What’s in a Name? Digital Natives, Millennials, Net Generation Marilyn Puchalski

Engagement InstituteSpring 2007

About Whom Are We Speaking?

Born between 1982 and 2002 Generation Y

Digital Natives (Marc Prensky)

Net Generation

Millennials (William Strauss & Neil Howe)

Marc Prensky’s Take

Digital Natives Technologically fluent

Digital ImmigrantsTSL – technology as a second languageSpeak with a “digital accent”

Prensky uses these terms to describe the disconnect between today’s learners and today’s teachers/parents

Digital Natives …

Rapid access to information from multiple sources

Multi-tasking Multi-media over text Random access to

information Networked interactions with

multiple people Just-in-time learning Immediate rewards Relevant, useful, fun learning

Digital Immigrants …

Controlled information access, limited sources

Doing one thing at a time

Text Sequential information

processing Independent work Deferred rewards Serious learners

How do Natives use technology?

Communication (cell/email/IM) Social Life (MySpace/IM) Research Productivity Applications Organizing life (calendars/PDAs) Shopping

Quiz… Do you check email at least 3X a day? Do you Google for information at least

5X a day? Do you use your mobile phone for more

than one thing? Have you turned over remembering to

a technology device? Do you shop online more than the mall? Do you have a wireless network at

home? Do you “text” instead of calling? Do you IM?

Today’s Learners…

are about access and interaction … anytime, anyplace.

Informal Learning Important Learning ecology Mobility make this possible Social networking Collaboration

What do Natives Expect?

Mobility (wireless, power) Self help

Online answers FAQs Google

24/7 services (tutorials, library, payments, tech support)

Communicate online Use technology for learning

(LMS,PPT, etc.)

What do Natives like? Creativity – give them

opportunities Multimedia formats Varied class activities (short

segments) Engagement with materials Engagement with the world Self help Immediacy Collaboration

What do Natives need?

Interaction with real people F2F Peers Faculty – low stakes, one-on-one

conversations Instruction about IL Warnings about MySpace, etc. Crash course in application

software

The Millennial Generation:Blessing or Curse in the

Classroom

The Millennial Generation:Blessing or Curse in the

Classroom

Terri M. Manning, EdD Director, Center for Applied Research

Central Piedmont Community College

Terri M. Manning, EdD Director, Center for Applied Research

Central Piedmont Community College

The Millennial Childhood

The most monumental financial boom in history.

Steady income growth through the 1990’s.

Still great disparity between races.

Saw their parents lose all their stocks and mutual funds (college funds) during the early 2000’s.

Demographic Trends

Smaller families: Only children will comprise about 10% of the population.

More parental education: 1 in 4 has at least one parent with a college degree.

Kids born in the late ‘90s are the first in American history whose mothers are better educated than their fathers by a small margin.

Major Influencing Factors

1. Their parents2. The self-esteem movement3. The customer service movement4. Gaming and technology5. Casual communication

Parenting Millennials

This generation is being parented by well-educated, over-involved adults who participate in “deliberate parenting.” They have outcomes in mind.

Boomers were the first generation to be thrown out in to an unsafe world as adolescents.

The 60’s and 70’s were very scary and many of us felt unprepared for it.

We were naïve and didn’t have enough tools in our tool box to deal with it.

Baby Boomers as Parents Boomers rebelled against the parenting

practices of their parents. Strict discipline was the order

of the day for boomers. They made conscious decisions

not to say “because I told you so” or “because I’m the parent and you’re the child.”

Boomers became more “friendly” with their children. They wanted to have open lines of communication and a relationship with them.

Baby Boomers as Parents They explained things to their children,

(actions, consequences, options, etc.) – they wanted them to learn to make informed decisions.

They allowed their children to have input into family decisions, educational options and discipline issues.

We told them “just because it is on television doesn’t mean it’s true” or “you can’t believe everything you read.”

We wanted them to question authority.

The Result

Millennials have become “a master set of negotiators” who are capable of rational thought and decision-making skills at young ages.

They will negotiate with anyone including their parents, teachers and school administrators.

Some call this “arguing.”

Helicopter Parents Helicopter Parent (n) A

parent who hovers over his or her children.

Or Snowplow parent: Parents who clear the way for their children

……these (echo) boomers are confident, achievement-oriented and used to hovering "helicopter" parents keeping tabs on their every move. (Anthony DeBarros, "New baby boom swamps colleges," USA Today, January 2, 2003)

Baby Boomer Parents have been their Biggest Cheerleaders

Millennials expect and need praise.

Will mistake silence for disapproval.

Millennials expect feedback.

Focus on Self-esteem

This generation was the center of the “self-esteem” movement.

9,068 books were written about self-esteem and children during the 80s and 90s (there were 485 in the 70s).

Focus on Self-esteem

The state of California spent millions studying the construct and published a document entitled “Toward a State of Self-esteem.”

Yet they can’t escape the angst of adolescence – they still feel disconnected, question their existence, purpose and the meaning of life. They want to feel valued and cared about.

Focus on Customer Service

Expect access (24/7) Expect things to work like

they are supposed to If they don’t “that is your

problem” They want what they have paid

for Everything comes with a toll-free

number or web address Want a “system restore”

option in classes

Add the Impact of Gaming

Gaming has impacted children The game endings changed based

on the decisions children made (Role Playing Games) impacting locus of control.

Involves a complex set of decision- making skills.

Teaches them to take multiple pieces of data and make decisions quickly.

