EDUCAUSE | Net Generation Learner

Fostering Learning in the Networked World: The Cyberlearning Opportunity and Challenge, A 21st Century Agenda for the National Science Foundation

ckeller — Wed, 13 Aug 2008 09:59:26 -0500

The National Science Foundation defines "cyberlearning" as "the use of networked computing and communications technologies to support learning." The report of the NSF Task Force on Cyberlearning, Fostering Learning in the Networked World: The Cyberlearning Opportunity and Challenge, A 21st Century Agenda for the National Science Foundation, identifies cyberlearning as having "…the potential to transform education throughout a lifetime, enabling customized interaction with diverse learning materials on any topic..."

The task force report identifies potential ways in which advanced computing and communications technologies might be leveraged to support learning, highlighting opportunities for further research. In it, the task force offers 5 recommendations for the NSF to pursue:

Help build a vibrant cyberlearning field by promoting cross-disciplinary communities of cyberlearning researchers and practitioners
Instill a "platform perspective"—shared, interoperable designs of hardware, software, and services—into NSF's cyberlearning activities
Emphasize the transformative power of information and communications technology for learning, from K to grey
Adopt programs and policies to promote open educational resources
Take responsibility for sustaining NSF-sponsored cyberlearning innovations

(For EDUCAUSE materials on cyberinfrastructure in teaching and learning, please visit EDUCAUSE Resource Library Cyberinfrastructure web page and look for the "CI Teaching & Learning" tab under "Featured Content.")

Students, Technology, and Learning: Strategies for Success—Proceedings

ckeller — Wed, 30 Jul 2008 16:20:47 -0500

Cosponsored by the American Association of State Colleges and Universities (AASCU), EDUCAUSE, and the University of Central Florida (UCF), the Students, Technology and Learning: Strategies for Success Conference (formerly the Key to Competitiveness) provides AASCU institutions with an opportunity to learn more about the next generation of students—a group with much greater expectations for the use of technology in higher education than previous generations. The event allows teams of presidents and senior institutional leaders to explore new ways of using technology to meet student expectations and more effectively serve the next generation learner.

Information Behaviour of the Researcher of the Future

ckeller — Mon, 30 Jun 2008 16:08:48 -0500

This study was commissioned by the British Library and JISC to identify how the specialist researchers of the future, currently in their school or pre-school years, are likely to access and interact with digital resources in five to ten years' time. This is to help library and information services to anticipate and react to any new or emerging behaviours in the most effective way. In this report, we define the `Google generation' as those born after 1993 and explore the world of a cohort of young people with little or no recollection of life before the web.

Management Techniques for Bringing Out the Best in Generation Y

ckeller — Mon, 30 Jun 2008 12:29:27 -0500

They're your high-maintenance, entitled, technologically sophisticated and fickle new talent pool. Generation Y, a.k.a. the Millennials, is also potentially the most high-performing generation in decades. Here's the lowdown on what makes them tick and how to work most effectively with them.

Building a More Net-Savvy Campus Culture

drupal — Thu, 12 Jun 2008 12:37:31 -0500

What does it mean for students, faculty, and staff to be “net savvy”? Many are facile with music downloads, word processing, text messaging, or Web 2.0 tools, but are they really technology literate? What does it take to build a more net-savvy campus culture for students, faculty, and staff? Share your ideas, experiences, and questions in this dialogue on a topic of critical importance to the development of a community of responsible, self-directed, lifelong learners.

Digital Visual Literacy: Interdisciplinary Skills for the 21st-Century Learner

djacobs — Tue, 06 May 2008 16:16:45 -0500

As international culture and commerce become increasingly reliant on visual communications, visual literacy has developed into an essential skill for 21st-century college graduates. With advancements in technology and the digitizing of information, digital literacy has also grown in importance. Digital visual literacy (DVL) is the ability to critically analyze digital visual materials, create effective visual communications, and make judgments and decisions using visual representations of thoughts and ideas. These skills, which actively engage our cognitive processing of visual images, have evolved from concepts at the intersection of a range of established disciplines. This session will discuss this exciting new literacy, showcase the free materials developed under a National Science Foundation Advanced Technological Education grant, and share recent feedback from instructors who have integrated these pioneering instructional modules into their courses. The discussion will benefit faculty, staff, and administrators infusing their curriculum with fresh IT skills.

