Get Your Students Hired
TECHNOLOGY FACILITATES THINGS FOR EVERYBODY. ITS NO DIFFERENT FOR THIS GENERATION. THE DAYS OF CARRYING HEAVY BOOKS, AND SIEVING THROUGH TONS OF DOCUMENTS AND ENCYCLOPEDIAS IN LIBRARIES ARE OVER. EVERYTHING CAN BE ACHIEVED USING A SMART PHONE WHILE YOU LAY ON YOUR BED AND ARE ABOUT TO SLEEP.
Unfortunately they are so attached to technology that they miss valuable teaching moments during class time. Sometimes it feels like a loosing battle for me and other instructors. Not every lesson can be learned with the incorporation of technology.
As instructors we have to be aware that technology is a preferred part of their lives and usually a preferred method of communication. I teach a class of mixed generations/ages so I actually ask them to write down, on day one, which method of communication they prefer. That helps me connect with them. Second we educate all the students in various smart phone and tablet applications that are available to help in instruction. We are also very clear on our policy on use of technology in the classroom with clear consequences for those not following the policy.
Gen Y students are addicted to technology. The use and misuse it. It is very difficult to manage in the classroom because they tend to be able to game the system any time you try to set parameters around their use. Fortunately the type of classroom I teach in, Culinary kitchen, the use of cellphones or even laptops is very limited and as such I only allow laptops during lecture portions of the class. As many have said before-on tests I only allow the use of calculators not cell phones.
William,
well, I love opening the cans. I agree that we have become accepting of the rude behavior & it is sad to see. I do think we need to be careful in that it's not just the younger folks, but when I'm working with execs & managers in the corporate setting many of them are just as bad.
Ryan Meers, Ph.D.
I think it was stated that they just want things to work, period. I might argue that Gen Y has not in fact embraced technology, and that they avoid it, which is allowing other contries to move ahead of America in the development of new technologies. True enough, Gen Y views the availability as a birth right, but they can neither fix it or design it. I am always saddened when I hear a parent comment at how technologically adept their child is, referring to how well they navigate a computer. However, they are simply benefitting from the technology that was developed by the Boomers and proliferated by the Xers. Regretfully, technology for Gen Y has really become a distraction and a method of control. (Yes, I'm a Boomer - lol) Gen Y is also a generation that grew up with the Internet and video games as their baby sitter. I find it difficult to motivate them in class, and to instill in them a sense of self worth and responsibility for their education, which is intended to afford them a good career. I think that technology has only made them dependent, and the expectation is that they can simply jack into the Matrix and to experience life vacariously. They seem to have no concept that food and shelter come from giving an employer an honest day's work. While a white collar worker might use technology to earn a living, a trade school graduate will be expected to use their backs and the sweat of their brow to get a job done. Sincerely, this is why I was interested in this course because it is frustrating at times, and I feel as though I am the first person to ever ask them to grow up and to get with the program. Their parents had no expectations of them, nor did public school, and not only aren't they ready for college, but they aren't ready for the real world.
Ryan,
WOW! What a can of worms you've opened with this topic! I must agree with Dave, Ed,Ned, ect.. While this technology has it's place in the world we live in, the fact is we have become socially accepting of rude behavier, to the point of making folks that use common(or uncommon)courtesy look like social misfits, or "intolerant".I too have caught students taking photos of tests,and other similar things that have far reaching implications, beyond the use of technology.These same people are texting while driving,and other inappropriate times with little if any concern for consequences. While out to dinner recently, I observed a couple with two children sitting at the next table. Both the mother and father were completely preoccupied with phone in hand,the whole time, with only a "need to" break for an occational question from the waittress.It was as if the kids were'nt there! These children become our students! Is it any wonder we struggle with balance ? In my electrical diag. class, I have students use the phone for a calculator, and occationally research. I've also found that most of them have an app with very high frequency ring tones that we can use while discussing ultrasonic sensors. They love using the phone to learn. If ethic and manors were a constant, this(personal technology) would be an easy and positive addition to any class room!
Andrea,
and there is also an increasing problem with a general lack of social skills. We need to encourage our students to engage at the human level in its various forms.
Ryan Meers, Ph.D.
I think that these young learners feel like they need their smart phones like they need oxygen. Most don't know how to function without staring at that little screen and reading or texting. Their social functioning is very different than the older generations. I'm a Gen Xer and I see the definite benefit of technology and use it daily on my smart phone but I can take a much needed break from it. I pick it up only when it suits me; it's not my constant sidekick like it is for Gen Yers. I think it is a major addiction for them. We need to acknowledge that this technology exists and has a function, but the gen Yers also have to respect those from other generations and show some manners. They need to use their gadgets only when it doesn't interfere with other forms of learning or face to face interaction.
Edward,
this is very true & I don't think any of us would want to encourage the improper use of technology, but take the opportunity to help our students learn appropriateness.
Ryan Meers, Ph.D.
