Once upon a time, there were the ‘Baby Boomers’ (which include the ‘Generation X’ who were born after World War II), then came the ‘Generation Y’ (the ‘Echo Boomers’ that followed the ‘Baby Boomers’).
Now, it’s the ‘Net Generation’ (a subset of Generation Y, if one were to define GenYers as those born in the 1980s-1990s)!
Just what makes the Net Generation special, and what sets them apart from the generations before them?
It’s all about technology – or rather, having been around technology, the internet and connectivity from day one. This is what makes learning for the so-called Net Generation worlds apart from the ‘traditional’ modes of learning that students from the previous generations have been accustomed to.
To understand the learning approaches suited for the Net Generation, it is important firstly to know the environment they were born into and grew up with.
Technology, computers and the internet are second skin to them. In fact, it has been inferred that they cannot live without these technologies (Oblinger, D & Oblinger, J, 2005. Educating the Net Generation).
Several traits set the Net Generation apart.
They are natural ‘multi-taskers’. They are able to juggle a range of media – that is, they can be blogging and chatting on the internet, while listening to their MP3 player, watching TV or a DVD, simultaneously.
They also prefer instantaneous response and connectivity. For instance, rather than waiting to receive responses through emails, they prefer to do instant messaging, or keep in contact with friends and loved ones through SMS messaging or phoning them on their mobiles.
Due to the accessibility of a wide range of resources that are available to them via the internet, naturally they prefer to use these technologies to obtain information. For instance, they would be turning to the internet for desk research rather than pore over books in the library. If they fancy watching a movie, they would be going online for movie screening times and reviews rather than check the paper.
The Net Generation learn best by doing and discovery, rather than being told what to do or wading through vast amounts of printed literature such as manuals and books.
They are also by nature interactive and as a result prefer to work in teams and collaborate. Thus, the advent of ‘wikis’ – a quick and smart means to share and contribute information online.
These attributes of the Net Generation indeed present a strong case for present-day educators to look for ways to engage and capture the imagination and inclinations of this new crop of learners.
While computers and internet access are already present in modern schools and universities, perhaps educators could work around a curriculum that is more interactive and participatory – allowing learning to go past the four corners of the classroom.
For example, teachers can give short 30-minute lectures providing the basic theory and principles and then making further resources available for the class to peruse, either via a website or a podcast. The class can then express their views and exchange ideas on a blog, and group tasks can be undertaken using ‘wikis’, or documents/ group papers can be edited and published via ‘writely’. The class or groups can interact and discuss ideas verbally via ‘skype’.
Really, the challenge for the academe of the present day is to enrich learning by using the different tools and technologies that the Net Generation are using, and to encourage content creation and exchange of ideas using these very technologies.