Growing up with Google - what it means to education

ckeller — Wed, 09 Apr 2008 13:24:55 -0500

Diana Oblinger explores the 'net generation' who can seamlessly move between their real and digital lives. Their behaviours, preferences and expectations may be very different from those of their teachers. Diana examines the characteristics of these learners, the possibilities offered by new technologies and the skills that an education system needs to provide for the 21st century. She also argues that we need to adapt to this rapidly evolving context and goes on to explore the implications for learning space design, assessment and learning and teaching.

Challenging IT Leaders to Mashup, Twitter, Tag, and Poke: New IT Strategies for a Digital Society - Sponsored by CDW Government, An EDUCAUSE Platinum Partner

drupal — Wed, 02 Apr 2008 10:00:01 -0500

Today's youth are digitally titillated, visually stimulated, and socially connected. To educate and engage this new breed of learners, institutions of higher education are revisiting and revising the basic tenants of a general education by asking, What does it means to be literate in today's society? As educators transform the way they teach and conduct research, IT leaders also must alter their institution's IT strategy to best support a mobile, global digital citizenry.

Learners 2.0? IT and 21st-Century Learners in Higher Education

gdobbin — Tue, 01 Apr 2008 09:03:01 -0500

This research bulletin examines what the literature refers to as “new learners” or “critically engaged learners.” It explores the responsibilities our institutions have to create opportunities for these learners to actively engage in creative discovery, problem definition, and appropriate use of information technologies. It is based on a literature review and accompanying conceptualizations that begin to answer important questions about institutional development for a technologically sophisticated age.

Citation for this work : Moore, Anne H., Shelli B. Fowler, Brent K. Jesiek, John F. Moore, and C. Edward Watson. “Learners 2.0? IT and 21st-Century Learners in Higher Education” (Research Bulletin, Issue 7). Boulder, CO: EDUCAUSE Center for Applied Research, 2008, available from http://www.educause.edu/ecar.

Knowledge Sharing: Some Myths and Ideas, and a Little IT

drupal — Tue, 26 Feb 2008 11:06:43 -0600

Today, in many circles the mention of knowledge management conjures up fears of complex IT systems (often equated with failure) or a new initiative (often associated with vague requirements). How do you develop a knowledge management program that incorporates the essence of organizational learning and knowledge sharing without new tools or systems? The Johnson Space Center has embarked on such a quest—to define a program that leverages the wealth of knowledge of 50 years of human space flight not only for today's workforce but also for generations to come.

Designing the Next-Generation Student Technology Fluency Program: TAC 2.0

drupal — Thu, 21 Feb 2008 11:45:06 -0600

In this session, we will discuss our experience at George Mason University in redesigning our student technology fluency program. We will describe the external and internal factors that prompting us to rethink our approach as well as the challenges we faced and how we responded to them.

Technology Expectations from Both Sides of the Proverbial Desk

drupal — Tue, 12 Feb 2008 15:25:50 -0600

Students and faculty alike have their own expectations of teaching and learning with technology and they each have to work together. This presentation will look at ways to establish a middle ground that leverages those expectations to create a successful learning culture on both sides of the proverbial desk.

Virtual Worlds as Web 2.0 Learning Spaces

drupal — Wed, 06 Feb 2008 12:07:25 -0600

Virtual worlds such as Second Life offer powerful teaching and learning opportunities by integrating participatory, social, and immersive media for student-centered learning. Learn about Second Life, its use as a learning space, and its predictive role in the future of learning.

Your 2.0 Life: Models and Methods to Meet Learners' Needs in a Technological Age

drupal — Fri, 01 Feb 2008 13:00:53 -0600

This interactive session will review characteristics of Life 2.0 learners and examine how they impact faculty and their teaching and learning practices. We will present data and research on instructional models, emerging web 2.0 technologies, and organizational strategies that address new learner needs and faculty instructional challenges.

If You Build It, Will They Come? Reality-Based Emerging Services Planning for Millennials

drupal — Fri, 01 Feb 2008 13:00:53 -0600

A team from the University of Guelph's Learning Commons will present the results of research that encourages a more user-focused approach to emerging services development. The research looks at students' use of technology in education and in their day-to-day lives and applies these findings to the development of emerging services across campus.

