Defining the Net Generation Learner

The following paper written by Michelle R. Dusseau (2013) Defining the Net Generation Learner: Exploring the Evolution of Teaching and Learning Styles for the Digital Native, is an excerpt from a larger paper discussing the shift in the learning paradigm for the net generation learner. It illustrates for the APA writer the following concepts: 

The use of headings (note there is no heading for the INTRODUCTION)

Citations (including those for summary discourse) 

Separation of a quote over 40 words in length

Maintaining a compassionate voice in third person writing. 

 It is appropriate that when discussing the generational impact of a student population so complex that they have raised questions about the teaching and learning theories which worked effectively for generations before them, that even knowing what to call them is debated in the community of scholars.

Generations are groups comprised of individuals who share a common reality, a unique set of experiences, and a distinctive personality (Jones, 1992). Accepted by most in the academic community, The Millennials, named by Howe and Strauss (2000) in their book Millennials Rising: The Next Great Generation, are those born between 1982 and 2005. The name, however, is where the consensus ends.

Simonson (2010) questions the images attached to this new generation at their inception; referred to as “rule followers who are engaged, optimistic, and present; Howe and Strauss assigned Millennials core characteristics using the words sheltered, confident, team-oriented, conventional, pressured, and achieving” (p. 80). Hoover (2009) adds that while there are many experts who have researched, analyzed, published and presented about this generation, no one seeking to have them clarify their traits should invite them to speak at the same place for they would only argue and contradict one another.

Scholarly discourse has given rise to other names, altering the timeline for, and definitions of this generation. The Net Generation (Tapscott, 1999) and the Digital Natives (Prensky, 2005) are now the most common, however Generation Y, the IM Generation, and the Gamer Generation are sometimes used interchangeably (Jones, 2011). No matter which name, the agreed upon characteristic of this new generation is this: born after the invention of the computer, they have never known learning, or life, without this technology (Baker, 2012; Brown, 2009).

The Same Old Situation

“For as long as human hair has turned gray, elders have looked at their successors and frowned,” states Hoover (2009), quoting Albert Einstein “while classrooms are many, the number of young people who genuinely thirst after truth and justice is small” (para. 8). This is a reminder that the criticism of youth is not a modern phenomenon, nor one left to the uneducated. Each generation has had to cope their own trials and strife, hoping for better for the ones who come behind them and certain that they have had it worse. The Traditionalists faced the perils of WWII and the Great Depression, the Baby Boomers suffered the assassination of JFK and the Vietnam War, and Generation X faced surmounting social issues surrounding high divorce rates and single parent families (Worley, 2011). What makes the generational events that defined and molded the Net Generation, such as 9/11 and the Economic Crisis that followed, different than those faced by the generations before them is not the measure of the events themselves. The instantaneous access to both information and the globalization of opinion sharing which follows has forever changed that way we receive, perceive, and process information. This reality has effectively defined a new type of learner (Beyers, 2009; Downing, 2006).

Defined by Immediacy.  

            A haunting melody that reminds you of a lost love, the orange glow of the sunset against the fading horizon, familiar images dancing across the screen or the familiar laugh of a life-long friend. These iconic images create a sense of immediacy, “the degree of perceived physical or psychological closeness between people” (Richmond, McCroskey & Powell, 2012). Engaging the senses on an emotional, psychological and even visceral level, they have the power to transcend verbal language (Johnson, 2006). The principles of immediacy are not new, but the globalization of and easy access to information  has magnified its impact and applicability. Technological advances have circumvented the need for proxemics in in the process of creating, maintaining and even building relationships for the Net Generation.

Defined by Access to Power.

Those in academia today, both teachers and students, who are not digital natives, are digital immigrants (Baker, 2012). Both non-traditional students and college professors are learning to adapt in this non-native environment, struggling with this foreign language. This struggle has led to the recognition of the Digital Immigrants; those who were raised and educated in the 1990s or earlier, when advanced technology, if accessible, was found at schools and the workplace rather than in individual homes. Mobile options for the Digital Immigrant, if in existence, were very limited. This is not a reality the Net Generation has ever experienced, as the shift in both device power and affordable access occurred before their formative schooling years. Most mobile devices today have more computing power than an average desktop workstation had in the 1990s (Tamarkin and EDUCAUSE, 2010).

Accessibility has also created a level playing field in media influence and information flow. The smart phone has enabled the always connected to become journalist, photographer and historian by being in the right place at the right time (Johnson, 2006). The push of a button records the images of any event unfolding, and another uploads these images to social media sites like face-book or twitter, via text message to personal contacts, or through email. This new power position does not end with the uploading of information, but the control over its dissemination. The average reader becomes the editor by instantly pushing news though tweeting, tagging, and sharing; creating trends and influencing what the day’s headlines will be (Thompson, 2012).

Defined by communication.

Neurobiologists have discovered the reorganization of the brain structure that occurs with the introduction of new information, affecting the way people think. Analyzing this process provides a map to the “wiring” of the brain of the Net Generation learner (Autry & Berge, 2011). The recognition of a new media literacy has developed during the analysis of the cognition process required to process concurrent sensory stimuli (Johnson, 2006). “The NetGens have become some of the most technologically adept members of society” (Windham, 2005, p 44). Todays students interact, build community, acquire information, and experience the world differently” (Schubert, 2011). The analysis of the new media literacy has uncovered an emerging form of communication: Net-Gen Communication.

