Millenials

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Where do I fit on the Millenial timeline of tech-savvies? I went to the Pew Research Center's article about Millenials. The detailed report makes the distinctions more clear and is worth checking out in addition to the bar graphs on the main page. When I scrolled down and took the Millenial Quiz, I was scored a 67. Several factors probably contribute to this score: I started texting with my son when he started college and seemed to refuse to use the phone to call home regularly,

I work with gifted students who keep me young, and I teach a research class that keeps me abreast of new ideas. So, considering these conditions, it would seem to be true in my case that chronological age is not an indicator of an information-age mindset. As an experiment one day last week, I had one of my classes take the Millenial Quiz as well: Allie 68, Richard, 62, Damien 53, Allie 50, and Daniel 43. The results seem to reflect what I know about their home lives. The first Allie is from a family that travels a lot and communicates via iPhones frequently. There is decreasing amount of home life 'fanciness' (as the kiddos say) to Daniel, whose family is considered 'old fashioned.' He believes he'll never get an iPhone in this lifetime if his parents have anything to do with it. Even then, his score is a 43--a higher score than a GenXer. [This is the student who pointed out the survey was flawed on two counts: 1) by answering the questions in a particular rhythm, the score can be pushed up or down and 2) it should have been given before learning anything about the topic since knowledge may have skewed the results. These are sidebars, but still...]

According to Jason Frand, ten attributes comprise the information-age mindset. These attributes can be divided into three broad categories which makes sense of a sea of values and behaviors.

Broad Observations of Change -- Broadly, I'm in.
Computers Aren't Technology -- I'm in on this one but not because it wasn't around when I was born but because I have gravitated through the changes over time: Selectric, to the Royal Alpha, to the first 8mb hard drive. Now one of my thumb drives is 16gb. Taking this class has changed my idea of technology where the computer and iPhone are the tools and the programs I use on them are the technology....a shift in thinking.

Internet Better than TV -- Not quite there yet. I don't watch a lot of TV anyway, so watching something on the Internet isn't appealing. Now, I do read research studies online FAR more than I read the physical journal where they are published.

Reality No Longer Real -- I'm in on this one based on things I've seen happen and not happen. Online personas can be invented, words can be a false front, and more and more trust is an issue when determining what is real and what is not. I teach Web Wisdom lessons to my middle school students and have them figure out when it is appropriate to doubt. Basically, when in doubt, do. I do.

Doing Rather than Knowing -- In. Time and space are newly defined with the speed of information, knowledge, and obsolescence. I tell my gifted students to consider what their first career will be because they will have several during their lifetime...giving them many opportunities to explore many interests. That works for the gifted thinkers who would naturally move through different careers anyway, but everyone needs to be constantly evolving and growing.

Getting Stuff Gets Done -- Basically in, with reservations.
Nintendo over Logic -- In. Trial and error has always been my way of getting something done. Thinking over details and micromanaging the consequences seems to take too long. Granted, sometimes that strategy has bitten me but overall it's how I have gotten things done.

Multitasking Way of Life -- OUT, out, out....just because many tasks can be done at once does not mean any of them will be done to a successful outcome, especially tasks involving original thinking. Confusing the emotional high of doing many things at once with getting stuff done is not productive.

Typing Rather Than Handwriting -- In when considering efficiency, Out when considering long term learning. Both techniques has a place in the mental game of learning and using them effectively to a desired end is wise.

Subliminal Needs Conditioned By the CyberAge -- More out than in.
Staying Connected -- Out. I don't think I need to be connected to others or to changing information all the time, and I certainly don't think others need to be connected to me constantly. It just seems weird to me that I can be accessed at someone else's whim. And, I have to tell you, I do NOT like being reprimanded for not answering my cell phone in one ring, or ever. Silence is a good thing. Being 'on call' to the world in not a good thing.

Zero Tolerance for Delays -- In, sadly. I have no patience, and the immediacy of the Internet and mobile access to information feeds into my need for now...on my terms of course. This is an example of my paradox: I don't want to be bothered by others, but I want what I want immediately.

Consumer/Creator Blurring -- Out. This is a sticking point probably because I personally have had papercutting art and gourd art lifted off American websites and sold on Chinese websites as original art. I use  these instances as teaching opportunities for my students. Intellectual property lines blur frequently when images can be snipped and captured and 'borrowed.' Who owns what, who can take, use, and claim work found online is tricky. Fair Use Laws cover aspects of use but even those are stretched. SO, even though I do not advocate free wheeling use of online materials, I do use online sources to explain why.


The Educause Research Center for Applied Research study, The EDUCAR Study of Undergraduate Students and Information Technology, 2010, makes a striking point about students and their personal use of technology and desired level of technology for learning. While personal use of technology has increased, especially in the most recent years of the study (between 2009 and 2010), the preferred level of technology in a learning environment over the previous 7 years is 'moderate.'  I suspect the increase in personal technology kept increasing as current technologies became accessible, but did the preference for technology in classroom stay at moderate? As the authors Smith and Caruso suggest, moderate could be a floating concept since moderate 7 years ago may not be what moderate was 2 years ago. As a student becomes more and more tech-savvy, wouldn't the level of expectations change to reflect what is considered old-hat and what is new?

I am considering a pilot program to take my research class from traditional research strategies (index cards, written documentation, manual surveys, etc.) to research on Google Docs. This will be new to many who have taken the class before, but for the 6th graders -- will this 'new approach' be considered as new as the 8th graders who did it the old way for the past 2 years? Will the level of moderation be equal to the different grade levels? Two years can make a difference.