Learning Studios: Engaging Millennial Students in a New Classroom Environment

drupal — Fri, 01 Feb 2008 13:00:53 -0600

Today's millennial Hispanics are part of a generational wave of young students likely to be more disengaged in traditional learning environments. Discover how a new generation of learning classrooms can increase millennial students' engagement at your college and learn about faculty's perceptions of this new environment.

Building the New Platform for Digital Expression

drupal — Fri, 01 Feb 2008 13:00:52 -0600

We know our students are different, but in many cases we have not prepared our campuses to support their expectations. Additionally, faculty are pushing us to provide innovative ways to meet our students where they are. In this session, we will share our vision for a platform for digital expression.

Technology and the Conative Learning Domain in Undergraduate Education

drupal — Fri, 01 Feb 2008 13:00:51 -0600

Although many instructors teach to higher-order cognitive, affective, and psychomotor outcomes and to specific objectives derived from their disciplines, they ignore critical conative outcomes. Fortunately, technology has potential to foster engaged learning and authentic assessment that address the full range of cognitive, conative, affective, and psychomotor outcomes in undergraduate education.

ELI Annual Video: Connectivism

gbayne — Tue, 29 Jan 2008 10:33:13 -0600

Video and slides for this presentation can be found here. The speech is by George Siemens, Associate Director of the Learning Technologies Centre at the University of Manitoba. This plenary session is entitled, "Connectivism".

The waves of technological and social change have eroded the effectiveness of traditional views regarding what, how, and why to educate. To effectively educate learners, fundamental assertions need to be rethought: the design of schools and curriculum, the nature of knowledge in a connected world, the relationship between educator and learner, the means and methods of authenticating information and knowledge, and, perhaps most significantly, what it means “to know” in complex, rapidly developing, and chaotic environments. This session will present connectivism as a theory of learning that can bridge the rift between traditional and new educational approaches to prepare learners for the tomorrow they will inherit.

Highlights of the 2007 ECAR Study of Students and Information Technology

ckeller — Fri, 18 Jan 2008 14:27:47 -0600

Presentation at the Sixth Annual ECAR Symposium, December 5-7, 2007, in Boca Raton, Florida. What information technologies are used by undergraduates? How does IT contribute to their academic experiences and learning? What has changed since 2005? ECAR presents 10 key findings from the fourth annual survey of undergraduates, with responses from 27,846 students at 103 higher education institutions.
How to Cite This Work: Caruso, Judith Borreson, and Gail Salaway. "Highlights of the 2007 ECAR Study of Students and Information Technology." Presentation at the ECAR Symposium, Boca Raton, FL, December 5-7, 2007, available from http://www.educause.edu/ecar.

ELI Discovery Tool: Net Generation Workshop Guide

ckeller — Fri, 18 Jan 2008 10:35:04 -0600

The Net Generation Workshop Guide is a collection of simple activities and suggested readings on the Net Generation. It is divided into easily customized modules that can be used as stand-alone activities lasting a couple of hours or all together for a multi-day event. They have been designed for faculty development, staff retreats, or similar programs.

Making the Grade: The Role of Assessment in Authentic Learning

ckeller — Thu, 13 Dec 2007 09:23:26 -0600

Assessment is an integral component of any successful teaching effort. Research has shown that students engage with subject matter based in part on their expectations about how their achievement will be evaluated. Educators who strive to bring authentic learning experiences to their students must devise appropriate and meaningful measures to assess student learning and mastery of concepts at hand. Although some barriers must be overcome, numerous examples point to the opportunities available for effective assessment of authentic learning initiatives. These approaches to assessment are vital to ensuring that models of teaching and learning with technology see their full potential.

ELI 2007 Fall Focus Session, Being Net Savvy: Developing Skills for a Rapidly Changing World Video

ckeller — Wed, 14 Nov 2007 16:34:47 -0600

The ELI 2007 Fall Focus Session, Being Net Savvy: Developing Skills for a Rapidly Changing World, explored what it means for students, faculty, and staff to be net savvy, and why it is a critical skill in a Web 2.0 world. ELI developed a video summary of the event for use as a persistent learning resource. It provides an overview of the major concepts presented and discussed at the session, such as what it means for students, faculty, and staff to be net savvy and the potential pitfalls of not being net savvy in an online world. It also highlights the need to address issues of information literacy / fluency, media literacy, and good digital citizenship across the curriculum, as well as across professional development and student life programs.

