Chapter 1: Introduction
Chapter 2: Is It Age or IT: First Steps Toward Understanding the Net Generation
Chapter 3: Technology and Learning Expectations of the Net Generation
I want to start off saying that I think the term "technology" is defined very subjectively. This was shown in one of the surveys that asked what "technology is," where there were many diverse responses. Technology is relative to generation and culture. For example, we don't consider automobiles to be very technological, but to someone living in the 17th Century, they would consider it a form of technology (if not witchcraft). The article talked about how members of the Net Gen don't consider computers and cell phones technology but rather part of their everyday lives. On the other hand, members of the "Matures" generation would likely be uncomfortable with using these objects all the time.
The eBook also talked about the pros and cons of using technology in an education environment, although I believe the benefits of using these tools highly outweigh the drawbacks. No matter what form of technology a teacher uses, there are going to be problems and malfunctions that are going to have to be worked around. However, one must consider the rate at which we introduce these tools in a classroom. I'm sure that there were some skeptics back in the day when the calculator was invented, but look where we are now. It's not a matter of which technologies we use, but a matter of how fast we use them.
Another point to make is which determines the characteristics of the Net Gen: age, or experience? There were both sides of view present, but I think that no matter what generation you're talking about, whether it be a generation born between 1900-1946 or between 2100-2146, there are always going to be technological advances that the newer generations are going to be more comfortable with. There's nothing special about our generation, it's just the most recent one we can accurately study at this time.
References
- Oblinger, D. & Oblinger, J. (). Educating the net generation. Retrieved from http://www.educause.edu/educatingthenetgen/.
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