The Power of eCommunication

The generation raised through the last few decades have experienced a rapid growth of new technologies, in particular the Internet. These people are often called the “Net Generation” or “Digital Natives”. More precisely, these terms refer to people born in or after 1982. It is the advancement in technologies that differentiate this generation from previous generations, such as the “Baby Boomers” (1946-1964) or “Generation X” (1965-1981).

The Net Generation has grown up with computers at home and is familiar with such things as music downloads, instant messaging and mobile phones. This makes them in touch with the digital environment in which they live.

This generation possesses particular characteristics (listed below from the article The Net Generation):
• They are able to multitask / multi-process: Net-geners can do several things at once.
• They "have little tolerance for delays." They expect webpages to load quickly, responses to e-mail immediately, etc. (Skiba)
• They tend to be more comfortable constructing their knowledge than being instructed.
• They prefer to be interactive: "They want to be users--not just viewers or listeners." (Tapscott, 1998, p.3)

They also tend to be connected at all times and social interactions over the Internet are an essential part of their daily life. (with the use of technologies like instant messaging or Skype for example)

The role of Web 2.0 technologies has also accentuated these differences. The Web 2.0 phenomenon uses what has been learned from "Web 1.0" (the decade of development on the web in the 1990’s) and tries to make it more attractive and engaging. It changes from an individualistic behavior, such as emails, to a more collaborative approach. Online communities are privileged and people want to create and share their contents with members of their communities. Several examples of Web 2.0 technologies are Blogs, Wiki and Podcasts.

It should be noted that the current educational system is not always suitable for the Net Generation and it is worth considering that changes could be implemented to meet the needs of this new type of student.
The problem is that today, most learning takes place outside schools. Students can learn via a wide range of media. There is TV, magazines, the radio as well as Internet technology frequently use for Education (information and research) but also for Communication, Entertainment, and Self-expression (confer Wikipedia, Generation Y).
Students use the Internet on a daily basis and this has obviously influenced their behavior. The Net Generation wants to learn everywhere, at anytime and this is a problem for the educational system as it is often observed as the “ancient” way of learning: with a specific space – the classroom –, blackboard, textbooks…

It is felt that students now have different needs, are impatient and are expecting immediate answers. Linear teaching is not yet the reference and they are demanding a change in teaching that could be more interactive and entertaining. The article The Net Generation Goes to College clearly illustrates this issue: “Change your teaching style. Make blogs, iPods, and video games part of your pedagogy. And learn to accept divided attention spans. A new generation of students has arrived and sorry, but they might not want to hear you lecture for an hour. That is the message of Richard T. Sweeney[…]”
Therefore, even though podcasts or blogs would be great progress, most students only expect a more extensive use of technology to make the class livelier. For instance, a program such as WebCT and Blackboard (online course-management) could be automatically used in order to make the contents of the classroom more interactive with video or audio formats.

The problem is also mainly generational. Contrary to their students, teachers are part of the “Print Generation” and are not necessarily comfortable with the online world which results in a growing disconnect. For example, where students privileged finding information over knowing information, teachers can consider it as cheating. Consequently, this poses an important challenge for teachers. They might have to rethink their way of teaching and providing the learning, taking Internet access and research into consideration.

Nevertheless it is essential to note that schools are still vital in order to build social skills. Teachers constitute a major part in the motivation process of learning. Therefore, it seems unlikely that one-day these technologies or other cutting edge technologies could replace real human contact in a classroom.

Other links: The Net Generation