Get Your Students Hired
This is true. Technology is a part of Gen Y lives. They can not function well without their gadgets. There is a need for them to be connected constantly.
Robert,
love that statement & you are right they do seem to overanalyze. I wonder if they've lost the "gut instinct?'
Dr. Ryan Meers
I have also found that the younger students overthink questions. They will get stuck on a question and they think of a lot of ways to answerit. Then they get a lot of answers and cannot choose the right one. I tell the students not to "CSI" the question.
Pilar,
you are right about this. And while I'm not excusing the responsibility of individuals, we have to understand that this is a very market-driven & impacted lifestyle.
Dr. Ryan Meers
They view technology as something they cannot live without. They also view themselves as superior to others who are not as savvy as they are.
I had a student that had to retake the course because he took off time when the new phone came out.They can only miss 12 hours per course so he timed out.The phone was more important to him then the $1,500 to retake the course.
Gen Y'ers see technology as part of their everyday existence. Every aspect of their lives includes some form of technology. They have grown up with all of the technological advances influencing their actions, behaviors and day to day activity where those of us who did not have access to these as we were growing up see them as new areas to explore and become used to. Gen Y'ers are connected 24/7 to the world and know what is going on in the world in real time.
They feel the world stops when they cannot access the internet.This is not good as we prepare students for the real world, they need to be able to survive without technology if the day comes when they do not have it.
Steven,
I agree although in talking with some of my students recently there seems to be a rising "rebellion" against technology. I'm hearing from more & more who are withdrawing from facebook, twitter, etc. It's just too much.
Dr. Ryan Meers
Scott,
I have found this to be true as well. I've said before that part of the problem is the technology is just there & they haven't been exposed to other methods or ideas.
Dr. Ryan Meers
It's a sad truth but today’s students are replacing their brains with the false comfort of knowing that technology is a keystroke away. The demise of their world is one power failure or internet crash away.
What I have found interesting is, yes, they are very comfortable with all the technology that surronds them, but they have a great curiosity for eariler tech tools also. I was discussing working out square roots with a calculator and I explained to them in my day I had to use a slide rule, then showed them a pic of one. They were completely fasinated and wanted to know how it worked! I really believe the Gen Y's love to learn even if it is old or new tech.
Gen Y students view technology as a part of every day life. Without technology this generation would have great difficulty in finding thier way around lifes simple tasks.
kind of scarey that as soon as any happens to their phone their whole life falls apart.
Technology is an all access pass that can provide information, communication, etc. I do not want to generalize in my response to this question and group all Gen Y students together as a group who cannot live without their devices as if it were their life source. As a whole by bringing computers into classrooms we have contributed to a society where we want everything on the spot and news travels around the globe in an instant. Technology is a means of communication for everyone.
I feel that Gen Y students are "addicted" to
technology. They don't know how to live off-the-grid. If they drop and break their phone they are upset until it is replaced.
I believe they strive to learn this way. From the time they could walk and talk most had some type of hand held device in there hand. It has become part of them.
Without tech, it is true that most would be lost. Some would even starve to death as they have never learned to "farm" but they can order a pizza online.
They think that there is nothing you can do without technology. If the internet went down, these people would think the world came to an end. They do not know how to "imaginative play" like we did as youngsters. Everything has to be on a tablet, a game console, or a cell phone.
Rocco,
there is definitely a generational difference at work & both sides need to meet in the middle.
Dr. Ryan Meers