This article was a very interesting read for me. I am part
of the 'Net Gen' and found much of what Tapscott said to be true on a personal
level, especially concerning customization, scrutiny, speed, innovation and entertainment.
I did have some questions about what was posted however,
especially considering that this book was inspired by a large research project
that was privately funded. The article is definitely written to be used by
corporations as opposed to learners (though much is applicable). While we are
in the business of education, characteristics of students should not only
dictate how we teach them. While it may be useful to engage our students, they
still need to learn the basics, before we ask them to collaborate, for example.
I think we also must remember these are trends seen in
groups of people and not how all people in the Net Gen operate. For example, I
have been teaching for 5 years (I am 27) and this has been my only career. Most
of my friends have only worked at one other job. When discussing freedom, Tapscott
says "high performers are on their fifth job by the time they are 27"
(page 74). While I agree that many of my friends were not as committed to their
first job, I think many people are just happy to be employed. This could be a
result of the current economy, but this point seems a bit exaggerated (or
perhaps we are not considered 'high performers').
While on a personal level, I would like to think the Net Gen
is more tolerant and wise (has more integrity) than previous generations, I am
not sure that they statistics Tapscott uses on page 85 displaying 'Youth Risk
Behaviours' is adequate evidence of being wiser. I think this can be attributed
to more knowledge yes, but also better parenting and perhaps social
acceptances. I think that the Mothers against Drunk Driving (MADD) commercials
and all those sex education classes that we participated in lead to some of
those statistics. Were the Baby Boomers considered more tolerant and wiser than
their parents? Perhaps this is just a reality of each new generation.
I liked what Tapscott said about collaboration. On page 91,
Tapscott said, "The new collaboration is not traditional teamwork at all.
The difference today is that individual efforts can be harnessed on a large
scale to achieve collective outcomes". As teachers, we have been told that
we cannot evaluate group work, there has to be an individual component to evaluate. Often,
in my classrooms, maturity is an issue with students. If not all students are
equally invested or can see that their lack of effort creates more work for
their peers, then group work can really flop. Perhaps, as educators, we need to
rethink how we approach group work? I would like to think we collaborate with
our colleagues on a daily basis, so why can't our students? Perhaps we need to
shift our focus from the assignments where students can copy each other and
move towards authentic problem solving?
Tapscott, Donald. (2009). Characteristics of Generation: The
Eight Net Gen Norms. In Grown Up Digital
(pages 73 – 96). New York:
McGraw-Hill.
