Generation Y make other generations look not too smart
These guys are so quick in operating the gadgets, that they can make us look embarrassed.
As much I am improving my technological skills some of my students are a step ahead. I tend to call on those students for assistance in the classroom when it comes to technology. I don't teach technology! They are excited to help. Others students chime in and I learn a lot. We can all learn from each other and I tell my students such.
Neda ,
this is true, but I've learnede that if we ask for help in this area, it actually it increases the respect fo rus & the relationship.
Ryan Meers, Ph.D.
I think these Gen Yers are very tech saavy and I use that to help improve our relationship in the classroom. Since I have children that age and know what they have experienced, it improves the communication and respect for each other. The gap doesn't seem as vast.
Genertion Y realizes that some of us are not as quit and I have always found them to be helpful, ofcourse after they get an old joke in.
Laura, I find this happening in my class as well. I teach Management so when I cannot figure something out I explain to them that this goes back to putting the right person in the right job. I'm a great choice to teach and instruct but don't put me on an IT job. They laugh but it connects with the lesson!
What I like in this gen Y group is how tech savy they are however I caution them not to believe everything the read or find online. I try to list several articles that i find that are completely different view points to one another on the same topic they aer familiar with and have them discuss each as a critical thinking activity.
Francis,
this is a great activity as it engages them with the technology & information that is out there, and also teaches them to be critical thinkers.
Ryan Meers, Ph.D.
THEY KNOW NOTHING ELSE. WHILE WE WERE BORN WHEN THERE WERE ALTERNATIVES, THEY ARE BORN INTO THESE TECHNOLOGIES AS A WAY OF LIFE. IN THE SAME WAY, THIS GENERATION WOULD FEEL PRETTY HANDICAPPED IF WE WERE TO TAKE THEM BACK IN TIME
I keep reading that Generation Y is so very Tech-savvy. In many ways they are, but at the same time I have found that when a device doesn't function the way they believe it should they are unable/unwilling to drill down to figure out why. Also basic information gathering over the net has led to a wide variety of results, while this is supposed to be this generation's greatest strength...
Robb,
this is a good point. While they are "tech-savvy" this generally means that they are comfortable embracing & using new technology, not necessarily that they understand how it all works. In regard to the information gathering, again this means they know how to use the resources to gather information, but I would agree that a huge area for Gen Y training is how to discern good info from bad.
Ryan Meers, Ph.D.
I find that they are quick in learning technology, but still struggle with navigating it to utilize the resources they need. They need to seem a lot of direction with search words. I'm not sure how many times I can tell my students to google OWL and MLA format if they need a reference. Many of them seem to struggle with using the online library as well. Handing me in in papers referencing Wikapedia when the assignment called for peer-reviewed research articles. I haven't figured out if it's just laziness or if they really need someone holding their hand through the process. (And yes, I do make it clear in the syllabus what is expected and demonstrate in class as well).
Michelle,
I think it could definitely be a little bit of both; additionally some arrogance, if I can call it that. I think many Gen Y students have "believed their own press clippings" & they feel they are so tech savvy, that they know how to find all of the valuable information. This then leads to them thinking what they found is good enough.
Ryan Meers, Ph.D.
I would agree and add that while technologically advanced, communication skills seem less so. The value of having good people skills with face-to-face relationships seems to suffer with the desire to primarily communicate via technology.
Amy,
unfortunately this is true & we need to help them develop these skills if we can.
Ryan Meers, Ph.D.
