Mark,
Ah - identifying the obstacles is an important aspect of getting to know your audience. Remember these are guidelines to the generations and not all fall exactly into these categories, but having some general knoweledge helps you investigate them more. Thanks!
Miriam,
You are right. Many of us have stayed up-to-date or continue to try! ;-) It's a challenge, but necessary to stay current in our jobs. Thanks for your input! Keep learning.
By understand where the students are coming from it helps you understand what obstacles they face and also what motivates them. That way the instructor can tailor an approach to solve any type of problem a student may have. Solving a communication issue with a baby boomer will be different than with a Gen X.
Dr. Crews,
What is amazing is that some of us have manged to stay at the state of the art in technology. When I went to school, we did not even use calculators; I am of the slide ruler generation. Today, I teach online with the use of many technologies. I am proud of the progress in technology and how we have adapted so much of the progress to education.
Miriam,
I agree. Let's learn from the students. It's the best way to understand your audience.
Miriam & Shanel,
I agree. It's easy to get caught up in our own generation or the one we are teaching at the moment. Thanks!
Miriam,
Right on! Each generation has they "shining stars." It's what we do with those "shining stars" and those that do not shine so brightly that matters. ;-)
Yehia ,
Understanding your audience, your students, helps you plan and teach more effectively. Each generation can learn from each other, but we must understand where they are coming from. Proper communication, as you noted, is the key.
Nicole,
Perhaps, we should be asking students some questions that give us an indication about their generation, which they can post answers to in their student page or introduction forum.
Shanel,
You are right, I got so excited about the Baby Boomers that I forgot that the other generations also have their idiosyncrasy.
The bottom line is that we must always consider our audience and reach the individual students to meet their needs with their learning styles.
The professor has to be savvy about their audience and the best techniques to communicate will each and everyone.
OMG! I admire Baby Boomers who use technology! They are so progressive and such good role models for the younger generations. These baby boomers have taken the leap to go above and beyond the technologies that they grew up with. I wonder if the younger people will be so flexible and opportunistic when their turn comes to accept and adapt to innovations.
Understanding how generation differences affect the ways students communicate is vital to the success of the online instructor. It helps the instructor to develop approaches to reach out to the students depending on their communication preference. In my personal experience, I noticed that generation X prefers to be in touch with the instructor via phone at least once a semester so they can be assured they are on the right track. On the other hand, the millennial generation prefers to ask questions when they have a concern, otherwise they like to be left alone. A tactical instructor would distinguish between both generations and cater to each individually to ensure proper communication and maximum engagement.
Michael,
Thanks for your thorough information in this forum. You bring up some excellent points for discussion. The more we understand the audience (our students) the more effectively we can communication with them and help them communicate with each other. Thanks again.
Yvonne,
Conducting an informal audience analysis and getting to know your student is very helpful. We can learn so much from each other. Thank you.
Patricia,
Understanding students are all different and we can learn from each other is important. It's a must to know your students and complete an "audience analysis" each semester. Thanks.
Why is it important to understand the role generations play in communication in the online community?
Communication needs to clear and concise with an online audience to assure students and Instructor are reaching classroom objectives. Knowing how to communicate with diversity is essential in the online environment and the modern workplace. By relating to the differences that come from age and experience levels allows for more productive learning and retained interest to facilitate a higher level of understanding and learning of the subject. Students bring their own experiences from a variety of places and often generational difference will increase awareness from a different perspective. As a facilitator if an open understanding of generational difference is encouraged expands classroom discussion to increase the overall learning impact for students.
It is important to understand the role generation in communication on the online community, because this gives you an idea who might be computer savvy and who might need more help. If you know that there are a few people that aren't doing as well with communication, postings, and discussions, then more communication might be needed for that group. An instructor might be more understandable kowing that a certain generation might not be as savvy as another generation, and have a little bit more sympathy for them.
If you understand the generation roles it is going to help us as instructors deal with the variety of students we may have in our class. We may have to change the way we deal with students depending on what generation they fall into.
Reginald,
Right on! Our audiences (students) have become much more diverse and they learning needs are just as diverse. Keeping the communication clear and coherent so that anyone can understand the message, is essentis. Thanks!
Lynn,
You are right. Understanding your students helps you become a better instructor. Getting to know how they learn helps your provide information and feedback more appropriately. Nice job.
