4. Silent Generation
Born between 1928 and 1945
Great Depression and World War II
Work Values Include
Honesty
Organizational loyalty
Conformity
Work ethic that incorporates hard work and moral
values
5. Baby Boomers
Born between 1946-1964
Process-oriented
Relationship-focused at work
Changed the social structure of the country
Dislike conformity and rules
6. Generation X
Born 1965-1981
Work values
Team orientation
Awork/family life balance
Loyalty to relationships
Dominates the current workforce population
7. Millennial or Generation Y
Technology Savvy
Born Between 1982-2009
Highly educated
Technology literate
Dependent on technology
Do not value face-to-face
communications
Sixth sense/Native
Cell phone
Internet
Social Networking
8. Millennial or Generation Y
Entitled Mentality
Focus on personal
fulfillment
Immediate reward and
acknowledgment
Work/academic attitude
Hedonism,
Narcissism
Cavalier work ethic
Not committed to
corporations
10. Uses of Technology
Informal Learning
Net Gen
Communication – social networking
Buying and selling- eBay
Searching- Google
Collecting- Downloading
Reporting – Camera phones
12. Web 2.0 Tools
Blogs
Sharing
34.1% contribute to blogs monthly
13. Web 2.0 Tools
Communication
Instant messaging
Email
Discussion Boards
Text Messaging
14. Web 2.0 Tools
Podcasts
Online learning
Promotes education without the need for face-to-face
communication
Allows online streaming of educational material
Students can watch, create, and post on their own
15. Web 2.0 Tools
Wikis- Creating- Flash
To create
To collaborate
To learn
16. Informal Learning
Social Networking
Facebook
Twitter
Myspace
Professional Networking
LinkedIn
Online Classrooms
20. Learning Environment
Students Use of Technology
Not being utilized for education
Focus is on social communication
Instructor is not implementing enough technology
21. Learning Environment
Advance Learning
Collaboration
Empower the student
Instant
gratification/feedback
Incorporate Technology
Excite the learner
Utilize Resources
Take advantage of available
information
22. References
Alexander, C. S., &Sysko, J. M. (2011). A study of the cognitive determinants of
generation Y’s entitlement mentality. Allied Academies International
Conference: Proceedings Of The Academy Of Educational Leadership
(AEL), 16(1), 1-6.
Barenes, A. (2013). Breaking through generational stereotypes. T+D, 67(6), 30.
Horwath, J., & Williamson, C. (2009). The Kids Are Alright -- Or, Are They?: The
Millennial Generation's Technology Use and Intelligence -- an
Assessment of the Literature. Partnership: The Canadian Journal Of Library &
Information Practice & Research, 4(2), 1-15.
Kaye, B. (2012). Four Generations. Leadership Excellence, 29(1), 20.
Majchrzak, A., Wagner, C., & Yates, D. (2013). The impact of shaping on
knowledge reuse for organizational improvement with wikis. MIS
Quarterly, 37(2), 455-A12.
Tam, C. (2012). The Effectiveness of Educational Podcasts for Teaching Music
and Visual Arts in Higher Education. Research In Learning
Technology, 20(1),
Editor's Notes
The silent generation- born between 1928-1945The Baby Boomers- born between 1946-1964Generation X- born between 1965-1981(Alexander &, Sysko, 2011)A generation of people are grouped together by a timeframe when they are born. The idea behind a generation is people born around the same timeframe are exposed to the same events in their lives bringing similarity among the group.
Millennials or generation Y- born between 1982-2009(Alexander &, Sysko, 2011)A generation of people are grouped together by a timeframe when they are born. The idea behind a generation is people born around the same timeframe are exposed to the same events in their lives bringing similarity among the group. • “The rapidly changing technological environment has created an observable and “foreign” (to some) set of behaviors among young adults.• The aging of our population, combined with the financial challenges of retirement in a depressed economy, has caused many seniors to delay retirement. This demographic factor may exacerbate the potential conflicts between sub- groups of employees with different values and standards” (Barnes, 2013, p. 31).
This generation includes people that were involved in the great depression and World War II (Alexander &, Sysko, 2011). This generation focused on success and hard work (Kaye, 2012). People in this generation are also known for their ability of postponement of materials rewards, which is is a major difference with this generation and the millennial generation (Kaye, 2012).“Giving back and contributing to the collective good is an emblem of this generation. At work, they look for due process and fair play—and when they find it, they are loyal to the company and work within the system” (Kaye, 2012, p. 20).
As Baby boomers begin to retire and generation X and the millennials begin to take over the work force, “they take with them a work ethic driven by success, ambition, high achievement and a loyalty to their careers and organizations” (Alexander &, Sysko, 2011, p.1).
“Generation Xers seek opportunities to make a visible difference, use their creative abilities, and avoid being laid off by putting their own skill sets first. They realize the need to be employable since no organization can guarantee employment” (Kaye, 2012, p. 20). Members of generation X work hard but also seek a balance with work and home life.