Digital Field Assignments: Course Projects for the Net Generation

drupal — Wed, 14 Nov 2007 09:49:43 -0600

Digital field assignments combine active-learning strategies with digital technologies to engage today's learners in team-based assignments in which students apply classroom concepts as they research real-world problems. This session will define the concept of digital field assignments, present case studies, and share best practices.

Solutions to "Digital Discontent"

drupal — Wed, 07 Nov 2007 13:04:34 -0600

Students' preferences and demands challenge existing IT and other campus services. Sometimes a gap exists between what today's students expect and what universities are likely to deliver. Finding imaginative solutions for this "digital disconnect" can improve the teaching and learning environment. This session will address themes including informal learning spaces, classroom instruction, online resources, and promoting services.

Understanding and Engaging the Net Generation

drupal — Wed, 07 Nov 2007 13:04:34 -0600

The University of Rochester Libraries undertook a two-year study of undergraduate students, focusing on how they do research. Anthropological methodologies, such as cultural probes, were used to construct a holistic picture of the lives of undergraduates. The study results have informed how we make decisions and effected changes to align our efforts with the needs and expectations of Net Generation undergraduates.

Cultivating an Agile Workplace: When Eight-to-Five meets the Net Gen Worker

drupal — Tue, 06 Nov 2007 11:04:17 -0600

Net Gen workers are your new hires, student employees, and recent graduates text messaging you about that job posting! Be prepared to transform your work environment and rethink institutional policies to successfully recruit and retain this net savvy workforce with its unique worldview and ease of incorporating new technologies into work and play.

A Discussion on Disconnects Between Library Culture and Millennial Generation User Values

drupal — Tue, 30 Oct 2007 13:42:38 -0500

Join this panel that continues the discussion addressed in a 2006 EDUCAUSE Quarterly article by McDonald and Thomas on the disconnects between library culture and millennial generation values. Panelists will cover three broad areas of demographics, design, and social outreach as related to the needs of the millennial library researcher.

Tomorrow's Students: Are We Ready for the New 21st-Century Learners?

drupal — Tue, 30 Oct 2007 13:42:33 -0500

The national Speak Up initiative annually collects and reports on the authentic, unfiltered viewpoints of K–12 students, teachers, parents, and school leaders about education technology and 21st-century learning environments. Learn about the expectations of today's K–12 students (the higher ed students of tomorrow) for technology use and their new aspirations for learning as uncovered in the most recent survey data.

Well, if They’re Already Using It ...

ckeller — Mon, 29 Oct 2007 11:30:16 -0500

College representatives at Educause conference ponder outsourcing e-mail to Google and how to embrace students’ Facebook habits.

Engineering Informatics for Bio-Inspired Robots

ckeller — Tue, 16 Oct 2007 14:59:58 -0500

Engineering Informatics for Bio-Inspired Robots is an NSF-funded project trying to break down barriers to collaboration between engineering and computer science departments. Faculty members participating in the project are teaching the next generation of engineers and computer scientists to produce intelligent design by reaching across disciplines. The goal is to ensure that students are better prepared to tackle the multidisciplinary demands of the engineering and computing industries. As part of the project, participating institutions are leveraging cyberinfrastructure to share expertise, store research results, and advocate for multidisciplinary instruction, demonstrating the power of inter-institutional cooperation for teaching and learning.

Why Today’s Students Value Authentic Learning

ckeller — Tue, 02 Oct 2007 11:13:02 -0500

Authentic learning engages students in the multidisciplinary problem solving and critical thinking researchers and experts use every day. While the concept isn't new, it is receiving renewed attention as advances in technology enable access to a greater range of real and virtual environments. Authentic learning activities depend on student buy-in and enthusiasm for success. This paper explores student attitudes toward authentic learning, highlighting its benefits as well as potential concerns.

