Generations relate to the world and to each other differently based upon their life experiences.
It is difficult for the Millenials to understand that the Baby Boomers may not have an excellent management of technology - after all, most of them witnessed the first television in their home. Vice versa, the Baby Boomers struggle to comprehend how the Millenials expect things to "fall into their laps," even though the Baby Boomer parents were probably the ones that caused that effect...
As we recognize the differences in understanding, life experiences, and technology skills, we will be better able to connect with our students and help them to achieve greater success!
Great module! I have always had an interest in generational differences and this module was a good reminder of how these differences can impact the online classroom. It is important to understand the differences in the generations with regard to their comfort level with technology and virtual tools, and also differences in what they expect from the course.
I have found that the baby boomers are more focused on understanding how the concepts apply to the “ real worldâ€. They want to know how the course will help them progress at work, and update their skills to enable to them to be more successful at work. They have a need for gaining skills they can immediately apply. Recognizing this helps me to keep them engaged by sharing real world examples and tailoring my feedback to focus on that.
I have also noticed that some of my younger students (the Millennials) seem to feel a sense of entitlement to an “A†in the course even if they have not fully met the course objectives. Certainly this is not the case for all students, but it something I do tend to see. It is important that I understand the motivation differences of all students and take the time to tailor my interactions and communications to more effectively reach my audience.
Regardless of the generation, these students all deserve respect and this must be conveyed in all of my communications.
Andrew,
Good point. Patience and proper teaching play into the teaching environment in many ways. And, who doesn't know who Billy Joel is? Ha!
I quote Andy Griffith in my classes sometimes just to make a point or just for fun and students don't have a clue who I'm talking about. I hope you know who that is. ;-)
Thank you for your input.
The class that I teach has the widest gamut, I think I have one 19 year olf and one 65 year old. It's a little difficult to reach them all because the frame of reference is so different. The 19 year old had no idea who Billy Joel was when we were talking about him. *sigh* But with patience and proper teaching all seem to get the idea in the end.
Miranda,
You will find that each class is different. They come in with different expectations, different learning styles, different needs/wants, and come from different genterations.
Teaching = Interesting!
You are right! I love it though. Hope you do to.
I know I have a very diverse group in my class. The younger students tend to be more abrupt and use a lot of text speak, while the older students tend to be more thorough and use proper grammar. However, I know I've had to provide a lot more technological help to my older students, while my younger students seem to handle the technology easily. It's definitely interesting teaching so many different types of people.
Rhonda,
I'm so glad you enjoyed this module. It's is just thought provoking to me to think about not only learning styles, but generational differences.
Establishing that line of communication with all generations is important to learning.
Nice job.
This module spoke to me, I do not instruct online classes, I have participated in two while earning my Bachelors degree and as a Baby Boomer found them to be very challenging.
I see this diverse population in my classroom and work to integrate each generation in discussions; knowing how to do that online without the f2f interaction would require an intricate understanding of each group to be able to monitor their responses and participation.
I think that monitoring the way that the student participates to understand the generational role would allow the instructor to establish a line of communication to keep the student involved and not intimidated by the process or the material.
Tawanda,
You are busy this morning. Thanks again for your input.
I like your son's quote. I have had 25 year olds tell me they don't need to memorize anything because they can look up whatever. ;-)
It's a learning process for us all.
I absolutely agree with you because my 10 old son is so internet and computer savvy. He is very advanced and I had nothing to do with teaching him! He learns so much at school when it comes to computers and the internet. His school even allows the student to submit work via the internet and to complete activities through a site called Study Island. He loves learning via the computer and internet. He always says "there is so much to look up and lean". I'm eager to see what the next generation does with all of this technology and how they advance it.
I believe that it is important to understand the role of generations play in communication in the online community, in order to understand your student learns and how to develop systems for them to interact through. We need to be able to develop online training courses for students based on the generation that they fall into. Some may need more training and attention than others. However, this is an individual thing as well because I know Baby Boomers that are more online and internet savvy than me and I'm from Generation X and Y.
Yes, I agree with your assessment. Some of us are combination.
Victoria,
I'm glad you found this module interesting and helpful. As you know, some generations' values and "personality" aspects overlap. One generation may have similar values and then be very different from another generation. That's what makes us "us" and makes us interesting.
You are right on target when you note that education must help each generation be successful in the classroom. Thank you for your input and insight.
This module was interesting in that it validated assumptions I had made about the generations throughout my schooling and now my instructing.
My parents and college mentors were all baby boomers, and as a result I share a lot of those values; however, I have noticed a stark contrast between my expectations and those of my Millenial peers. In my personal case, I have the drive of a baby boomer with the technology know-how of Generation Y. (I can remember teaching my parents how to use e-mail when I was 12...) My older brother, on the other hand, is a very stereotypical Generation X student whose academic tendencies made his overall academic journey much more difficult.
Each generation has its own standards for how both students and education function. With drastically different tools and expectations coming into the classroom, education must bridge the gaps to allow every student an equal opportunity at success.
Jessica,
The use of technology is very important. Many students may see technology as a stumbling block and other students may see it as an effective tool to success. Connecting what they do in discussion boards or other areas of technology to the course objective is important.
The students (no matter what generation) must understand why they are doing what they are doing. Thanks for your input.
One thing that really stands out to me is the use of technology. We, as instructors, need to be aware of the different generations to insure success within the classroom in regards to technology.
Students can be motivated and intelligent, but if they do not understand how to utilize technology (discussion boards, dropboxes, office, etc), they will not be able to succeed in the classroom.
We need to give all of the help and support that we can to ensure the students are prepared to tackle and complete their assignments.
Rasiel,
You bring up a good point the generations helping others compensate for lack of skills or gaps within skills. Having different generations work together helps them learn from each other.
Rasiel,
Yes, it's important to communicate differently with various groups. What do you mean by "it brings enough to the topic so difficult communication?"
Thanks for ellaborating.
It is important to understand the role generations play in communication in the online community. Students from various generations in the same online classroom may have different needs. The instructor needs to be aware of difficulties students of different generations may have in the classroom. The instructor needs to know that students in the Baby Boomer generation may have more difficulty with technology and may need additional help in using technology. Students who are in the
Generation Y generation may need help in remembering to not use "text speak" in their communications and to communicate in a more formal manner than they use in communicating with their friends in social environments.
the most important thing to consider is the role that each generation play with their characteristics and know how to use the smart classroom, in the case of online courses help promote among students of different generations to compensate for skills and gaps
