3. Introduction
‘This new generation is familiarized with ‘Its members are used to immediacy and
media-based languages and feels have an ability to learn by rapidly processing
comfortable performing several tasks at parallel and discontinuous information’ (p.
once’ (p. 543). 543)
‘Massive access to and use of ICT
among the youngest members of the
population has led numerous authors
to suggest the existence of a generation
that has been socialized in a media
based world’ (Carstens&Beck, 2005;
Montgomery, 1996;
Oblinger&Oblinger, 2005; Pedro, 2006;
Prensky, 2001; Rideout et al, 2005;
Tapscott, 1999) (Sanchez, Salinas,
Controversy:
Contreras, & Meyer: 2011, p.543)
Bennett, Maton and Kervin (2008) based on Tapscott and
Prensky: weak empirical substantiation; and emergence of a ‘digital natives’ (Prensky, 2001),
new generation does not consider the variety of experiences
subjects have with technology (Bennet et al, 2008; Kennedy, ‘new millennium learners’ (Pedro, 2006),
Judd, Churchward&Gray, 2008). ‘the net generation’ (Tapscott, 1999),
Discussion: absence of empirical evidence (Cabra-
Torres&Marciales-Vivas, 2009); new evidence (Tapscott, ‘the gamer generation’ (Carstens&Beck, 2005) &
2009): current generation has changed radically compared ‘generation M’ (Rideout et al, 2005) (p. 543)
to previous generations (p. 543-544).
4. NetGeneration: ‘with its vast experience and
familiarity with digital technology and its varied
associated practices – central role in the political life of
the 21st century; digital natives seem to demand more
participation and are applying more power through the
internet, supervising the performance of political class,
and making its voices heard more directly within the
political sphere. In education, they feel more comfortable
with customized, collaborative and interactive learning’
(p. 544)
‘This study contributes to the discussion
on the current generation of students
and their relationship to technology –
empirical information obtained in
Chilean context’. (p. 544).
5. Related Work:
In Global Context
New millennium learners ‘is a term widely used to designate those generations
born from the 1980s onwards and who have been raised in a context where
digital technologies form an inextricable part of daily life’ (...), in the broadest
sense (they) are mediated by these technologies’ (Pedro, 2006, p. 2) (p. 544).
Access and use of ICTs is practically universal in the richest European countries
(International Telecommunication Union (ITU, 2009b) and in the USA and
Canada (ITU, 2009a) (p. 544)
6. In Chilean Context:
In Chile, access to ICTs among the youth is widespread, with a relatively equitable
degree of distribution regarding the various socio-economic levels (p. 544).
It is still far from the levels of developed countries (ITU, 2009a; PNUD, 2006) (p.
544).
To illustrate this, the schools in developed countries have a student to computer
ratio of almost 1:10, in Chile the current ratio is 1:26 (Enclases, 2008) (p. 544).
In unpublished statistics the ratio will be at 1:10 in Chile by 2010. The school has
operated as a point of access to ICTs among the youth, especially in context where
there is no other possibility of access (PNUD, 2006; Sanchez & Salinas, 2008) (p.
544).
7. Related Work cont.. (Traits of New Generation)
Cognitive Traits Cognitive Traits
Social Traits
(Prensky, 2001, p.1) (Pedro, 2009)
making use of their time by consuming different media
‘today’s students think and process information fundamentally new millennium learners are used to performing several tasks at simultaneously, especially digital media
differently from their predecessors, the same time,
(Pedro, 2006; Prensky, 2001; Rideout et al, 2005).
increasing in socially isolating activities, a preference for
having limited capacity for paying attention at the same thing for rapid-fire communication using a jargon – not easily
digital Natives are used to receiving information really fast, understood by older generations
a prolonged amount of time,
(Pedro, 2006).
Net generation prizes freedom of Choice
they like to parallel process and multi-task, preferring multimedia to written texts,
(Tapscott , 2009)
they prefer their graphics before their text rather than the Being able to obtain knowledge by processing discontinuous & they want to customize things
opposite, non-linear information, (Tapscott , 2009)
they collaborate naturally
they prefer random access,
(Tapscott , 2009)
they enjoy conversations over reading
they function best when networked,
(Tapscott , 2009)
they are interested in scrutinizing organization
they thrive on instant gratification and frequent rewards, (Tapscott , 2009)s
they insist on integrity, they want to have fun at work and
they prefer games to ‘serious’ work. at school
(Tapscott , 2009)
speed and innovation are part of their life
(Tapscott , 2009)
8. Related Work cont...
‘The institution of education appears to be distant from or at conflict with the
new generation of students’ (Pedro, 2006) (p. 545).
‘our Digital Immigrant instructors, who speak an outdated language (that of
the pre-digital age), are struggling to teach a population that speaks an entirely
new language’ (Prensky, 2001 p. 2) (p. 545).
The writers’ summary: ‘...the emergence of a new generation is characterized by
having lived all its life surrounded by and immersed in digital technology, that
is familiar with the use of such technology, and that is developing new
practices, values, preferences and interests that are having an influence on
institution such as the school’ (p. 545).
