something up, i find it helpful to challenge their findings and present the answer that i've looked up in an actual book. This solidifies traditional sources of information finding vs. the unreliable and often incorrect content on the internet.
I see many younger students do the same "find the answer and move on" without really investigating the subject question thoroughly. Often they click on the first or second response from a search engine and that is the correct answer in their minds and do not question it.
I use the computer and search engines to find information as well, it seems my thirst for information wants to find both sides of a topic and then I bounce it off others for additional input, especially if another person has experience with a given concept. The "Digital Reliance" students don’t seem to have the focus to do much more than move on to the next topic and erase what they may have just learned from their memory.
Yes I find Y generation as a generality are lacking hunger for knowledge.They don't really have a quest for in depth information because they can get information easily. Unfortunatly to get real honest reliable sources and information on the internet takes time.
I completely agree with you Billie, my gen-y students always using google or their iphone to even answer their homework. I told them not a good idea to get used to that because they are missing the whole point of not reading the book chapter and understanding the primary objective. Gen-y students always have to stay connected with their friends. I have warned them, specially working in the medical field. They have to get use to turning off their cell phones, the patient will be their main priority. Medical offices or hospitals have very strict rules about cell phone usage during work hours. They usually provide us with emergency phone line for family emergencies only.
Patricia,
this is a great perspective. I think our need is to help learn how to discern good, reliable info from all the rest.
Dr. Ryan Meers
I believe Gen Y students enjoy learning just as much as any of the other generations. The difference is that Gen Y learners understand that facts are at their finger-tips rather than necessarily planted in long-term memory. I do not believe Gen Y students' knowledge is on the decline- if anything- it's just the opposite (and I'm a Baby Boomer).
I think this is true. When you take the time to go to the library to look something up there is a lot better chance to put it to memory because of the time involved to get the information. With gen. Y they have access to so much information at such incredible speeds that they don't feel a need to retain any of it, they feel that they can just access it again if they need it. Just a different approach to knowledge I guess.
June,
yes we have to really buckle down & help them learn how to learn the old fashioned way.
Dr. Ryan Meers
I teach in a trade school, auto technicians.
A lot of the Gen Y students do not see the need to learn things, they are so used to "googling" information when they need it. In one of my early class, while in the lab, one of the things we teach, requires that we find a number and then divide it by 2, when I asked how much is half of 24, 3/4 of the class reached for their cell phone to use the calculator.
Generation Y students may have technology at their fingertips, but the knowledge that comes from research and having to physically look up something -- they have lost. Heaven help them should the tech world come to a halt and they have to really do some serious thinking to find the answers.
Billie,
I agree that one of our jobs as instructors is to somehow create or stimulate this desire to learn & discover in our students.
Dr. Ryan Meers
I think the use of technology can be useful and yet interruptive. The computer does most of the work, negating the need to use the brain as the tool for learning. It does make interaction in the classroom more receptive for students if they stay focused and dont use the tool as a personal interaction during class time.
I see quite a bit of just getting the answer and moving on in my classes. I always ask the students "why" to try and have them stop and think. In my field common sense is a large factor for success. It just seems like there is less and less the more dependant we are on technology.
I feel the same way. I often see a younger person go directly to the phone to "Google" an answer to a question rather than try to figure it out or remember on his/her own. My 17 year-0ld grandson frustrates me to no end because he never is interested enough to dig deeply into any subject because he is interested. He braely scratches the surface of any topic just long enough to get some kingd of answer. I still have a love of learning new things! I see that attitude less and less each day. Many students just want a passing grade so that they can move on to the next assignment or the next class.
Craig,
yes I think we have to help our students learn the variety of methods they can use to learn & research.
Dr. Ryan Meers
Good observation Craig,I also find that Gen "why" would rather look up something on their smart phone instead of learning the material for themselves. It's a good thing their phones are smart, because it is really affecting how not smart they are. I said that with sarcasm on purpose, it's not that they are not intelligent, they just come across as lazy when it comes to being self-sufficient. I guess since I come from generation "because I said so" it is hard for me to understand, and of course I was raised by generation "go cut a switch" I look at things a lot differently. Of course if there wasn't a switch close, my dads belt worked just fine.
I absolutely think it has. I have always used the Socratic Method and find with Gen Y there is an immediate desire to just "have" the information without having to think it through. I am always telling them "Stop and think guys. Apply a little problem solving!" Eventually students learn that if they are going to make a comment in my class they need to be able to justify in some way why they think the way they do. Sometimes students will raise their hands and then when I call on them they say, "Wait, come back to me. I'm still thinking it out." But you have to coach them through this process, they don't do it on their own.
