Reading for Intermediate and Advanced Learners, Fall, 2011

I believe the Millennial Generation has many strengths and weaknesses. Let’s begin with the weaknesses. Unfortunately, this group of adolescents may have too much technology. I have students in my classroom who have several different types of video game systems, their own computer, flat screen TV’s and a cell phone. This is too much for a 1st grader! There is no reason at all why a 1st grader should have a cell phone! It’s crazy! This group of students has so many distractions outside of school. Of course they don’t want to read a book or work on their homework when they have so many different forms of technology they can play with. With that being said, I believe this group also has many strengths. The internet is a great tool for learning and exploring. You can literally read about and learn about ANYTHING on the internet. Unfortunately, the internet also has many distractions. One minute you could be reading an interesting article and the next minute you could be checking your e-mail, chatting on facebook, or looking for something to pin on your pinterest account. I do believe this group of students is a challenge for many teachers. The way they learn may be differently then the way others learned due to their use of technology. I think it is a great idea for teachers to initiate blogs, book clubs, and other interesting and fun ways for students to learn and communicate through technology.

As stated in our articles we read, “Today’s adolescents are members of the millennial generation, the first generation born into the digital world.” These students we are teaching daily have been around technology since they were born. Just in comparison for myself when I grew up, there are a lot of differences. You would think with being only 25 that there wouldn’t be that much of a difference in the “digital world,” but there is. I didn’t get a cell phone until I was in high school and it was not very high-tech. It was the simple, huge, cell phone with a big antenna. I do remember my parents having a “car phone” that was in a bag. This was something I don’t remember how they used or even myself using it, but I do remember the bag phone being in the car for emergencies. It was the size of a regular house phone, so not very compact. For computers, I know we had a desktop when I was in middle school- but it was not very fancy. As far as technology in the classroom, it was almost non-existent. We did use overheads, and I think we had a projector that you put individual slides in slots for a presentation, kind of like PowerPoint is for us today on the computer. I remember we did a commercial in 3rd grade for a product we wrote on, and it was videotaped and then played on the TV in the school. It was the older video camera though with a VHS. It wasn’t until I was in high school that I started to see the big change in our digital world. The more technology that came out, the more it was required in the schools and in the home. It became a part of living, almost like survival for some people.

For today’s millennial generation, it would be hard for them to survive without technology. Since they grew up from birth in this digital world, they don’t know anything else but digital. When speaking to my students about the differences as right now we are studying the differences in education from the 1700’s, 1800’s, 1900’s, and now, they are shocked with how we survived back then. To think we had to hand-write everything, or sharpen a pencil with our own pocket knife seemed like torture to them. Having no cell phone, and having to write letters to send messages or use the home phone seemed not so convenient for them. They said, “isn’t life so much easier now?!”My response is no because keeping up with all the new technologies is harder than just having nothing. Does technology help our world with certain things, yes of course it does, but there are also consequences that come along with it too. I think it is important for students today to realize the huge change in the digital world and what it was in the past. This will help students understand their teachers who are not quite “with” technology yet. This can be a challenge for teachers who didn’t grow up with technology at all. I have seen it already before at my old school I taught at. Those teachers become so frustrated with learning how to use the new technologies that they want to quit, or just not use it and stick to the “old fashioned way.” Not that the old way is bad, but with our kids today, we have to incorporate technology as they need it- they are our digital kids. IS texting bad? Teachers hate it, but I say no. It can create horrible spelling habits, but it is writing and reading. Texting to me is the same view that most people have of magazines being an actual book to read. A lot of people think that magazines are not good for kids to read or learn to read through, but if magazines strike kids interest- then use it. You have to start somewhere. So if texting is where kids are at now with reading and writing, use it! I know this new digital world can be hard on educators as the digital world changes daily, but it is worth it for teachers to go to training or workshops to keep up with the technology. Change is good; don’t look at it as a negative thing. We all need change. I think by characterizing people according to the times in which they were born is a great thing. It helps make a quick reference to the way the student should learn, and helps explain why my students act or learn the way they do. Behaviorally, I think some kids act out because they are bored with the instruction- not that the information is challenging for them, but it doesn’t strike their “digital” interest. Our millennial generation needs to have access to technology in the classroom, and our teachers have to be up to date with the technology as well. With educators being behind, it will only hold our students behind too.

