Tides A Changing for Teachers

The "Net Generation" refers to the students who have grown up with computers. Because these students have grown up with computers and the access to the internet their whole lives, they have adapted differently to their environment then other people. The "Net Generation" is said to learn and process information differently then a student 10 years ago.


Having access to a computer with the internet is a great tool for the students of this generation. Research has been done to explain that these students are more likely to multi-task because of their multi-tasking that they experience on the computer. Students are able to find a vast amount of information, which only takes seconds to be delivered. This is not what our parents had, and because of this, the new generation is faced with teachers who are obsolete in their new ways.


Teachers, who have been teaching for many years are faced with some hard new changes. They, who have probably been teaching successfully for 10 to 15 years, are told that they must change to use this new technology that they themselves have never touched before. Teachers, especially those who have been around, are being told to teach themselves how to use computers efficiently so that they can then teach their students. This puts the teachers in a very hard position. The students probably know more about computers then most teachers, and many teachers are unwilling to learn these new methods, because theirs have been working so well in the past.


Personally, I think incorporating new technologies into a classroom is a great idea. I love learning about new downloads or ways to do things more efficiently. I have always has some kind of computer in my life, and although I really did not get to use them as much as others, I think that by playing around with the different software, one learns how to use it. Most new technologies are user friendly, which is nice when beginning, which is also a big help. Ultimately, I do not think that ones whole curriculum has to change for the technology. But incorporating projects or different types of technology (that students are more used to) in the classroom are a great way to form a bridge in learning with the students. This is ultimately the bottom line of teaching, and whatever helps this is a method that should be incorporated into the class.