Students are Connected.
Approximately 95% of teens ages 12-17 are online, 76% use social networking sites, and 77% have cell phones. (Pew Internet Project)
Why are Students Not Prepared for College?
Many instructors feel that students coming into the college classroom are not ready for college. They believe that technology is at least partly to blame. Students are distracted from their studies by the continuous use of social networking.
Others feel that students are not prepared for college because teachers rely on outdated models of pedagogy?
The Learning Styles of Millennial Students Do Not Match the Old Methods of Instruction.
Jeniece Lusk, a researcher and PhD in applied sociology at an Atlanta-based information technology company states,
Unless the educational paradigms used in our schools are changed to match the non-academic world of the Millennial student, I don’t foresee an increase in students’ abilities to analyze and use critical thinking.
Teachers are Frustrated.
College teachers continually express their frustration with students using cell phones in the classroom. Policies are written to prevent the use of cell phones and instructors attempt to enforce those policies. Yet, some students try to hide their cell phones in the classroom even at the risk of facing discipline or being withdrawn from the class.
What Should Teachers Do?
Teachers cannot continue to teach using the old methods of instruction. School cannot simply add social media into the curriculum, the education system must be completely redesigned to accommodate the learning styles of students who are accustomed to being connected to technology throughout their day.
The Intellectual Divide.
Tin Tan Wee, an internet expert based at the National University of Singapore predicts that after 2020 more-enlightened educators will start developing curricula designed to tap a post-internet era. He predicts that smart young people who grow up with technology will become smarter while the majority of students will decline in knowledge.
All Young People are Not Digital Wizards.
Contrary to what the statistics might suggest, all young people are not digital wizards. When I surveyed a group of about 20 students in a rural community college, most students could not define social media. The majority used Facebook, only a few used Twitter and no one knew how to use Google+ or LinkedIn. About half the students had cell phones, or maybe because of the cell phone policy, they would not all admit to owning a cell phone.
What Do You Think?
What do you think? Will the intellectual divide increase? Do you find that students are continually distracted?
You Can Read the Full Pew Report Here:
Millennials will benefit and suffer due to their hyperconnected lives (Pew Internet & American Life Project)
Leading, Teaching, & Learning 