Sunday, January 31, 2010

Generations Wrap-up

The New York Times recently had an article on intra-generational gaps. While we've discussed gaps between generations, the article cites research from the Pew Research Center's Internet and American Life project that uncovers the differences in technology use with young adults 3-4 years apart.


Read the article and discuss the ramifications of teachers having to essentially play by a "new set of rules" every 3-4 years because the students they see today could function quite diffferently than the students they see in 2014. You may want to include several of the following bullet points in your discussion:

  • Do you believe that this is the case?
  • If so, why do you think this pace is accelerating?
  • Can you think of anything that you do differently than a slightly older/younger sibling?
  • What are some advantages and disadvantages of this phenomenon?
  • Since more people will have read this article instead of our readings that try to refute some of the generational studies, what would you say to a friend, colleague, administrator, public official, or a presenter at a conference who uses this article as a justification for their program or legislation?


To read the article visit http://www.nytimes.com/2010/01/10/weekinreview/10stone.html

In addition to the entry responding to this prompt on your own blog this week, please make a comment on at least two of your fellow students' blogs.

Your own response to this prompt should be posted by midnight on Thursday, February 4th, 2010. Your comments on other students' blogs should be completed by midnight on Sunday, February 7th, 2010.

References:
Stone, B. (2010, January 9). The children of cyberspace: Old fogies by their 20's. The New York Times. Retrieved from http://www.nytimes.com/2010/01/10/weekinreview/10stone.html

Monday, January 25, 2010

Generation Me

In reading the Prensky items last week, it seemed that one or both of the descriptions provided for digital natives spoke to you and how you see your students. This week the Reeves & Oh and Twenge pieces has written examined the research about these so-called generational differences to see what we can say with confidence is actually true about today's student.

Based upon your reading of the Reeves & Oh and Twenge pieces, what do you take away from this whole discussion about generational differences? Having read all four pieces now, which one do you think makes the most sense based on your own students? Does the review of the research conducted by Reeves and Twenge really matter if Howe and Strauss or Prensky got it right in the first place?

In addition to the entry responding to this prompt on your own blog this week, please make a comment on two of your fellow students' blogs.

Your own response to this prompt should be posted by midnight on Thursday, 28 January 2010. Your comments on other students' blogs should be completed by midnight on Sunday, 31 January 2010.

Monday, January 18, 2010

Digital Natives

This week you've been introduced to some of the literature concerning today's students - who people think they are, what characteristics, they have, etc. Does any of what you read sound like your students?

For your blog entry this week, I'd like you to reflect on what these two authors have said. How have each of the author's described YOUR students? What have each of the authors said that doesn't describe your students at all? Are there any characteristics, traits or behaviors of your students that none of these authors have even mentioned? Basically, how do you students compare to what these authors have to say?

In addition to the entry responding to this prompt on your own blog this week, please make a comment on at least two of your fellow students' blogs.

Your own response to this prompt should be posted by midnight on Thursday, 21 January 2010. Your comments on other students' blogs should be completed by midnight on Sunday, 24 January 2010.

Friday, January 8, 2010

Introduce Yourself

To begin your first entry, provide us with a short description of where you teach, what classes you teach, what your students are like there, etc.. Remember that some of us, myself as probably the prime example, may not be familiar with all the different areas of Michigan (and possibly outside of Michigan) so the more information you can tell us about your school and the students that you teach, the better our interactions will be as the course progresses. Also include some information about yourself, such as what program you are in, what degree you are pursuing.

This entry should be completed by the end of the day on Sunday, 17 January 2010.