Re: [LM_NET] Share: The Dumbest Generation (update)

[Wendy Stoll <wenreads@YAHOO.COM>]

I don't think the generations since the Boomers are "dumb," i.e., lacking 
intelligence, at all.  What they lack is cultural literacy, and it gets worse and 
worse with all the focus on testing.  This is, sadly, passed on through the 
generations; gen Y folks aren't telling their kids nursery rhymes, for example.
I am a Buddhist in a solidly Christian elementary school, and I ...I was going to 
say "I can't tell you the number of times I've had to tell the story of Noah's Ark 
for one reasaon or another," but I can come pretty close:  at least twice a year in 
the ten years I've been at that school.  I can't share Peter Spier's "Noah's Ark," 
or George Ella Lyons' "A Regular Rolling Noah" without having to explain, and tell 
the story.
 Wendy Stoll, Librarian
Smyrna Elementary School
Louisville, KY 
wenreads@yahoo.com



----- Original Message ----
From: Barbara COMBES <b.combes@ECU.EDU.AU>
To: LM_NET@LISTSERV.SYR.EDU
Sent: Tuesday, June 3, 2008 8:20:55 PM
Subject: Re: [LM_NET] Share: The Dumbest Generation (update)

Hi All,
My PhD study is about this generation. Yes they do use email extensively
for communication and the social networking sites as an alternative to
email. They are not socially inclusive and tend to lock these sites down
and converse only with people they know. They are actually discerning
users of technology and their use is based on need rather than
ubiquitious use because the technology is there and they can have access
to it. As their needs change so does their use of the technology. The
net generation theory is basically flawed as it is predicated on
familiarity - ie. students are faniliar with technology therefore they
know how to use it intuitively. Does this mean that individuals born
into a time when cars were a major part of the transport landscape (ie
we are familiar with cars), drive, like to drive and drive well?

Think about it! Certainly anecdotal evidence tells us that this
generation use the technology and have no fear of it, but they don't
actually understand how it works and are (like veryone else) surface
users of a lot of technology. They also have poor information skills.
This attitude towards technology has fed the theory and the fact that
they are very confident and to a degree believe the theory themselves,
means they often don't know they don't know! Net Geners are also task
switchers and in a world where there is so much information, have become
adept at information filtering. An issue here is that when they need to
interrogate information in depth, many do not have the skills or the
patience to do this successfully. Why TLs in schools are such a
necessary part of the teaching equation if we are going to graduate
future citizens who can really cope in an information society.

I will be presenting some of the findings of my study at the IASL
Conference in Berkeley California in early August - would love to see
you there (link below).
:)
BC


Vice President, Advocacy & Promotion, IASL: www.iasl-online.org
LIS@ECU: http://www.chs.ecu.edu.au/portals/LIS/index.php
Transforming Information and Learning Conference
http://conferences.scis.ecu.edu.au/TILC2007/
Barbara Combes, Lecturer
School of Computer and Information Science Edith Cowan University, Perth
Western Australia
Ph: (08) 9370 6072
Email: b.combes@ecu.edu.au

"Whatever the cost of our libraries, the price is cheap compared to that
of an ignorant nation." Walter Cronkite

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-----Original Message-----
From: School Library Media & Network Communications
[mailto:LM_NET@LISTSERV.SYR.EDU] On Behalf Of Naomi Bates
Sent: Tuesday, 3 June 2008 10:06 PM
To: LM_NET@LISTSERV.SYR.EDU
Subject: [LM_NET] Share: The Dumbest Generation (update)

Do Millennials still use email?  From what I've read, only if they need
to talk to parents or grandparents...
Also, I've just started reading a book on this generation, and according
to what I've read, this generation has made great strides, both through
social responsibility and academics.  One thing that stuck out when I
was reading is that people have to look at the CORE of a generation, not
individuals.  I think we can all find kids out there who are not
socially responsible, not academic, etc...but the generation as a WHOLE
is much more diverse, forward thinking and community oriented.
When we speak of Generation X (many of us parents now) and the Baby
Boomer generation, we don't point to a few, but speak of them as a
group.  We should also attribute this to the current generation now, and
they are a great one!!  I have high expectations for them...

Naomi Bates
Northwest High School Library
Justin, Texas
nbates@nisdtx.org
817-215-0203


>>> edward nizalowski <enizalowski@NVCS.STIER.ORG> 6/2/2008 2:22 PM
>>>
According to the Context-Based Research Group (whoever they are), young
adults are experiencing "news fatigue".  This information was presented
today at a global media conference in Stockholm.

I read a reference to the article in today's paper.  Here is a passage
that I found in an online article:

The study also found that participants were unable to give full
attention to the news because they were almost always simultaneously
engaged in other activities, such as reading e-mail. That represents a
shift from previous consumption models in which people sat down to watch
the evening news or read the morning paper.

"Our observations and analysis identified that consumers' news diets are
out of balance due to the over-consumption of facts and headlines,"
said
Robbie Blinkoff, co-founder and head anthropologist at Baltimore
<http://www.foxnews.com/story/0,2933,361344,00.html#> , Md.-based
Context-Based Research Group.



Here is a link to the entire article:
http://www.foxnews.com/story/0,2933,361344,00.html



Ed Nizalowski, SMS

Newark Valley High School

Newark Valley, NY

enizalowski@nvcs.stier.org



"The joke is that there are more people learning English in China than
there are learning it in America."  blurb for "Teaching Chinese as
Tomorrow's Language" by Carol Chmelynski from School Board News



Currently reading Refugees by Catherine Stine




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