Icebreakers and Communication
Are there any icebreakers available to help bridge the communication gap between baby boomers and millenials?
Dara,
Can you give us some examples of icebreakers you have used in your online courses? That would be helpful.
Thanks!
It is important to use appropriate icebreakers to appeal to student group. For example, millennials may connect to a different type of icebreaker than baby boomers.
Donna,
Yes, if we just think about ourselves, we know our strengths and weaknesses. This plays not only with different generations, but students as individuals. We do continue to learn from others. What a good thing as we continue to be lifelong learners.
Paula,
As you ask questions that bridge that gap, you'll see students start to learn from each other. This community of learners is what we want to develop. Thanks for your input!
How true...certainly every student has strengths that help other students in bridging the gap between the generational groups. I think that the generational differences is more applicable in the traditional method in a F2F setting rather than in the online delivery method. Unless the students upload a pic then no one really knows the generation that students belong. Thus, icebreakers can enhance communication with all the students which would be more effective in the online delivery. The bottom line is that as stated in the previous post that everyone learns from one another. Donna
I'm sure that there are. In keeping with the idea and concept that the world has become smaller due to our use of technology, one can also surmise that we are more alike than we are different. To this end, questions that bridge the gap between the two generations may prove effective at the beginning of each course. It may take some research on the part of the instructor, but it will pay off throughout the course. Off the top of my head, one thing that boomers and millenials have in common is the atmosphere of change in our nation politically. Both groups are very vocal in their opinions and are the generations of freedom and equality.
Kimberly,
We do learn from each other and we should be working with students who are different than us to develop an appreciation for everyone. We all have different strengths we can bring to the group.
Debra,
You may be able to tweak some of these icebreakers. Thanks for the question.
http://twt.wikispaces.com/Ice-Breaker+Ideas
Dr. Tena B. Crews
Hi Debra,
When assigning students to a work group, the instuctor can make sure that each group is comprised of a mixture of generational learners.
Usually in a student's bio, he or she will tell their age, experiences, weaknesses and/or strengths.
The baby boomers will be able to help the millennials with social skills, professionalism, and directions and the millennials will be able to help the baby boomer with technology.