This article resonated with me. My father is at the beginning of the "Silent" generation. I am part of the "Baby Boomer" group. My children and my students were born into the "Millenial" generation. The parents of my students are Gen Xers. So much of what the authors highlighted plays out in my reality. My students and my children live in a "wired" world. As a teacher, I find it increasingly difficult to keep up with the technology. When I have difficulty getting my SmartBoard to cooperate - Evan, a fifth grade student, fixes it in a nano second!
I remember when I first began teaching. There were no computers in the classroom, no senteos, no cell phones, ipods or ipads. I remember feeling smug when we got our first classroom computers. There were many teachers who didn't know how to turn them on! I felt so superior! Now it's my turn to feel inept.
It is my goal to keep up with the wired generation. If being connected is how today's students learn, then I am determined to provide that learning environment. I just need someone (it will most likely be my students) to show me the way.

I am a GenXer and I will admit that technology is hard for me!! It changes way to fast for me. Even growing up, I was never interested in video games!!In my area of study Physical Education, I try to do the opposite get children to put down the video games, get away from the computer and TV etc, and move your body, play a sport get involved in recreational sports etc.I agree with Heather, that sometimes technology is just to distracting and hard for students to focus. It seems like video games, texting, computers etc is too overstimulating to the point Millennials do not understand the concept to "unwinding." The article refers to Millennials as "low tolerance for delay and high expectation for immediate access to information, communication, and response." Ido think technology is a great teaching and learning tool!! I am not convinced that texting makes children better writers. As an educator, I know that I must adapt and change so I can meet the needs and understand how they process, take in and absorb their learning environment so I can be the teacher they need me to be.

I read both of the pieces on Millenials, and I agree heartily that students of

today process information differently, think of information differently and value

information differently.

I think it is because they have always had so much

information at their fingertips for the asking with little if no "sweat equity" in

it. They do not understand the benefit of holding information in one's head. Only

when information is held in the head, manipulated and used does the possibility of

synthesis occur. And synthesis is the holy grail of teaching. Because these

students see no benefit of holding knowledge, they do not possess the academic

discipline to do higher level work.

I do not like the idea that I must bend over backward to teach these student's in a

"different way." And I understand that you must reach half-way to a student if you

are every going to have a hope of teaching them anything.

My issue is that technology has changed the way we access information, but

it hasn't changed the nature of information itself. It also hasn't

changed the fundamental value of possessing information in the head. Despite the

Internet, shallow is still shallow. Deep is still deep. And deep understanding;

long study and the ability to see nuance are still far more valuable than the 1.6

million hits in .001 seconds that a Google search will give.

For example, I find one of the most pleasurable parts of my week is my 90 minute

indulgence in PBS's "Masterpiece Mystery." I watch this show on Saturday or Sunday

evening after my three children (and sometimes my husband) are in the bed. I make

some tea and sit blissfully and quietly alone to commune with the lovely accents

and deep literateness of the British.

Lately, I've been watching "Inspector

Lewis." I love the quick witted banter between Lewis and his sergeant. I love the

fact that Lewis quotes literature that is on-point. I love the references and the circles within circles in the stories.
In a recent episode called "Old Unhappy Faroff Things," the setting is a fictional

all-ladies college at Oxford called Lady Mathilda's. It is based on Lady

Margaret's, a real all-ladies college at Oxford. William Wordsworth's great-niece

was Mistress of the college.

"Old Unhappy Faraway Things" is a phrase from a

Wordsworth poem called "The Solitary Reaper." The theme of the show is built around

old unhappy and faroff events of the past. And at the end of the show, a code

hidden in the credits gives the two words "Vale Profound."