The the millennial generation is a generation filled with the use of technology in both work and academic settings (Barnes, 2013). This generation was born between 1982-2009 (Alexander &, Sysko, 2011). They are considered to be natives to the technology world (Alexander &, Sysko, 2011). Internet, cell phones, social networking have all been developed during this time. This generation are naturals with using these technologies because they have grown up using them on a daily basis (Alexander &, Sysko, 2011). Generation Y has a strong sense of entitlement and instant gratification.
This generation does not value face-to-face communication, and prefers to communicate via text. They use social networking to publish their lives and take the word of their peers over researched information (Barnes, 2013). Generation Y workers are not as committed to their corporations as previous generations and will have multiple jobs in their life time which is a major difference from previous generations (Barnes 2013).
Generation Y or Millennials use technology in their everyday lives to learn both formally and informally. They constantly use technology to gain knowledge and satisfy their need for instant gratification. “In sum, the picture that emerges is of a Millennial student who is technologically savvy, highly intelligent, and intensely interested in using the latest Web 2.0 tools to create online content” (Horwath, & Williamson, 2009, p. 3).
“Much has been written about the prowess of the Millennial generation. These "digital natives" have been attributed with the ability to process information, make decisions, multi-task, and learn new technologies better than any generation that has come before” (Horwath, & Williamson, 2009, p. 1). These tools are used by the millennial generation everyday, in both formal education and informal learning.
Students can use Blogs in their formal education to share ideas and thoughts. Blogs give the opportunity to learn from classmates, teachers and friends. Students can also use blogs for journal assignments in the classroom.
“Net Gen students are actively using IT tools to communicate and taking advantage of Web 2.0 technologies to express themselves” (Horwath, & Williamson, 2009, p. 3). Students in this generation can communicate virtually without having to have face-to-face communication, which these students prefer (Barnes, 2013).
“Generally speaking, the students found the podcasts useful and viewed podcasting as a method which could be used to supplement face- to-face teaching” (Tam, 2012, p. 1). Students can access podcasts with valuable information that is relevant to their course work. Podcasts allow freedom for the students to utilize their time management skills. Student can access the information as many times as they need to, they can create their own podcast as part of an assignment, and they can share their work with their classmates (Tam, 2012). Podcasts allow for multiple ways of getting the information including, audio, video, text, and a combination of material.
“Wikis differ from earlier knowledge management technologies in that they enable the collaborative publication of content to a common website” (Majchrzak, Wagner, & Yates,2013, p.456). Wikis allow students to work together, and collaborate ideas outside of the classroom. Students can work together from a distance, and each contribute to the project. It allows academic students to create and build on what they have learned in the classroom.
Students in the millennial generation use social networking to socialize through the internet but they also use it for networking, communication, and to research information (Horwath, & Williamson, 2009). Students rely a lot on social networking sites to stay current with information. Social networking cites can be beneficial to the student if used appropriately. Professional networking cites help students network with professionals in their fields. Online communication and classrooms can also be used to network, by providing chat areas within the classroom to promote student communication.
Millennial generation uses internet in many forms of informal learning. Using the internet to buy and sell instead of going to actual stores has increased in the millennial generation. Popular websites such as eBay, Craig’s List, and Amazon make it possible for stores and companies to connect directly to their consumer without the consumer leaving their home. This has become increasingly popular with generation Y (Alexander &, Sysko, 2011).
The millennial generation is used to having the internet do aid in research. They are able to download information quickly and accurately. However, some “young people do not understand how information retrieval systems work or how content on the Internet is organized and so cannot formulate effective searches” (Horwath, & Williamson, 2009, p. 4). It is important that this generation learns how to accurately research information.
Millennials use cell phone cameras to report many things in their lives. This is a common technology that most if not all millennials have and use on a daily basis. This technology allows these individuals to document their lives and share important moments via the internet (text, or social networks cites). They post pictures of their lives to share with their friends and families (Horwath, & Williamson, 2009).
“These students are not overwhelmingly embracing technologies or are mainly using these tools for social communication rather than content creation” (Horwath, & Williamson, 2009, p. 4). The Millennial generation has had more access to technology and information than any generation in the past. Instead of focusing this information on education, millennial students are focusing more on social communications and personal advancements. This generation has a sense of entitlement compared to the previous generations. They expect that the class material will be catered towards their learning and by them showing up, they deserve a good grade (Alexander &, Sysko, 2011). This generation wants it all right now, without putting in the proper amount of work. This is a new outlook in the schooling system.
Millennial learners are comfortable with technology. They have grown up in an age where technology is a common practice, and it is used in education, social and professional ways. In the learning environment, technology should be incorporated to excite and engage the learner. Engaging the learner helps the learner to retain information. Advancing the learning in the classroom through group work and collaboration should be utilized through the use of wikis, blogs, and social communications. Utilizing all resources available to the students should also be considered when planning for a proper millennial learning environment. This includes instructing students on how to properly use research sites such as Google, and Yahoo. Students also need to understand how to verify sources and information. The millennial generation typically believe their peers, in education, the information presented must be validated. By teaching students the proper way to use all of this technology, the instructor is empowering the student by providing them with the abilities to use technology to learn from. By creating and using technology, students also have the chance for instant gratification (completion of work that is visible/usable) and instant feedback from the instructor.