Learning more closely resembles Nintendo, a trial and error approach to solving problems.

We navigated our way through…..

They navigated their way through…..

Technology This generation has been plugged in

since they were babies. They grew up with educational software

and computer games. They think technology should be free. They want and expect

services 24/7. They do not live in an

8–5 world. They function in an

international world.

Millennials Want to Learn

With technologyWith each otherOnlineIn their timeIn their placeDoing things that matter (most important)

Source: Achievement and the 21st Century Learner.Source: Achievement and the 21st Century Learner.

By age 21….. It is estimated that the

average child will have: Spent 10,000 hours playing video games Sent 200,000 emails Spent 20,000 hours watching TV Spent 10,000 hours on their cell phone Spent under 5,000 hours reading

But these are issues of income. Will a child who grows up in a low income household have these same experiences?

Source: EducauseSource: Educause

What About 1st Generation Students?

Not all students will be proficient; first-generation and students from working class families may have less experience.

Their experience with technology has been in arcades and minimally in school (poorer districts.)

They have not had the exposure to educational uses of technology.

What About 1st Generation Students?

We need another placement test – remedial keyboarding and technology.

Huge digital divide between the “haves” and the “have nots” based on income levels (class).

Digital divide is appearing in pre-K.

The “Information Age” Mindset Students have never known life without

the computer. It is an assumed part of life.

The Internet is a source of research, interactivity, and socializing (they prefer it over TV).

Doing is more important than knowing. There is zero tolerance for delays. The infrastructure and the

lecture tradition of colleges may not meet the expectations of students raised on the Internet and interactive games.

Cell Phone Technology They all have cell phones and expect

to be in contact 24/7.

Not a phone – a lifestyle management tool

Staying “connected” is essential. Communication is a safety issue for

parents. Communication has become

casual for students (IM, email and cell phones.

How has this changed how they interact with faculty?

Issues for Schools, Colleges and Universities in an Information Age

Plagiarism (consumer/creator blurring)

Cheating (must define it) Cell Phone Policies Typing vs. Handwriting Use of paper mills

From: The Information Age Mindset: Changes in Students and Implications for Higher Education. By Jason L. Frand. Educause. Sep/Oct 2000. From: The Information Age Mindset: Changes in Students and Implications for Higher Education. By Jason L. Frand. Educause. Sep/Oct 2000.

Attitudes ……..TV Generation“Boomers”

PC Generation“Gen X”

Net Generation“Millennials”

Web What is it? Web is a tool

Web is oxygen

Community

Personal ExtendedPersonal

Virtual

Perspective

Local Multi-national

Global

Career One career

Multiple careers

Multiplereinventions

Loyalty Corporation

Self Soul

Authority Hierarchy Unimpressed

Self as expert

Source: EducauseSource: Educause

2004 Research Study

Central Piedmont Community College’s Center for Applied Research was contracted to do this study by the Workforce Development Board. Data collected January–March 2004 from the

University of NC at Charlotte, Central Piedmont Community College and Johnson C. Smith University.

Funded By:Funded By:

Some Major Themes From the Study

They like teachers who pay attention to their needs, schedules and interests.

They like working in teams but are not given a lot of opportunity to do so.

Their job expectations immediately out of college are not as high as previous generations (65% expect to earn 40K or less).

They want to do meaningful work (more important than money)

Some Major Themes They expect to have 4–6 jobs in their

lifetime. They expect to someday acquire the

lifestyle they grew up with. They expect to have a 2-income family. Security and time for family are the two

most important quality of life variables. Think their parents did a great job and

don’t think their generation can improve family life over how their parents raised them.

How They Will Push Us…

More independence in the workforce

Consumer-based fairness Better technology Enhanced professional

development Get rid of “that’s the way we’ve

always done it” Have more life balance Re-establish priorities

So How Do We Work With Them? Because they have grown up in a

different world, never assume that they know certain things like:

You don’t want to talk to their mother when they are having problems.

You don’t get points for showing up or an A for effort.

The definition of plagiarism and cheating.

So How Do We Work With Them?

It’s not appropriate to call the professor at home after 9pm.

They can’t use IM language in papers. It’s not okay to email the professor 10

times a day. That when they email you at 3am,

you’re not sitting on the other end waiting to respond to them.

The business office (and most others) close at 5pm.

What Should Institutions Do? Develop policies and practices around

appropriate communication (by department).

Give them access to as much as is philosophically possible.

Draw a line on negotiations. Stop existing in an 8-5 world. Look into what is known about

learning. Try to actively engage them. Create alterative ways for the low-

tech students to come up to speed.

What does this mean for engagement?

How are we defining engagement?

Pascarella and Terenzini…Characteristics of learning and

development (6 Touchstones)

Encounter challenging ideas/peopleEngage those challengesRequires supportive environmentInvolves real-world activitiesIs a social activityIs not limited by time or space

Ellen D. Wagner, Adobe, Inc.

Rules of Engagement

Capture their attention Convince them to care (WIIFM) Motivate them to own their

learning Provide them with choices Connect them to each other and

to you Induce them to participate Make it an experience to

remember

BCCC and Engagement

What are we doing well?

What do we need to improve?

What do we need to move forward?

Resources Marc Prensky

http://www.marcprensky.com/writing/

Millennials Risinghttp://www.williamstrauss.com/

Educause Learning Initiative http://www.educause.edu/eli

ECAR Key Findings http://www.educause.edu/

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