So I looked up the phrase vale profound. In "The Solitary Reaper" a traveler passes

by a place and hears the melody but not the words of a lass as she reaps alone. One

line says, "Oh Listen! for the Vale profound is overflowing with the sound."

I

very much enjoyed breaking the simple code and researching those two words. I

enjoyed the way the show's theme reflected and amplified the ideas from the

poem.

But that wasn't my only joy. At the very end of the episode, the sergeant sums up

the case with the phrase, "Out flew the web and floated wide," from the Lady of

Shallott." So I read the Lady of Shallott. There were the words of the sergeant's

quotation, "out flew the web and floated wide; the mirror cracked from side to

side."

It's a poem about a woman who is cursed and goes mad for the unrequieted love of Sir Lancelot. The central theme of the Lewis show was a woman who had been driven quietly mad after falling in love with a shameless rogue. When I thought about the show I had watched, I realized that it also was

tied to the theme of webs from the past affecting the future. I find moments like

this delicious. And I don't care what anyone might say, these

Masterpiece Mystery shows are literature -- literature in motion.

But when I ponder about teaching these shows or even these ideas to modern teeenagers, my blood runs cold. I just don't see that they have the chops for it. Their intellectual pursuit stamina is sadly lacking.

Lisa Boyd: Millennials and How to Teach Them

As a parent of three teenage boys, I too admit like Berliner &Biddle (1995), that I’m concerned about our adolescents’ abilities to read and write. Regarding my own sons, I’m more concerned with the writing (especially spelling) because of the digital world where they text in codes and/or shortened spellings of their words. My boys were in the top 8 and 10% of their class with GPA’s above 4, and it disturbs me when they are writing a paper and ask me how to spell a word that they should be able to spell.
At the same time, I’m, as well as others, are trying to adapt to this fast-paced digital world where we as adults are communicating to a lesser degree the same way as our youth. Some youth are reading more and being exposed to more academic literature because of the Internet and its endless supply of sources. Many of our teenagers help their teachers/parents learn to use technology that scares some of the older educators. I agree to DeBard’s (2004) argument that most Baby Boomer parents have set up characteristics for the Millennials as well as agree with some of Howe and Strauss (2000) seven traits that define the Millennials. Oblinger’s (2003) lists the technology attitudes and abilities of our Millennials and as I read them they make sense.
As far back as history is recorded, society has had to adapt to change. Leu (2001-02) feels that education has failed to adapt to the skills and knowledge Millennials bring to the classroom as far as teaching differently. I do agree that our Millennials are lacking in needed areas of Bloom’s Taxonomy such as critical evaluation and higher-order thinking skills. Educators born after the baby boomers are typically using available technology in their classrooms compared to educators close to retirement. I’m not familiar with middle and high school’s use of technology and balanced literacy, but in the elementary schools, most teachers use it as much as possible but at the same time, they are tortured to teach to the test and are being measured on the performance of their students’ EOG scores, not on how good they teach and use technology.
Technology is rapidly changing and as soon as an adult learns how to maneuver efficiently, newer, updated software comes out. Teenagers and adolescents adapt easier to this change because it’s part of their education assignments and their world. Adults however, can so easily become overwhelmed to keep up because of their own responsibilities. I work full-time now and was working full-time when I returned to finish my education at night around 2002-03 while raising three sons and maintaining household responsibilities. Now that all three of my sons are in college, including myself, as well as still working full-time, I’m barely surviving. I hear so many adults/teachers discussing Facebook and it seems as if they live their entire lives outside of work on Facebook. This I simply cannot understand. I spend enough time at the computer doing college assignments, work-related assignments, answering never-ending emails that I need to go outside and enjoy nature a little. I’m sure later in my life when I’m out of school and my motherly duties unfortunately decline, I will enjoy being able to navigate the Internet and learn to do so many things I wish I had time for at the present.

