Affects of technology on 21st century study habits

I'm doing some research on - How do students think differently because of growing up on the internet? How has it affected their thinking, learning habits, processing information. What are some of their innate ways that differ from previous generations?

This could be an interesting study, because we as educators don't recognize the differences in how this generation processes, gathers, and analyze data to solve problems. Most of us are still using traditional linear methods of releasing information that includes long hours of study and comprehension. This generation learns in smaller "bursts" of information, with the ability to jump to new topics of interest instantly to break-up boredom and re-energize. They then return to the original task with new found energy and clear thinking. Some of this comes from Prensely's book "Digital Natives". The memorization and recall of information is no longer an indicator of a students success in the workforce. Their measurement will be more on problem solving and working in teams, collaborating solution. Your thoughts....

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Permalink Reply by Valerie Hathaway-Warner on December 28, 2009 at 9:20pm

I would differ in opinion on the Apple II series. I learned to program Basic on both the Apple IIe and a PET in Grade 11. My programming was rather interesting, calculating mean, mode and averages of of all the students in grades 9-13 by gender, age, grade, subject etc... It was a major project to program, and certainly not the work of a 'glorified typwriter'.

My mom programmed the first version of ReportCard Writer in AppleWriter on the Apple IIe around the same time... 1982-83 as I recall...

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Permalink Reply by Ron Frattra on January 8, 2010 at 9:22am

Hi Gordon,

Sorry it took me so long to respond. Two books that I'm currently reading are:

The Global Achievement Gap by Tony Wagner

Hanging Out, Messing Around, and Geeking Out by Mizuko Ito, Sonja baumer et al.

Both books focus on what kids are doing today. Technology is embedded in our everyday lives and is part of broad-based changes to how we engage in knowledge gathering, communication, and creative expression.

Those kids, who are immersed in new digital tools and networks are engaged in an unprecedented exploration of language, games, social interaction, problem solving, and self-direction activities. Both books focus on the relationships among youth, learning, an digital media.

Enjoy!
Ron

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Permalink Reply by James O'Reilly on December 27, 2009 at 11:21pm

I became an information broker and consultant for the EU Commission in 1988, and also had an AOL email in 1988 too. I remember seeing advertisement from DIALOG, CA (a 1970s spin-off from Lockheed's corporate library) offering mass database services under DATEX-P technology (like for a 300 - 2400 baud telephone modem).

The advertisement was in 1987 offering "back-to-school" mass database services, e.g. for ERIC database.

http://www.dialog.com/

Today, DIALOG offers well-organized bibliographically-structured mass database information from the "Deep Web" that surpasses 500 times the size of the, in comparison, structurally unorganized Internet.

Meanwhile I do adult education and andragogy. I moderate the group Adult Learning & Andragogy here.

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Permalink Reply by James O'Reilly on December 28, 2009 at 3:56pm

Check this one.... Embrace Your Power As Learning Performer
Social Constructivism = Client/Performer-Centered = Quality Management
http://adult-learning.ning.com/photo/embrace-your-power-as-learning-1

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Permalink Reply by James O'Reilly on December 29, 2009 at 7:56am

Add this to your study resources...

Heutogogy - Self-Determined Learning
http://www.classroom20.com/group/adultlearningandragogy/forum/topic...

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Permalink Reply by Mariam Haleem on December 28, 2009 at 2:11am

I agree with what you are talking about because the digital natives with their ability to 'find out' using the Internet develop a habit of accessing search engines as soon as they are faced with a problem ... their focus is primarily on 'let me find out what the problem is' before going into 'let me learn how to solve this problem' ... this makes them very different from the previous generations because the focus that they had was 'whenever in life I am faced with such a problem, this is what I should do' ...

With the ability to decide whether there is a problem and whether is it a 'big enough' problem, students today may be far more intrinsically motivated then those of the yester years :)

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Permalink Reply by Donna Murdoch on December 28, 2009 at 7:46am

This is true. Look at the "help wanted" section of the papers, see the Python, PHP, etc developers needed?
Anyway I think the focus of the papers I posted was true Digital Natives/youth. I personally think that college kids are a bit immigrant themselves, although the "always on" connectivity of life is something that differentiates them so much. Also, the availability of quick and easy facts/answers which they take for granted. The newer flashier tools - virtualization, learning inside games, are for yet the next level of digital native - born with a computer in their hands. I see the difference between an 18 year old and a 13 year old technologically even now. This is a discussion that could go on for some time - but I found the papers to be very accurate based on what I have seen, do others disagree?

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Permalink Reply by Donna Murdoch on December 28, 2009 at 3:22pm

Just meant that not enough people want to solve the problem - those folks are rare, and more in need within the general business population. Referring to programmers.

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Permalink Reply by Anne Pemberton on December 28, 2009 at 3:50pm

Donna,

I suspect that no matter what level of technology mankind develops, there will always be divisions between those who can problem solve, and those who wait on the solutions.

The Internet has solved "once and for all" the problem of distribution of knowledge. No longer is someone more valuable than another because they have or had access to specialized knowledge. But, that does not mean that there are any more people who are able to apply that knowledge in creative and useful ways. Those people will always be rarities among humans.

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Permalink Reply by Donna Murdoch on December 28, 2009 at 7:30pm

I like that Anne - agree 100%.

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Permalink Reply by Mariam Haleem on December 29, 2009 at 7:59am

Yes, there will be always be leaders and followers ... that is after all, the the natural order :) But this brings us to the more valuable questions.

How should we interpret and distinguish between education and literacy?

Is it really important to do so?

... or simply, aren't we questioning the curriculum because we want to bridge the gap between those 'who are able to apply that knowledge in creative and useful ways' and those who are not!

Is it really as impossible as you seem to believe?

And even if it is, should we stop trying to change the way things are? :)

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Permalink Reply by Ron Frattra on January 8, 2010 at 9:37am

Hi Donna,
I've been absent for some time. The study that I'm trying to do is very much inline with your comments and findings.

I've just wrote to Gordon and shared two books that I'm reading. One in particular is "Hanging Out, Messing Around, and Geeking Out". The authors of this book are the same authors that created the white-paper you posted. Sharing and staying connected is incredibly important to this generation. They maintain connections, almost for life, they communicate with childhood friends, elementary friends, junior high, high school, and college friends - I can't remember who I went to high school with! Their network reaches out deep and wide. And at a level of interaction where they can get answers, advice, etc in seconds.

I agree, that this is just the beginning of the change and that education will be transforming and adjusting its pedagogy for years to come.