1. Melanie Garner
LIBS X970
Boudreau-Henry
January 25, 2014
Grown Up Digital: How the Net Generation is Changing Your World/Reflection
1. What personal experiences do you have with the Net Generation? Are
you in this generation?
I was born in 1969 therefore I am not a part of the Net Generation. I am part of
Generation X. Those of us who are considered Generation X were born between January 1965
to December 1976, a span of twelve years, producing 44.9 million children (Tapscott,
2009).However, my son was born in 1991 and is considered part of the Net Generation.
According to Tapscott, 2009, the Net Generation spans twenty-one years January 1977 to
December 1997. My son is typical of the Net Generation. He has been working for a plastic
surgeon for four months, and he is already looking for something better. My first “real” job has
been my only job. He has grown up with technology and is always connected to the internet.
His way of thinking about everything from purchases, work, and communication is completely
different from mine.
2. The subtitle of this book is: How the netgeneration is changing your world—identify
some effects of this generation on you personally.
I work with many teachers who are part of the Net Generation population. I have learned
a great deal from them. They are full of great ideas from technology to the way they run their
classrooms. They have helped me personally grow as an educator by sharing their experiences
and feelings about the changes that have occurred in the field of education. I am especially
surprised at how quickly they are willing to leave their current job for a better job. This concept
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2. just blows me away. I admire their courage and their willingness to explore new possibilities.
They also display “tolerance and even wisdom, compared with previous generations. They have
been exposed to a ton of scientific, medical, and other pertinent information that wasn’t available
to their parents” (Tapscott, 2009). Tapscott also found this knowledge enabled them to change
various at-risk behaviors such as, using a condom, wearing a seat belt, and riding with someone
who had been drinking.
3. On pages 34-35, Tapscott identifies norms (expectations) from this generation. How will
those affect classroom teaching?
Tapscott (2009) states the following norms of the Net Generation:
They want freedom in everything they do, from freedom of choice to freedom of
expression.
They love to customize, personalize.
They are the new scrutinizers.
They look for corporate integrity and openness when deciding what to buy and where to
work.
The Net Gen wants entertainment and play in their work.
They are the collaboration and relationship generation.
The Net Gen has a need for speed—and not just in video games.
They are the innovators.
These norms force educators to examine the way they teach. Each lesson needs to
contain choices and freedom to explore and share ideas. The lessons should be student centered
and maintain avenues for students to express their views and ideas. Students need to have
opportunities to personalizetheir projects. Lessons should be filled with fun and entertainment.
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3. Learning needs to be fun. Group projects are important to this generation because they
collaborate with their peers constantly. The pace of the lesson is crucial, it should be fast paced
and relevant to the student’s real-life.
4. Chapter 5 is all about learning; what did you think were the 3 most important ideas (as
far as your educator role) and why did you choose these three?
The Global Economy andthe Digital Age Require New Abilities
I chose this idea because it forces educators to change their way of thinking when it
comes to students. “It’s not what you know that counts anymore; it’s what you can learn”
(Tapscott, 2009). Tapscott also found that the ability to learn is more consequential than ever in
a world where you have to process emerging information at fast pace. Students must be prepared
to change their knowledge base constantly in the global economy. Therefore, educators must be
open to new ideas when it comes to students’ ways of processing and learning.
What Works? Focus on the Student, Not the Teacher
A student centered classroom is finally starting to take place in today’s classrooms. I see
it on a daily basis in my school. I know it is hard to give up control over your students.
However, I have learned that when students take ownership over what they learn it makes a huge
impact on the amount of “real” learning that actually takes place.Education must be student
centered,students must able to discover and collaborate with each other. The lecture style of
teaching has gone by the wayside and interactive learning should be the way students are
learning in schools today (Tapscott,2009).
The 2.0 School
Being the librarian of an elementary school this idea is also extremely important. I see
computers, smart boards, LCD projectors, and other types of technology put in classrooms that
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4. that teachers never use. They are either afraid of the new technology or haven’t been trained on
it. Having a 2.0 school is essential when preparing Net Geners for the digital world they will
enter in the work force. Tapscott (2009) gives seven tips for educators in the new digital age.
Don’t throw technology into the classroom and hope for good things.
Cut back on lecturing.
Empower students to collaborate.
Focus on lifelong learning, not teaching to the test.
Use technology to get to know each student.
Design educational programs according to the eight norms.
Reinvent yourself as a teacher, professor, or educator.
5. How will you use the prosumer mentality to your advantage in the classroom?
Tapscott (2009) states,
Prosumerism is more that an extension of mass customization, customer centricity, or any
of the other terms that boil down to companies making basic products and letting
customers tweak the details. It’s was happens when producers and consumers both
actively participate in the creation of good and services in an ongoing way.
I will use the idea of Prosumerism in the classroom by letting my students use Web 2.0 tools to
create, design, and collaborate on assignments. This will allow them to develop their usage of
the internet and go from consumer to prosumer.
6. Tapscott has ideas for you (p.119) Tell us how you achieve two of these—be grounded in
reality!
Two guidelines for a sharper mind that I can achieve are, “Multitask wisely and know
when it’s best to concentrate on just one task” (Tapscott, 2009). Both of these complement each
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5. other and could be incorporated into my life with just a few tweaks. I feel like I am multitasking
all the time. I love the email example Tapscott gives. I don’t have to do everything at once and
sometimes it is important to truly focus on one thing at a time and give yourself time for
reflection and creativity.
7. How do you feel about being “lapped” by this generation in regards to technology)?
There is a story in the book about this; if you read the book you will recognize it!
Being “lapped” by this generation in regards to technology doesn’t bother me at all. I am
excited to learn from the Net Generation. I am constantly learning new things from them at
home and at work. Having a child in this generation is beneficial to me in many ways. Some of
which are as simple as sharing new IPhone apps to using Excel.I have always loved the fact that
we love some of the same music, plus he has taught me tons about video games. Social media is
another area in which my son and other Net Geners havehelped me increase my knowledge base
in. I noticed Tapscott mentioned My Space often in his book. Research shows that My Space is
rarely used anymore. Pew Internet & American Life Project found that several types of social
media are being used by adults and My Space was not listed. “Some 73% of online adults now
use a social networking site of some kind. Facebook is the dominant social networking platform
in the number of users, but a striking number of users are now diversifying onto other platforms”
(Duggan & Smith, 2013).
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6. Chart inserted from (Pew Internet & American Life Project, 2013)
8. After reading this entire book what do you think of the “bathed in bits” generation’s
role in 20 years?
Some aspects of the Net Generation in twenty years are scary but after reading this book I
have a differentoutlook on the future. I think Net Geners will be wonderfulcollaborators and
prosumers. They will be technologically advanced and their eagerness to “change the world”
will allow them to provide many valuable contributions to society. According to Tapscott
(2009), “This is not a shallow, materialistic generation. On the contrary, this is a generation of
community volunteers and activists. They actually want to make their world a little better”.
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7. References
Duggan, M., & Smith, A. (2013, December 30). Pew internet & American life project: Social
media update 2013. Retrieved from http://www.pewinternet.org/Reports/2013/SocialMedia-Update/Main-Findings.aspx
Tapscott, D. (2009). Grown up digital: How the net generation is changing your world.[Kindle
Keyboard version]. Retrieved from Amazon.com
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