2nd article: Lisa Boyd: Teaching and Reading the Millennial Generation Through Media Literacy

From the beginning media and electronic communication has become widespread and it allows users access to information, news, and events faster than the printed word. Today communication between device users is instantaneous, for example, on September 9, 2001, we were able to watch in real-time airplanes strike the world trade center etc. Until the 1960’s people may have heard the news hours perhaps days after the event depending on geographic location. To be able to use today’s devices in schools, the information access would have to be censored but interesting for all students.
With that being said, more staff development needs to be offered more often and at more convenient times for educators. I disagree on page 473 where (Howe & Strauss, 2006) feel that administrators and teachers are too protective by not allowing students to access sites such as MySpace, Facebook, and You Tube while in school. This is ludicrous. There are too many interesting, educational websites and software programs that can keep millennial’s interested in learning educational material.
In conclusion, the economic crisis we are in is largely preventing schools from acquiring the latest technology available not to mention the teachers we need to do the job well.

Both articles highlighted three important milestones in the 5,000 year evolution of literacy technologies. I have not taken the opportunity to ponder the fact that in my own lifetime, I have witnessed the creation and increased use of the Internet, which will continue to have an exponentially expanding impact on how we access and share information. Generations to come will discuss the importance of the Internet and how it has forever changed the way people communicate in a global society.
It was interesting to compare and contrast my own generation (Generation X) and that of my children (Millennial). I agree with Thomas’ assertion in the article “A Teacher’s Guide to Generation X Parents” that my generation was the least parented generation in history. My friends and I were locked out of the house early in the morning and told not to return until it was time to eat. This lack of supervision meant that we took lots of risks and learned to solve problems on our own. For the Millennial generation, lack of experience is compounded by the degree to which they have been sheltered. They are impressionable and open to manipulation and misinformation. The primary goal is to help students learn to “analyze, critique and authenticate information” so they can effectively deal with the volume of information they are exposed to on a daily basis.
As a Generation Xer I am a Digital Immigrant. I embrace technology as a tool to make my life easier, but I do not seek out technology the way my children do. It is important for educators to remember that when it comes to Millennials, it is not just the amount of technology they use, but the fact they process information in different ways. Many people would be surprised to learn that Millennials are more accomplished socially. There is a perception that people who are constantly engaging with technology are less adept at engaging with people, when the truth is that technology makes it easier for us to communicate and interact with each other.

Millennials

I enjoyed reading both articles. After reading both articles I can see that millennials have many strengths and weaknesses. I think that one weakness is that they rely too much on technology and they have a hard time functioning without it. They are dependent on their cell phones, i-pods, and computers. In one study 84% of the teenagers interviewed owned more than one device. 87% of them use the internet. They relate to things differently than other generations, therefore if you are not a millennial you may have a hard time relating to them. As teachers they provide a challenge. Millennials are used to being entertained through video and computer games, i-pods, and cell phones. As teachers we must find creative ways to reach these students and compete with their technology. There are some strengths to being a part of the millennial generation. They have a wealth of information readily available to them. Millennials can research with ease with the World Wide Web at their fingertips. A weakness of this is that they do not seem to have higher order thinking skills. This may be due to the fact that they do not have to think for themselves. All they need to do is google a topic and there it is or download an app to think for them. There is no application and comprehension of skills. I teach kindergarten and in the past 15 years even kindergarten students are more tech savvy. When I first started teaching most of the homes did not have a computer. Computer skills were taught at school and students learned most of their information about computers at school. Now kindergarten students come to school with a wealth of computer knowledge. They already know how to navigate around the computer and use the web. I can see how challenging it would be to teach middle and high school students. As teachers we must figure out a way to meet their needs and use all this technology to our advantage in the classroom.

I definitely believe the Millennial Generation presents new challenges for educators. Students have access to so much technology and require such a high level of activity in order to stay engaged. Another aspect that makes it difficult is the need for educators to constantly race against time in order to continue to grow as educators. We must always be proactive in learning the latest advances in technology. While challenges are present, I will have to say that I am grateful for my county's effort to meet students' technology needs. Currently, all our middle grade students have a Macbook. With this resource, the possiblities are limitless in regards to incorporating technology. In reflection, it appears to me that we are making great strides in training our students for a competitive world.