The conclusions brought forth by Johnson (2006) illustrate some specific deviations in the core behaviors of Net-Gen Communication from traditional communication methods of expression and interaction practiced by of digital immigrants.(Johnson, 2006, p 73)

·         Multimodal - Not only are Net-Gen communicators able to cope with messages coming from multiple pathways at once (sound, still and moving images), they prefer it.

·         Interactive – The multimodal nature of this communication mimics the interactive nature of verbal communication. This real time immediacy is important. Since written language rarely involves real time interaction, it is not processed as well by the Net-Gen Communicator.

·         Creative fluency and interpretive facility – Net-Gen communicators are able to articulate ideas from these new communication modes and decipher layers of meaning similar to the traditional forms of literacy: reading, writing, and speaking.

·         Intuitive Nature – Digital natives do not see unfamiliar technology as foreign and are able to comprehend the constructs of technologies as they are introduced. This is enabling the Net-Gen Communicator to act as an innovator, experimenting and creating new media.  

From Cradle to Classroom: Impacts felt by the arrival of the Net Generation

The increased power of handheld devices has changed user’s expectations regarding service availability and support. Those who become users of these technologies “expect 24/7/365 access to messaging and to the internet. They have work to do and expect that the institutional software will function, that it will function intuitively, and that it will function all the time”. (Tamarkin and EDUCAUSE, 2010 p. 34) This integration of technology bleeds into every aspect of the live and learning of the NetGen student. At school their demand for control and instant feedback is driving online quizzes and smaller point values at many colleges and universities (Autry & Berge, 2011; Moore, 2007, p. 46). Their desires are a reflection of the instant access world growing around them:

“They were born at the same time as Macs and PCs. Starbucks, voicemail, Bill Gates, and AIDS have always been a part of their lives. At rock concerts, they use the lights from the cell phones, not lighters or matches. Welcome to the Millennial Generation, whose students are even now entering the doors of higher education.” (p. 45)

References:

Autry, A. J., Jr., & Berge, Z. (2011). Digital natives and digital immigrants: Getting to know each other. Industrial and Commercial Training, 43(7), 460-466. doi:http://dx.doi.org/10.1108/00197851111171890

Baker, Christine P,P.T., EdD. (2012). Pauline Cerasoli lecture 2012: Googling and texting and browsing, oh my! Mentoring and teaching in an electronic age. Journal of Physical Therapy Education, 26(3), 5-12. Retrieved from http://search.proquest.com.library.capella.edu/docview/1221237344?accountid=27965

Beyers, R. (2009). A Five Dimensional Model for Educating the Net Generation. Journal of Educational Technology & Society, 12(4), 218-227.

Brown, M. (2008) The NetGens 2.0: Clouds on the Horizon. EDUCAUSE Review. 44(1), p. 66-67. Retrieved from http://www.educause.edu/ero/article/netgens-20-clouds-horizon

Downing, K. (2006). Next generation: What leaders need to know about the millennials. Leadership in Action, 26(3), 3-6.

Prensky, M. (2005). Listen to the Natives. Educational Leadership, 63(4), 8-13.

Howe, N., & Strauss, W. (2000). Millennials rising: The next great generation. New York, NY:

Vintage.

Johnson, L., (2006) The Sea Change Before Us. EDUCAUSE Review. 41(2), p. 72-73 Retrieved from http://www.educause.edu/ero/article/sea-change-us

Jones, C., (2011) The Net Generation and Digital Natives: Implications for Higher Education. The Higher Education Academy. Retrieved from http://www.heacademy.ac.uk/assets/documents/learningandtech/next-generation-and-digital-natives.pdf

Moore, A. (2007). They've never taken a swim and thought about jaws: Understanding the millennial generation. College and University, 82(4), 41-48. Retrieved from http://search.proquest.com.library.capella.edu/docview/225606350?accountid=27965

Prensky, M. (2005). Listen to the Natives. Educational Leadership, 63(4), 8-13.

Richmond , V., McCroskey, J., & Powell, L. (2013) Organizational Communication for Survival. Boston, MA. Pearson.

Schubert, P. (2011) Grasping the Realities of Educating in the Digital Age. EDUCAUSE Review. 8-9 Retrieved from http://www.educause.edu/ero/article/grasping-realities-educating-digital-age

Simonson, M. (2010). Millennials-oh really? Distance Learning, 7(2), 80-80,79. Retrieved from http://search.proquest.com.library.capella.edu/docview/853890168?accountid=27965

Tamarkin, M., EDUCAUSE Evolving Technologies Committee. (2010) You 3.0 The Most Important Evolving Technology. EDUCAUSE Review. 45(6), 31-44. Retrieved From http://www.educause.edu/ero/article/you-30-most-important-evolving-technology

Tapscott, D. (1999). Educating the Net Generation. Educational Leadership, 56(5), 6.

Thompson, M. (2012). Share This. Econtent, 14-19. Education Research Complete. Retrieved from http://web.ebscohost.com.library.capella.edu/ehost/pdfviewer/pdfviewer?vid=8&sid=db58158b-1229-49d9-9c4f-6acb8a92fb63%40sessionmgr110&hid=108

Windham, C. (2005) Father Google & Mother IM: Confessions of a Net Gen Learner. EDUCAUSE Review, 40(5), Retrieved from http://www.educause.edu/ero/article/father-google-and-mother-im-confessions-net-gen-learner

Worley, K. (2011). Educating College Students of the Net Generation. Adult Learning, 22(3), 31-39.

*Please note that this excerpt, while part of a larger paper, has been submitted to turnitin.com and is included in the database of original work. Any use of it in another document should be cited appropriately.