The Google problem
To what degree do you think Gen Y students see less of a need to "know" things given the almost immediate access to information they have grown up with and expect? Many older cohorts would need to access a library or encyclopedia to get information about something they don't know. There was more of a necessity to have the facts in our heads. Has this declined with Gen Y?
I see less of it every day. When it is as easy to just touch a screen to get information, I find the info usually isn't retained or understood. When that happens there is no value in the information to them. They can just simply look it up again to get the answer they are looking for.
Mark,
I would say that the need to retain facts has declined. However I've found many of my Gen Y students are really driven to understand the why's & concepts behind events; previous generations sometimes missed out on this because they were preoccupied with retaining facts.
Dr. Ryan Meers
Yes it has.I think that when a student can "Google" the answer to a question, it is not in their best long term learning. For example of what I am talking about. Let's say there is a complex math problem that a student has to figure out, and he has in the past looked the formula up, never learning them. Now he's taking a test and the internet server is down, he can use a calculator, but he doesn't KNOW the formula, he just knew where to find it on the net. How many times have we gone to a fast food restaurant and the cashier can't make change without the register telling them how much? Technology is a wonderful tool, but it does not replace knowledge.
Presently our class is using a form of computer that provides data for assesment, but does not specificaly lay out the answers but offers the student the opportunity to analyze and reach a logical conclusion for themselves. with prodding and answering questions with a question they are able to think thru the situation and find a solution. at first they are frustrated but once confidence is established in problem solving they become more eager to be challenged.
I absolutely think it has. I have always used the Socratic Method and find with Gen Y there is an immediate desire to just "have" the information without having to think it through. I am always telling them "Stop and think guys. Apply a little problem solving!" Eventually students learn that if they are going to make a comment in my class they need to be able to justify in some way why they think the way they do. Sometimes students will raise their hands and then when I call on them they say, "Wait, come back to me. I'm still thinking it out." But you have to coach them through this process, they don't do it on their own.
Good observation Craig,I also find that Gen "why" would rather look up something on their smart phone instead of learning the material for themselves. It's a good thing their phones are smart, because it is really affecting how not smart they are. I said that with sarcasm on purpose, it's not that they are not intelligent, they just come across as lazy when it comes to being self-sufficient. I guess since I come from generation "because I said so" it is hard for me to understand, and of course I was raised by generation "go cut a switch" I look at things a lot differently. Of course if there wasn't a switch close, my dads belt worked just fine.
Craig,
yes I think we have to help our students learn the variety of methods they can use to learn & research.
Dr. Ryan Meers
I feel the same way. I often see a younger person go directly to the phone to "Google" an answer to a question rather than try to figure it out or remember on his/her own. My 17 year-0ld grandson frustrates me to no end because he never is interested enough to dig deeply into any subject because he is interested. He braely scratches the surface of any topic just long enough to get some kingd of answer. I still have a love of learning new things! I see that attitude less and less each day. Many students just want a passing grade so that they can move on to the next assignment or the next class.
I see quite a bit of just getting the answer and moving on in my classes. I always ask the students "why" to try and have them stop and think. In my field common sense is a large factor for success. It just seems like there is less and less the more dependant we are on technology.
I think the use of technology can be useful and yet interruptive. The computer does most of the work, negating the need to use the brain as the tool for learning. It does make interaction in the classroom more receptive for students if they stay focused and dont use the tool as a personal interaction during class time.
Billie,
I agree that one of our jobs as instructors is to somehow create or stimulate this desire to learn & discover in our students.
Dr. Ryan Meers
Generation Y students may have technology at their fingertips, but the knowledge that comes from research and having to physically look up something -- they have lost. Heaven help them should the tech world come to a halt and they have to really do some serious thinking to find the answers.
I teach in a trade school, auto technicians.
A lot of the Gen Y students do not see the need to learn things, they are so used to "googling" information when they need it. In one of my early class, while in the lab, one of the things we teach, requires that we find a number and then divide it by 2, when I asked how much is half of 24, 3/4 of the class reached for their cell phone to use the calculator.
June,
yes we have to really buckle down & help them learn how to learn the old fashioned way.
Dr. Ryan Meers
I think this is true. When you take the time to go to the library to look something up there is a lot better chance to put it to memory because of the time involved to get the information. With gen. Y they have access to so much information at such incredible speeds that they don't feel a need to retain any of it, they feel that they can just access it again if they need it. Just a different approach to knowledge I guess.
I believe Gen Y students enjoy learning just as much as any of the other generations. The difference is that Gen Y learners understand that facts are at their finger-tips rather than necessarily planted in long-term memory. I do not believe Gen Y students' knowledge is on the decline- if anything- it's just the opposite (and I'm a Baby Boomer).
Patricia,
this is a great perspective. I think our need is to help learn how to discern good, reliable info from all the rest.
Dr. Ryan Meers
I completely agree with you Billie, my gen-y students always using google or their iphone to even answer their homework. I told them not a good idea to get used to that because they are missing the whole point of not reading the book chapter and understanding the primary objective. Gen-y students always have to stay connected with their friends. I have warned them, specially working in the medical field. They have to get use to turning off their cell phones, the patient will be their main priority. Medical offices or hospitals have very strict rules about cell phone usage during work hours. They usually provide us with emergency phone line for family emergencies only.
Yes I find Y generation as a generality are lacking hunger for knowledge.They don't really have a quest for in depth information because they can get information easily. Unfortunatly to get real honest reliable sources and information on the internet takes time.
