There are multiple generations of learners from the past and currently.

Millennials:
Who are they?
  • Born from the years 1980-2000.
  • Confident and have high self-esteem levels because that is how their parents raised them (most of them at least).
  • Practical and hopeful.
  • Have experienced things that no other generation has ever experienced.
  • Motivation

What do they do?
After watching this video about millennials, here are ways in which educators need to motivate millenials in the classroom. Because millenials are growing up in a technology based world, one thing that stood out was that teachers need to use technology in the classroom. Technology needs to be used in the classroom because millennials enjoy it. This will allow for students to be engaged in the content. This includes ways of incorporating social networking into lessons.
  • Twitter
  • Wiki-spaces
  • Google Docs
  • Blogs
  • Smart-board
  • YouTube

Digital Natives vs. Digital Immigrants:
Who are they?
Digital Natives:
  • Today’s K-12 students who have been surrounded by technology and tools of the digital age
  • Important aspects of their lives: emails, Internet, cell phones, computer/video games
Digital Immigrants:
  • Generations before the digital natives
  • Immigrants to the digital age and technological language used today

Examples:
  • Digital Immigrants will look at the Internet second for information rather than first, as the Digital Natives would
  • Digital Immigrants will bring coworkers or friends into their office or room to see an interesting website, as opposed to instant messaging them the URL
Issue:
  • Digital Immigrants instructors struggle to teach Digital Natives; they are not used to using the technology as proficiently as the Natives
  • Sometimes instructors cannot compare to the technology and grab the students’ interest in a fascinating or new manner
[Prensky, M. (2001). Digital Natives, Digital Immigrants. MCB University Press. 9(5).]
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Baby Boomers
Who are they?
  • Born between 1946 to 1964
  • Golden Boomers are baby boomers who are retired or will retire
  • Are known as contributors of the expansion of individual freedom
  • Associated with: civil rights movements, feminist movements of the 1970’s, gay rights, handicap rights, rights to privacy
  • Baby boomers show more interest in purchasing consumer electronics than any other group (Robison, 2010)

Generation X
Who are they?
  • Born between 1961 to 1982
  • Considered the “reactive” or “nomad” generation
  • Started working better in multi cultural settings
(Thiefoldt, Sheef, 2004)
  • This generation takes employment/careers seriously however they change jobs more often than any other generation before them
  • Much of the development of Gen X is linked to these technological changes such as the home computer, video games and cable TV (especially MTV and ESPN)
  • Though they are typically criticized as “lazy” by their contemporaries, they are credited with a large growth of entrepreneurship in the United States
Generation X

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