I think they view it as away to escape. Some students just cannot put the device away.
It can be a constant battle in the classroom.
They also use it as a great means of escape. I have gone through this entire course and I get it that they are a generation that needs to be connected. But, they don't even choose to listen to the presentation of a project. Their attitude is "I already know this." They don't even take the five minutes of time to listen and hear if this is something new that they might not know and that will probably be of benefit to them.
I think that they are being enabled. We are encouraging their use of "technology" in a manner that is rude, thoughtless, and certainly not conductive to the overall learning process.
I can multi-task, but not to the point where I am listening to music, texting a friend, and "maybe" listening to the instructor who is trying to impart some potentially valuable information.
I am a user of technology; I recognize the value and tremendous benefits we have gotten from the on-going advancement of technology. However, I feel that there is a time when as an instructor who has shown the knowledge, skill, and the desire to give the guidance and help that these students need, you should be given a few moments of the student's undivided attention.
Ned Littlehales
Gen Y students view technology as a necessity. In culinary classes, they take pictures of the white board with the instructors notes, pictures of the product they made and pictures of the Chef instructors demo items. It can be a great learning tool. They also ofetn have their FaceBook pages updated before class is over. There is a fine line between a benefit during class and a distraction.
I think that the use of technology is good and much can be learned from its use.
The problem of misuse and cheating is always there. When cheating is suspected in the class, I use multiple variations of the same test to combat it. Since math is a heavy part of most of our course structure, changing a number or two can result in the cheater getting the wrong answers.
I keep a database of test questions and can cut and paste a test and answer key in a few minutes.
It has been interesting the excuses that come up when a student challenges the test results, you do the math and show him wrong. He knows he cheated and he knows you know. Too much of it goes against his professionalism grade.
Sandra,
and I've realized this is no different than the average work environment. By using technology in the classroom we can help our students to be more prepared to be wise users of the technology in their work place.
Ryan Meers, Ph.D.
There is good and bad with the use of technology in the classroom.
They an use it for research while doing group work, that keeps them interested, but it also can distract them, by them checking email, facebook, sms....
Technology is to Gen Y students what water is to fish. It is essential to their every day existence, it surrounds them at all times, and they are so used to it that they might not even notice it. Take a fish out of water, and it will die. Take a Gen Y out of his/her tech, and he/she will shut down.
For Gen Y, technology is a part of their lives, personally and professionally. They adapt to changes in technology as quickly as they occur. They embrace new trends and modify trends to suit themselves.
Joseph,
excellent point & I think there's the danger of missing out on the joy & thrill of the hands-on "tear down." I mean this in light of whatever we're working on, whether it be an engine or a math problem. There is a danger of circumventing the process to get to the conclusion & we need to help our students learn to think through the problem.
Ryan Meers, Ph.D.
Many of my students seem to view technology as an extension of their "self". It's always been there for them, and it has become a normal part of their everyday experience. Technology is not just a tool...it's involved in their social lives, jobs, entertainment, education, etc. It's really invaluable to their lives.
I believe that the Gen Y student views the technology as critical to daily life. As a digital immigrant I have embraced the technology of phones, computers, and have used tools...yes I said tools such as Linkedin, facebook and even Twitter for info, but a major difference is the tool aspect. These are aids to an end not the end itself. Seems like digital natives fit the profile of all of the science fiction movies of my early days where they said that the computers and machines would take us over and then I stopped to realize that when students who I have asked about the use of their phones in class say they can not be without them...my comment is the machines have won. I realize the value of these items in communication and information yet for all of the info available they often miss the bigger picture. They far too often would rather jump to play a game or share pictures rather than real constructive research. I have marveled on more than one occasion viewing a group of this generation sitting at a table and texting to each other while in plain sight and certainly close enough to get all of their thoughts out to each other. Many times the messages are void of real info, but rather idle banter. Hey, what's up...Don't know what's up wit you. Nothing...ok, cool nothing here either. (Wait a minute...I just got a picture or a text or a tweet or something...hey I just want to finish this game first...Seems that constant stimulation of some sort is the order of the day. The phone primarily is an extension and yet part of thier regular body functions. So we add the use of technology in our diagnosis, yet the way they normally use the information does not always compliment the use of the computers or research when we are trying to diagnose a problem on a vehilce. They believe that a quick search engine approach is the way to find the answer, when sometimes the required learning is better attained by a slower search. I often compare the use of the menu to getting money from an ATM. You don't just place your card in the machine and say money...you need to process what money, what account, deposit, withdrawl, how much....Is almost as if the answer should be there before the question is even thought up. For all the benefit of the info and speed available I belive it is cheating the thinking process by creating a greater dependancy on the media at hand. An example of this is I even find myself wanting the search to go faster, how dare the internet speed be so slow...wow, remember Dial up...talk about slow. I would be happier if they could incorporate the power in a thinking partnership, with purpose, not just the fun and fast aspect. Of course what else would a Digital Immigrant say...Haha