After reading Angela Maiers blog post about the new generation, it got me thinking about how much potential Generation Y has. I find it hard sometimes to think good things about young people. We see them getting into trouble often, and the papers and news focus too much on the negative aspects of what they are doing. WHY? Angela gives 12 great examples of what Generation Y is here to give us.Children today have grown up in the digital world, they don't understand why WE took computer classes. Heck, I think it's strange that my mom's computer class consisted of how to program things and she thought it was the neatest thing in the world! To our students we will be ancient people who know nothing, BUT there is hope--by using the skills that they already possess we can aid their education and also be the cool teacher.
Look at the Flat Classroom Project, yes it was started by an adult; but students are the wheels that are turning. They are creative and active and excited about new opportunities. Generation Y is wanting to participate in things that no other generation has dreamed of. We need to give them these opportunities. This requires us to attend conferences, webinars, and to be proactive in our decisions to incorporate new technology in our classrooms.
These children are not the selfish teens that we seen on shows like Gossip Girl. They are wanting to help others, wanting to get active in their communities. A few weeks before school started my neighbors had a lemonade stand. My dad told them to do it in our yard (we live on prime real estate in the metropolis of Lytton--population 200). These kids were not having a lemonade stand for themselves, it was for a 1st grader that has cancer from Lytton. All it took was for one of them to take a picture on her Android and post it on Facebook (yes, Generation Y knows these things at 10 years old). They raised over $100 in an afternoon.
Instead of focusing on the bad in young children today, we need to see the good in them and bring out that good. As a future teacher, I can only hope that I inspire each student to do something amazing in their lives, and Generation Y has the desire and the means to do so. We need to utilize the new technologies out there, giving them every chance they can get to see something from outside their area. Iowa students in my generation might not have thought it was possible to be a scuba diving instructor. Today, we can Skype with one in California so that children can see all of the potential in this world. I think it would be beneficial to Skype with and partner with a stock exchanger on NSE for an economics class.
What are some other ideas on how to engage generation Y?
photo: flickr.com/dcmetroblogger
Great post!! It's good to see that you are thinking about the kinds of students you will have as a teacher. Knowing their "druthers" is important when you are designing their educational setting.
ReplyDeleteI particularly liked the story that you included. It really topped it off with reality.
I would have liked to have had a link to Angela's 12 reasons so that I could easily get to it to examine it. Might have been good to include reference to a couple of them.
Good job (try putting a blank line between paragraphs.)
Z
The link is on her name, does it not show up? Thanks for the feedback, I'll keep that in mind for next time!
ReplyDeleteThe lemon-aid stand was a great example of the good that can be propagated by Gen Y. I think that for many adults it is hard to grasp the potential within this Gen Y group today. Things are so different than they were for their parents, understanding that more is done with this tech than "slacking off" is sometimes difficult.
ReplyDeleteThe New York time had an article a while back
(http://www.nytimes.com/2011/05/29/weekinreview/29graduates.html)
that included some great information about Gen Y and how it is perceived by the "elders" in " society. More examples like the one you shared may go a long way to changing some of these perceptions. Great post.