Teaching and Learning with the Net Generation

Abstract

A decade ago, the first wave of the Net Generation began to enter college, forcing educational institutions to deal with a new population of learners with unique characteristics. With the Net Generation representing nearly 7 % of the population today (Bartlett 2005) and with nearly 49.5 million students enrolled in schools in 2003 (Enrollment Management Report 2005), responding to the specific needs of this generation of learners is becoming increasingly important. The challenge of evolving pedagogy to meet the needs of Net-savvy students is daunting, but educators are assisted by the fact that this generation values education. These students learn in a different way than their predecessors did, but they do want to learn. In this article we will define the characteristics of Net Geners ' learning styles and discuss how educators can make the most of these particular traits. Net Geners Want to Learn... One key characteristic of this generation is that they are very education oriented. Educational pressure begins early for Net Geners; college-directed goals take hold as early as the first year of high school. Net Geners state that their efforts in high school are a direct reflection of the type of college to which they plan to gain admission. Older generations often take as true the stereotypes of teenagers as obsessed with clothing, relationships, and friends. Indeed, most teenagers do feel caught between the competing interests of

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