Kimberly,
yes & actually this is a great way to earn respect from Gen Yers as they appreciate your tapping into their expertise.
Dr. Ryan Meers
Robert,
I agree that one of our great opportunities with Gen Y is to help learn how to discern good/reliable info from bad.
Dr. Ryan Meers
I think it has been both positive and negative.... this generation is so used to having information immediately at their finger tips. So if you as a question and they have to think about it, they immediately want to "google search" it or want you to tell them the answer instead of doing the work on their own. It is frustrating to the instructors because they always want to be in contact with others and their computers and smart phones can be a total distraction!
For instructors that come from different previous generations, the tech savy Y learners can often use technology better than some instructors.
It can be useful to encourage their talents and enlist their interest in areas of technology that the teacher is not as proficient with.
I agree.But what I see as the problem is that even if they want to study they don't have the skills to do so properly. They don,t have study skills. Note taking, using flash cards to study as a couple examples.
I feel that the easy access to information can be a good thing.On the other hand, not all the information you get from the internet is accurate or even true. I try to emphasise that during discussions about why we need to be able to understand how and why something does what it does. You can not diagnose a problem with a mechanical or electronic assembly by getting guesses from the internet. This will only lead to misdiagnosis and an expensive failure. This requires critical thinking on the part of the person performing the diagnosis and quick answers from the internet may help but still won't get the job done right the first time.
Grace ,
I too have found that the creative problem solving skills seem to be rather lacking in this generation.
Dr. Ryan Meers
I feel it has positive and negative impacts on students. They are better multitaskers and more tech saavy, however, short attention spans are rampant. Basic skills are also lost because they rely too much on technology and not enough on basic "know-how". It's as though they learned to run before they could walk. Common sense and problem solving skills are lost.
I agree with Jackie, I like the technology and all of the benefits, but it's the social skills that the generation is lacking.
I think technology is expected and you have to continually up it and look for new "sizzle" to grab the students attention.
As a parent of three teenagers and a long time adult educator I see where I believe we are doing a gross disservice to Gen-Y learners. I agree with the vast majority of the comments in this thread. I think that all too often the student takes the easy way out not taking the time to actually process the information. The philosophy seems to be "I'll bookmark it and if I ever need the information again I can look it up." Technology is a fantastic tool when used effectively. As for spelling and grammar it appears that they are no longer of concern for today’s students. It seems as if our technology may have exceeded our ability as educators to guide its usage.
I agree than in many cases technological dependence may indeed be setting future generations up for failure. As educators we need to embrace the technology while at the same time holding the student accountable for the retention of the information. I work with my children each day and get them to tell me about what they learned in school. I now this isn’t always practical; but, it is necessary. The same applies to our students. I talk to them at the beginning of each class in an attempt to reinforce the information presented on the previous day.
For Gen-X and its predecessors “look it up†meant in many cases finding time to go to the library and sit down with (which came to be closely acquainted with) Britannica, Funk and Wagnall’s. It took hours to gather all of the necessary information on a given subject. You made absolutely sure that you got all of the information you could and as accurate as you could possibly be because there was no way you wanted to spend another afternoon at the library doing research. During this there is a natural absorption that takes place and the information is more readily recalled. Such is not the case with Gen-Y learners. It seems that the majority will attempt a search for a given piece of information and if an answer does not present itself within 1-3 minutes they throw up their in disgust and declare that the information cannot be found.
I see a lot of this too...they want the answers without going through the steps to get them.
As an instructor of Culinary, technology has its uses, but also has diluted some of the tasks that are important in everyday usage such as using a knife. Knowing how a machine works is great, but when it's broken and work needs to be done, nothing can compare with a skilled hand.
After reading a few comments I do agree that technology has impacted this generation when it comes to having the answers immediately and not doing the work. Yet, I also think this has helped this generation to be extremely knowledgeable on various subjects that took previous generations years to study.
I say positively. As a Generation Y learner, I used computer to take classes and teach classes. It's comfortable that I can teach and learn at my own time. I also like to use facebook to connect with friends. I play video games online for fun. Most of my life spend on the internet.
I think it is only helping. I like the fact that online classes are available. Life doesn't stop just to let you advance yourself. In this economy, even those who want to go back to school have to do it while still going to work everyday. Technology makes this happen very successfully.
Good and bad. They have all the resources available to learn but everything seems to be handed to them and this makes them lazy and not wanting to work.
I would agree the students want the most easy way and the quickest way to get the information,with the path of least resistance .The problem I see is that there is no crital thinking involved to get the information and this could be a problem for them in the future.If you were to take away the cell phones,with all the apps.they now have could they survive?
I see the issue of "the easy way out" they don't use criticle thinking skills, they just want the answer and want it NOW!
jason,
and I think this is a great way to open the discussion on reliable & credible information vs just what is quick & easy.
Dr. Ryan Meers