These articles address exactly the situation that I have been encountering at work recently. There is a huge push for us to use more technology and we have had two trainings that focused specifically on using Web 2.0 tools in our classrooms: i.e. Glogs, Blogs, Wikispaces, online story builders, Poll Everywhere, and more. These are great tools that I had no idea existed, yet I am still unsure about their place in an elementary classroom.

I myself would be considered a millennial. However, I feel caught in between. I did not have a computer at home until I was thirteen. Access at school was limited to computer class once a week and that consisted of practicing our home keys using typing programs. I did not have a cell phone until I started driving, and I did not choose to have a texting plan until I was 18. I have only had a Facebook account for 2 years.

Having said all of that...I am certainly not tech savvy (sometimes I am pretty sure technology hates me). I am not glued to my phone or to the computer. I do not have a Nook or a Kindle, yet. I have to make myself consider technology options when writing lesson plans. Of course, I believe there is only so much that can be done in kindergarten. I am noticing that the little ones are becoming harder to "entertain" sometimes or get their attention. We are competing with TV, movies, and video/computer games. I know I should move away from the term "competing" and begin to find ways to work with technology in ways that best meet the learning needs of my students. Overall, I believe that there should be a balance. While I agree with the article that media literacy will become more and more vital and dominant in our society, I also believe that nothing can replace true, face-to-face social interaction and real-world learning experiences.

I would also like to mention that I spoke to our technology teacher to see how he is getting along with the new resources we have been shown. I was curious to see how the technology was being used in upper elementary grades and middle school. He shared that middle school students are often bored with the tools. They have used them previously or the software is too easy to manipulate. He actually uses a high school technology curriculum to challenge their learning. So, it is true that we have to be on our toes to keep them interested and busy.

Interesting articles, exactly along the lines of what I have been thinking about recently!

In the article “Teaching and Reading the Millennial Generation Through Media Literacy” I liked the statement that, “It is the responsibility of today’s educators to build a bridge between the knowledge students already have and the content that they need to learn to be successful inside and outside of school.” I agree with this statement because many times we try to unknowingly widen the gap between students outside life and school life when we should be trying to embrace them both and connect them. Instead of just using text books and paper and pencil or a visit to the computer lab every nine weeks, a teacher needs to incorporate all types of media into the curriculum. I do agree it is hard to know how to connect the two without overstepping any boundaries. In the article “Millennials and How to Teach Them” made a valid point that “information in today’s schools is a limited commodity dominated by textbooks and other published materials, controlled by teachers and, more problematically, by powers outside the classroom.” The county I work in has many things blocked and inaccessible to students, let alone teachers making it difficult to use internet media, albeit not impossible. I understand social media websites could create problems but they also have the potential to expand a student’s knowledge of how to correctly use the media. In the “Media Literacy” article it stated that “such protection, however well-intentioned, actually fails to prepare young people by not providing the adult supervision and guidance that many of them would benefit from during their online encounters.”
Although Millennials are the first generation to grow up complete immersed in ICT and are able to use the internet they many not know how to navigate web pages effectively or know how to authenticate information they find. They are “cognitively vulnerable” to what they are exposed to whether it be persuasive advertising or misinformation. “Millennials are open to manipulation and misinformation” and need guidance. One of the articles talked about blogs and I think that blogging is a great way to have students interact with one another about media that have encounter while still being monitored, like our class blog. The teacher acts as a facilitator or mediator if needed, but allows the students to question and explore under close supervision. The T.A.P. model for media literacy is a great model and simple way for students to build a deeper understanding of material they have encountered. One thing the article stated was that the T.A.P. model helps the student “respond to the texts rather than simply reading, listening, or watching them.” This is what we as educators need to focus on, getting an emotional and personal response to what their working with.