Student Perspective - Meg and Joan Lippincott Net Savvy Video

drupal — Wed, 26 Sep 2007 10:56:01 -0500

Joan Lippincott, associate executive director of the Coalition for Networked Information (CNI), contributed a video interview with her daughter, Meg Lippincott, to the program for the ELI 2007 Fall Focus Session, Being Net Savvy: Developing Skills for A Rapidly Changing World. A sophomore at Vassar College, Meg provides a student perspective on how students seek information for their academic work. Her views are drawn from her experiences helping peers at her college library reference desk as well as her own efforts. Meg discusses aspects of information literacy and her definition of a "net savvy student." Her friend Jan Zhan, a student at University of Maryland, shot the interview.

Student Perspective Video - University of Minnesota

drupal — Wed, 26 Sep 2007 10:56:00 -0500

This video from the University of Minnesota's Digital Media Center presents of U of MN students talking about how they use digital technology in their lives and learning. It also compares those perspectives against survey data collected by the Center, which provides a more complete picture of how knowledgeable and experienced U of MN students really are in the use of digital technologies. The video is provided in QuickTime format.

Meg and Joan Lippincott Net Savvy Video

jcummings — Mon, 24 Sep 2007 09:45:41 -0500

Joan Lippincott, associate executive director of the Coalition for Networked Information, contributed a video interview to the ELI 2007 Fall Focus Session, Being Net Savvy: Developing Skills for A Rapidly Changing World. Here's her description of it:

"My daughter, Meg Lippincott, a sophomore at Vassar College, has been working at her college library reference desk and occasionally sharing some observations with me about how students seek information for their academic work. I interviewed her for a brief video for the ELI Focus Session on net savvy students. Her friend Jan Zhan, a student at University of Maryland, did the camera work. Meg discusses some aspects of information literacy, the way she learned to use some math software, and her definition of a 'net savvy student.'" --Joan Lippincott

Facelifts for the Facebook Generation

ckeller — Fri, 14 Sep 2007 14:33:14 -0500

Institutions of higher education are increasingly turning to web 2.0 technologies such as facebook, blogging, podcasting and photo sharing sites to market their schools to the net generation.

The ECAR Study of Undergraduate Students and Information Technology, 2007 - Roadmap

ckeller — Wed, 12 Sep 2007 12:05:20 -0500

This roadmap synthesizes the important issues and recommended actions drawn from The ECAR Study of Undergraduate Students and Information Technology, 2007. A longitudinal extension of the 2004, 2005, and 2006 ECAR studies of students and information technology, this 2007 study reports noticeable changes from previous years. It is based on quantitative data from a spring 2007 survey and interviews with 27,846 freshman, senior, and community college students at 103 higher education institutions. It focuses on what kinds of information technologies these students use, own, and experience; their technology behaviors, preferences, and skills; how IT impacts their experiences in their courses; and their perceptions of the role of IT in the academic experience.

The ECAR Study of Undergraduate Students and Information Technology, 2007 - Key Findings

ckeller — Wed, 12 Sep 2007 12:00:40 -0500

This document presents the key findings of The ECAR Study of Undergraduate Students and Information Technology, 2007. This 2007 ECAR research study is a longitudinal extension of the 2004, 2005, and 2006 ECAR studies of students and information technology. The study, which reports noticeable changes from previous years, is based on quantitative data from a spring 2007 survey and interviews with 27,846 freshman, senior, and community college students at 103 higher education institutions. It focuses on what kinds of information technologies these students use, own, and experience; their technology behaviors, preferences, and skills; how IT impacts their experiences in their courses; and their perceptions of the role of IT in the academic experience.

The ECAR Study of Undergraduate Students and Information Technology, 2007

ckeller — Wed, 12 Sep 2007 11:50:42 -0500

This 2007 ECAR research study is a longitudinal extension of the 2004, 2005, and 2006 ECAR studies of students and information technology. The study, which reports noticeable changes from previous years, is based on quantitative data from a spring 2007 survey and interviews with 27,846 freshman, senior, and community college students at 103 higher education institutions. It focuses on what kinds of information technologies these students use, own, and experience; their technology behaviors, preferences, and skills; how IT impacts their experiences in their courses; and their perceptions of the role of IT in the academic experience.

The Role of Play and Preparing for a Changing Student Population

drupal — Wed, 05 Sep 2007 16:42:58 -0500

Students are arriving on campus with a set of expectations and behaviors that differ from those of previous generations, including the faculty, who are faced with engaging them in the process of learning. Students' experience with new kinds of games and media has shaped their view of what learning is and how it occurs. This conversation will explore the changing way that young people approach playing, learning, and working and will examine how the concept of play can build bridges between traditional and emerging student populations.

