| ::Are
They Really That Different?
a reflection and invitation to join a conversation about the Millennial
Learner
Lately
I've been hearing from some faculty that they feel it is increasingly
harder to reach the undergraduates appearing in their classrooms
these days. Even though I work in a field that requires I stay
current with technology, I've been experiencing these feelings
of irrelevancy myself. This was especially acute last week after
giving a 90 minute lecture that I had spend a month preparing.
I had based the presentation on a hand-crafted PowerPoint design,
with lots of animation, several YouTube video clips, and I built
in several discussion periods. Still the students sat glazed over
as if they undergoing root canal.
I
spent a lot of time reflecting on where this presentation went
wrong, and was still thinking of it over the weekend as I had
dinner with a friend I see most Sunday nights. Both recent NetFlix
converts, we starting discussing ordering "The Bicycle Thief,"
the 1948 masterpiece by Italian director Vittorio De Sica. The
movie, which deals with the struggle of an Italian to support
his family in post-World War II Rome, is one of the most moving
emotional pieces of film ever created. As we discussed the film,
I suddenly remembered the first time I saw it was as a 19 year
old in an Intro to Film course. While I've cried through the film
several times since then, I and most of the other 18 to 21 year
olds in the class shocked the professor with our less than enthusiastic
reaction. In fact I remember him accusing us of being much too
young to be so cynical. In retrospect, I think it was more of
a case of being caught up in my immediate concerns and being unable
to relate to something so totally removed from my experience.
Is
my experience as a 19 year old really so different from what faculty
are experience in the classroom with the Millennial generation?
For those of you unfamiliar with the term, "Millennial"
was coined by Neil Howe and William Strauss to describe the generation
born roughly between 1980 and 2000. Several researchers including
Marc Prensky and Richard Sweeny, who appeared at SLU last spring,
identify common characteristics of this group of learners including:
Technology
as a constant in the environment rather than a tool they use when
they need and then put away.
Multitasking: Doing homework while studying, talking on the phone,
sending a text message, and listening to music.
Learning
by doing, discussing, working in groups, rather than through lecture.
Stressed
and pressed for time. This is a generation that works, is extremely
involved in extracurricular activities, has an active social life,
and still expects to get A's when they take 18 hours of course
work.
What
do you think? How are you reaching this group of learners? We
invite you to join us in a conversation on the topic through
a new tool we're debuting here. Wikis (Hawaiian for short
and easy.) are a collaborative writing tool that allow you to
instantly post on the web with little or no technical expertise.
Jottit, the tool we're using
here is one of the simplest we've seen. Just follow this link-http://slucte.jottit.com/-then
click on the edit button in the lower right hand area, and start
typing!
Next
month we'll go more in depth on wikis, and faculty who have been
using them in the classroom will share their experiences.
|
::
Learn More
An
Interview with Neil Howe
Educating
the Net Gen. A downloadable book from Educause.
An
Inteview with Mark Prensky
Join
the discussion at http://slucte.jottit.com/
To
learn more about any of the techniques discussed in the article,
contact Sandy Gambill at gambill@slu.edu
or 977-7202.
Did someone forward this copy of Learning Technologies
to you or are you reading it through the Reinert CTE's website?
Contact Sandy Gambill at gambill@slu.edu
to ensure monthly delivery directly to your own e-mail account.
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