Technology... it can be your best friend or your worst enemy. The way children are growing up today proves to me that technology is the "best friend"to kids today, literally. Instead of riding bikes around the neighborhood, throwing hoops in the neighbor's driveway, or hanging out in the neighborhood treehouse in the backyard, children would rather sit inside watching television, playing video games, surfing the internet, and having no social interaction what-so-ever. This is the problem I have with technology. Students would rather be doing something with technology that mingling with their peers. So my answer is, why not let the class participate in an activity involving technology together? This way they are learning, engaged, and socially interacting. I'm not a technologically savvy person myself, but I can see the appeal of technology. It intrigues me just as it does my students. In order to keep our students interested in their education, I think technology is the only way to go. Unfortunately, some teachers are not as willing to use technology in their classroom. Sometimes they do not know how, but sometimes they are just being stuck in the "old school" way, which doesn't work very well anymore. It is a teacher's responsibility to set students up for success in society, and by providing them with strong academic skills (reading, writing, and mathematics), as well as technology skills, will give students a greater chance for success.

I am very familiar with the concepts and ideas in the article titled, "Teaching and Reaching the Millennial Generation through Media Literacy" because I took Media for Young People with David Considine during my undergrad. I created Motion Picture Movie Guides, Media Literacy lesson plans, and analyzed print ads, films, commercials, etc. By taking this class, I definitely learned the value of not only having technology in a classroom, but incorporating it in a meaningful and constructive way so that students are not just using or seeing technology, but that they are understanding media and its purpose - what to do with it. One of my favorite aspects about Media Literacy is that it acknowledges that media/technology are pleasurable and fun for adolescents. It's not just about ripping apart the media that is out there. I think we can educate our students on how to use it in a critical way, but also use it to make learning more interesting and relevant.

I would have to agree that it is our job as educators to build a bridge between this generation's knowledge and their success in school. Instead of judging this generation of students as lazy or unmotivated, we should try to understand them and teach them in ways that will excite and intrigue them - Media Literacy being a crucial element of this. Just because these students see and use media all day long does not mean they know how to use it correctly or critically, or that they know how to interpret the messages they come across everyday. If we can teach our students to be media literate, as well as incorporate technology in fun and creative ways in our classrooms, then the Millennial generation will stand much more of a chance than some teachers give them credit for.

Because I am a pretty young teacher (probably categorized as a Millennial myself), I love to incorporate technology, media, and media literacy into my lessons. I think if the classroom is a constructive atmosphere that uses technology in innovative, smart, and fun ways, then the students will be much more motivated to learn and participate, all at the same time learning how to view media with a more critical eye. It would be silly for teachers to ignore the growing demand for a more innovative classroom that MUST embrace the way this generation lives. I see technology and media has a very positive thing for education that can make learning more relevant, challenging, meaningful, as well as make our students more active and aware members of society.

These articles gave me a lot to reflect on about my teaching and about my students, who are the Millennials(actually the generation after them, if you follow the 20 year span). They have a variety of strengths including being "digital natives", cooperative learners, and students striving for experiences rather than "spoon fed" knowledge. Along with their strengths are some weaknesses that widen the gap between how they learn and how education is delivered. These weaknesses include a need for informaion very quickly and no delay in obtaining it. They hold very high expectations of ICT and of mankind as well.
Educators have many challenges to overcome with this generation, as well as the ones to come. Being a Gen-Xer, a "digital immigrant", myself I see the disconnect in learning outside of school and what is expected inside the classroom. While at home the students are exposed to a variety of texts and in the classroom we are so limited. So we take what we have and make magic (as all teachers do). Integrating has much digital technology that we can, teaching skills of how to navigate the web, and expanding the concept of text to our students. This will hopefully lead to making all students literate in a multimedia society.
Generational theory is very interesting to me. I am inclined to believe in society changing and affecting our students' learning. However, I do question the the time span for a generation. I know the digital world has come very quickly, but I believe it takes mankind a lot longer to change or to adapt to it. Maybe we shouldn't put it in such a short time span or label it. Later on in History, 1900 - 2000 will be lumped together anyway. The Millennials will be ending a century of old technology. But for right now, generational theory does give us an insight into how the majority of adolescents feel and their approach to education.