Podcast: Net Generation: A Student Affairs Perspective - An Interview with Leslie Dare

gbayne — Wed, 29 Aug 2007 13:34:18 -0500

In this 12 minute podcast, we feature an interview with Leslie Dare, Director of Distance Education & Tech Services for Student Affairs at North Carolina State University. She presented a plenary session at the 2007 ELI Fall Focus Session entitled, "Keeping Pace with the Net Generation: A Student Affairs Perspective"

The student affairs division can be a valuable partner in developing a campus response to Net Generation issues. In addition to improving the “Net IQ” of staff on campus, student affairs can and should play a significant role in assessing the impact of technology on student development and behavior, crafting policies and procedures, and educating students about technology rights and responsibilities.

Student Perspective Video: University of Central Florida

drupal — Wed, 29 Aug 2007 12:16:43 -0500

This video from the University of Central Florida presents students discussing their role as content creators as well as consumers in a Web 2.0 world, noting that students come to the role of content creation with varying degrees of knowledge and skill, as well as different levels of understanding about the role's underlying responsibilities.

Student Perspective Video - University of Dayton

drupal — Wed, 29 Aug 2007 12:16:42 -0500

This video from the University of Dayton shows students discussing in their own words how and why they use social networking applications such as Facebook. It streams from the University of Dayton Web site in Windows Media format.

Student Perspective Video - University of Central Florida

drupal — Wed, 29 Aug 2007 12:16:42 -0500

In this video from the University of Central Florida, students interview other students to uncover what they know and don't know about information fluency, starting with the question: "What is IF (information fluency)?"

Faculty Development and the Net Savvy Student - Concurrent Session

drupal — Wed, 22 Aug 2007 17:19:08 -0500

This session will share guiding principles the University of Minnesota uses to deliver an integrated suite of faculty development programs designed to help faculty meet the needs of net savvy students. Our guiding principles are informed by the data routinely collected from our students and faculty, the literature, and our practice.

One Click at a Time: How Net Savvy Learners Are Transforming Educational Institutions

drupal — Wed, 22 Aug 2007 17:19:05 -0500

The introduction of new media tools and texts inevitably creates social tension as the roles of information receivers, producers, and gatekeepers shift with the changing literacy landscape. In particular, the traditional relationship between alphabetic literacy and schooling gives way to a complex and expansive view of multiple, critical literacies and their uses. How can educational institutions rethink the literacy and learning connection within the context of pervasive communication devices and shared knowledge networks? Instead of focusing on the challenges of integrating net savvy students into existing institutional practices, an assets model for new media education leverages everyday literacy skills and enlists students as partners in the design of relevant, customized, and dynamic learning environments in a digital world.

Keeping Pace with the Net Generation: A Student Affairs Perspective

drupal — Wed, 22 Aug 2007 17:19:05 -0500

Web 2.0: Big app on campus

ckeller — Mon, 13 Aug 2007 10:02:42 -0500

Many educators "see the enticement of notoriety through Web 2.0-style social tools--blogs, wikis and the like--as a way to engage students in their education and maybe even get them to choose one school over another. "

nanoHUB - An Authentic Learning Case Study

ckeller — Wed, 08 Aug 2007 17:12:35 -0500

nanoHUB is an online portal for nanotechnology researchers, instructors, and students created by Purdue University and the National Science Foundation. It uses cyberinfrastructure to provide access to scientific tools for research, demonstration, and collaboration, as well as instructional materials. Users can run experiments, review research, or download lectures. nanoHUB is a virtual toolkit as well as a community where students and faculty contribute to the science of nanotechnology.

Approaches That Work: How Authentic Learning Is Transforming Higher Education

ckeller — Fri, 27 Jul 2007 10:20:03 -0500

Authentic learning aligns well with the needs of today's participatory learners. The challenge is to channel their online and collaborative abilities and interests into academic pursuits, helping them develop the higher-order thinking skills they may not acquire on their own. This second paper in the EDUCAUSE Learning Initiative's authentic learning series presents case studies on how institutions have used technology to foster authentic learning and thus better meet learners' needs.