New Students Different From Old Students!

Not that this is news to anyone, but the author would like to point out that there are some generational differences out there. Apparently, Boomers are different from Gen-Xers and Millenials. In her article, Diana Oblinger points out that many college students are older, some part of the Baby Boom generation. They differ not only in their ability to remember where they were when they heard the news about JFK, but they actually think differently from the typical college students today (who will have to settle for being able to remember where they were when they heard the news about Michael Jackson.) The current generation also apparently likes good customer service. Oblinger includes the research of Jason Frand, who describes ten typical attributes of the information-age mindset:

1. Computers aren't "technology;" they're just -there; an assumed part of life. Perhaps "technology" is the newer, more exciting stuff that we line up for at five in the morning after Thanksgiving to get a better deal on.
2. The internet is better than t.v. because it is more interactive and you can use it to socialize. (But the generation being born now will have to be told what T.V. was, right?)
3. "Doing" is more important than knowing. Because the half-life of information is so short, it has sort of become devalued. Results are more important than facts. "Doing the dishes", is not as important to the current generation as knowing, though. I'm just saying.
4. Learning is more about trial and error (video game model) than good, old fashioned logic. Apparently losing represents learning. (I'm afraid I may be a Boomer at heart.)
5. Multitasking is a way of life. Even as I write this, I am finishing a Gilligan's Island Marathon and hiring a hitman online.
6. Typing is preferred to handwriting.
7. Staying Connected is essential. Duh. And, in my own opinion, documenting everything that happens while connected is a kind of weird offshoot of that.
8. The lines between consumer and creator are blurring.
9. There is zero tolerance for delays. WHY HAVEN'T YOU FINISHED READING THIS YET?!

So the mandate for teaching the students of the future is clear: Experiential digitally connected learning FASTER, FASTER, FASTER!

Response: I liked this article. Like the article digital natives (see below,) it provides a nice scaffold for things I had kind of already noticed.

Source: Oblinger, D. "Boomers and Gen-Xers Millenials: Understanding the New Students." In: Computers in Education; 12th Edition. Annual Editions. (2007)