Unit 1 Blog Post

I am coming into this with a different perspective. I would one day like to be a university professor along with my background of writing and filmmaking. I am however, a Millennial and took a few days to reflect on the videos as well as the readings for Unit one in this course. I also have a Godson who is in elementary school and I will also use him as a frame of reference for my response as well since I do not have K-12 experience, but I can use him as an example in the differences between my educational experiences and what he is experiencing at this very moment. A bit about my educational background before I get into depth, I was fortunate to attend schools throughout my childhood that kept up to date on textbooks and technology. My Godson, on the other hand, is attending a public school that is short on funding, so instead of letting students take the textbooks home, the district makes copies of worksheets (which leads to homework confusion.) I also coached high school kids in lacrosse in this age group as well, so I will use them as a frame of reference.

When I watched the videos with the elementary students and the statistics about how much time they spent watching playing video games didn’t really surprise me since this was an issue (and a statistic) that was thrown at me about video games when I was younger. I loved reading books as a child as well, so that was not an issue. Funding is always an issue with school districts and I have done research at my previous school about funding. Children always love technology. I loved it when I was younger. I had an educational game that I was addicted to and loved playing against my brother. The children in the videos mentioned how much they spent on their iPods, watching Harry Potter, even reading Harry Potter. If technology is incorporated in schools, wouldn’t children be more inspired to learn? I would play the educational games and honestly, sometimes I would forget the games were educational because they were so much fun. And incorporating technology at a young age would prepare children for the future.

The kids held up signs such as a small percentage of teachers only allowed them to use technology. I realize some teachers may not know how to use technology. I applaud teachers for going to school to learn how to use technology because that’s the world we live in. Technology’s also constantly changing, but the post Gen-X generation it seems that grew up with technology, can adapt more quickly (at least in my experience). Other Generations that have been in the workforce that have technology also can adapt quickly (I have relatives in the workforce that are older that work around or with technology as well.)  Schools should have teachers continuously update for technology training. I understand it costs money, but technology is the world today as well as the future. In order for our children to become productive adults and want to learn, schools should incorporate technology and make sure teachers know how to use them. But how can schools use technology if some schools don’t even have books for students to take home?

Here’s a solution! Textbooks have been on tablets for a good while, school districts. I know school districts are now loaning schools iPads. It would not only allow the students to learn how to use technology, but their textbooks can be on their iPads. There are also educational websites. And students can also download their favorite books such as Harry Potter or The Hunger Games.

Some teachers however, refuse to change. I don’t know if it’s to teach a lesson or if they are hanging on to old technology. I had a professor that didn’t allow at least DVDs for my film projects. All films to go to DVD.

Another statistic that stood out is that China will be the largest English speaking country. First, China is catching up with us in the workforce and has even passed us in some places already. Second, in some parts of the world, English is required in school.  We live in a global world and in order to do business, especially in today’s world, you have to be able to connect internationally. I didn’t expect China would be the country to be the largest English speaking population. I thought it would be another country, but since China is catching up in every other aspect of the world, that’s believable, too.

The college video also struck a chord with me since I took some classes that are not going to have anything to do with anything I’m ever going to accomplish in life.  I know in some countries, you can just take classes related to your major, but this country believes in being well-rounded so we take courses that have to take us to 124-128 credits (or more, depending on your major). It seems like being done with college in four years is impossible because you have to meet certain criteria in one category and another category. Some students might take a foreign language just to meet a requirement and forget as soon as they leave the class. Some students do browse Facebook and Twitter when they take Art History or another class while looking at slides (No, not a Powerpoint. They were old slides that my parents might have looked at when they were in class. Yes, I am guilty of looking at Facebook or playing Solitaire in a couple of classes. I have also witnessed others playing video games,) while wondering what does this class have to do with my major and why is it costing me $1,000?

Now, some articles split the Millennial generation even further and that’s understandable. Those born in the 1990s, such as in the Pierpoint and Fletcher article, are even more connected. They have even more technology and don’t remember a time when they had to deal with the dial-up to DSL internet transition. Older Millennials may or may not remember a time when there was no internet (depending on the year they were born), but they were always born with at least a computer. The internet become mainstream during the Millennial generation, but those in the Edge generation were always connected to the internet. Right now, I do Skype with my Godson and he has been on the internet since he probably could remember. He knows more about technology than my parents, but he can quickly adapt to new technology. He plays video games probably more than I did. (I would play video games on the weekends for hours at a time.) He would rather be on his tablet or laptop than doing things on paper and pencil. I find this to be true with both Millennial and the Edge generation. I once had a professor that said no technology allowed, which really made class difficult for everyone since they couldn’t take their notes on their laptops.

In the Pierpoint and Fletcher article, the authors note that “Co-creators beware. Unlike Millennials, Generation Edge seem less keen to get involved and help brands. In fact, they seem more likely to want to hijack the process.”  (Pierpoint and Fletcher, Research Live, 2013). I believe both generations are less keen on brands and that’s one reason why they are similar and why most researchers lump them in under the same “generational category.” I believe that this generation does have a lot of face-to-face interaction, even when their relatives and friends are far away thanks to programs like Skype. The “Edge generation can also take classes with Skype in the event of a serious illness, (and even keep in touch with classmates while they are away), use Skype to communicate with pen pals around the world, or even take courses if they are involved in serious athletics, allowing them to not fall behind on classwork (the upcoming Olympic games come to mind.)

I believe that this generation is learning by doing instead of learning by listening. Lectures still apply, but technology must be integrated into education. Students growing up in technology are used to having it in their daily lives. If it’s not interactive, students will not be motivated to learn. From reading the articles, I do agree that this generation believes in collaboration, but the technology makes it easier for them to do work on projects. Since the students learn by doing (visual learning), I believe they become more curious and ask more questions. Research is widely available at the palm of their hands at their phones and by mobile apps that some schools and even libraries have available, as well as Google searches. I believe the Millennial group along with the Edge group, also produce more independent thinkers as well, because of the widely available information.

References

Pierpoint, I., & Fletcher, C. (2013, June 13). Close to the edge. Research Live. Retrieved January 13, 2014, from http://www.research-live.com/comment/close-to-the-edge/4009930.article