9. Two Hypotheses of the Study:
‘Experience with ICT in Chile is socially distributed in such a way that
the traits of a digital native generation are only specific to certain
social groups or niches, in which this digital experience is distinct
from the rest of the peers’. It has to do with cultural practices
associated with specific groups, and not traits that are shared by an
entire generation (p. 545).
‘For the groups that make more sophisticated use of technology, the
practices associated with ICTs will not imply certain skills described
in the literature as different and distinctive from those present in
previous generations’ (p. 545).
10. Methodology
The study is of an exploratory and descriptive nature, qualitative
perspective with grounded theory design.
It seeks to critically analyze the emergence or not, of a generation with
cognitive and social traits described by Tapscott, Prensky, and Pedro
It was sough to:
-identify how the traits of the new generation of students are expressed
in their opinions and their perceptions of their own actions, based on
the in-school experiences of the subjects;
-understand the role of the traits played in the development of
relations between the students, the educational institution and their
teachers (p. 545).
11. Sample
Using a theoretical sampling method, selecting sample based
on the criteria of diversity (gender, socio-economic level) and
utilizing a critical saturation point.
‘Chilean society in general and the educational
system in particular, is strongly differentiated by
class’ (p. 545).
‘Chile is one of the most unequal societies in both
Latin America and the world’ (World Bank, 2009)
(p. 546).
16. Instruments
Using semi-structured
interviews to allow
respondents to speak freely
Each interview lasted 45-50
on each issue (Selltiz,
minutes.
Jahoda, Deutsch, & Cook,
1959; Taylor & Bogdam,
1998) (p. 546).
All interviews were Interviews were held for 4
recorded. months
Interviews were held in
environments – appropriate
for generating a climate of
trust with the subjects on
familiar grounds – schools
(Taylor & Bogdam, 1998) (p.
546)
17. Procedure
Creating the interview
guidelines
Teachers were
Compiling a list of
selected from the
schools by using the
same schools –
socio-economic level
diversity, including
of the families that
the subjects they
attended each school.
taught.
Schools were
contacted to obtain
Student participants
their approval and
were selected based
confirm their
on gender balance.
participation in the
study
(p. 546-548)
19. Results of the Study
Perceptions of practices using ICT, school and
Perceptions of use and
communications media and
meaning of ICT
perceptions of study
other digital technologies practices
A variety of practices using Computers and Internet – a large part of the Relationship: Students – school:
technology – traditional, audiovisual students’ everyday activities in their work, ambivalent
media (TV, radio) with new media and at school, in socialization and parties, in the
technologies (Internet, IPOD, video search for information and in their personal Boring but necessary for life and
games, cell phones). interests. their future
TV, cell phone, computer – most ‘Direct contact with their friends School – develop friendships
present in everyday lives of is irreplaceable’ – ICT is (space for interaction with
students. complementary in socialization friends and classmates)
When using computer – several In terms of doing homework:
During school week – use software screens open at the same
Students look for corresponding
computer for few minutes or time, but do not mean the students
pay equal attention to all these information on the Internet
hours
different activities at the same time. through copy & paste.
On weekends or during vacations
No significant differences
– time spent on the computer
between boys and girls in the
increase considerably, some spent
all day playing video games or on frequency of use or general
Facebook. access to ICT.
The preference:
Male friends – actions or combat
games; Girls – chatting, Facebook,
fotolog, logic or card games
20. Results of the Study cont...
‘Teachers describe this copy and paste mode of work as harmful to
development of skills in the use of information. This indicates a
failure of the students’ abilities to process information’ (p. 552).
Such practices diminished level of other fundamental skills such as
imagination, the ability to concentrate on one task and a reduction in
the quality of research assignments (p. 552).
The ability to communicate with other people from different cultures,
access to an enormous amount of information, multimedia and its
contribution to different learning styles, and the possibility to collect
and process information (benefit) (553).
21. Discussions
1. In your context, how will you do or have you done to
your students to cope with their ‘copy and paste’
mode in their assignments?
2. In your context, how will you do or have you done to
eliminate the distance/conflict between school and
students in terms of using ICTs for students’
learning?
22. Conclusions
‘Sociability with a strong value placed on face-to-face contact situates electronic
communication as a complement and prolongation of the possibilities for
sociability’ (p. 555)
There is a clear preference for computer or special console games between boys
and girls. Video games – male students, male family friends, friends of some of
female students (p. 554)
A wide-range of ICT experience by the youth in Chilean context is ‘not so much
based on socio-economic level, as it is to gender for some specific developed
countries, where idea of new learners has emerged’ (p. 555).
‘Sophisticated attention management practices are expressed (by the students)
rather than a specific capacity to be able to process information simultaneously’
(p. 555).
23. References
Sanchez, J., Salinas, A., Contreras, D., & Meyer, E. (2011).
Does the new digital generation of learners exist?: A
qualitative study. British Journal of Educational
Technology, 42(4), 543-556. doi:10.1111/j.1467-
8535.2010.01069.x
