The way the mind works is through a set of processes, which are steps that must be taken in order for the function it is producing to be accomplished successfully. These processes are related to those that society must be willing to take in order to achieve a desired goal, otherwise known as the ‘struggle’. Younger generations, called Generation Me, develop narcissist views that did not allow for the ‘struggle’ to be considered in their generation. The basis for this mindset is introduced by author Jean Twenge in her essay, “An Army of One: Me”, as she described the gap that occurred between Baby Boomer parents and their GenMe children. This communication was severed because GenMe was taught that their ideas are the best, and therefore not debatable. This translates to differences in opinion and results in individualism. When those individuals do not work together, as demonstrated by Deborah Tannen, author of “The Roots of Debate in Education and The Hope of Dialogue”, they tend to have a weak sense of debate because they stick up for themselves. As a diagnosis to this problem of disconnectedness, Nicholas Carr, author of “Is Google Making Us Stupid?” decides that our society has begun to skip steps in the process of learning and in particular, the ‘struggle’ that produces the desired outcome. The disconnectedness that has developed in society has caused the loss of real learning, and the problem based on the generation gap introduced by Twenge altered the struggle that is necessary to accomplish, which Tannen believes in and where Carr determines real learning can occur.
In order for us to fully understand why we cannot achieve real learning one must understand the roots as well as the problem. Twenge talks about the problem ...
... middle of paper ...
...lting in na less beneficial result, for it
it only harms not only ourselves but our society as a whole. Twenge, Tannen, and Carr are all explaining and alluding to the fact that we are not being productive and constructive as a society, and that we are not working together as one. There is a great need for a change in the way that our society works, starting with a change in the teaching of children and even adults about the true meaning of self and how society can develop connectedness by working together. Once society can act for themselves and can learn to listen to others, there must then be a change in the way that learning is promoted, and most importantly a society as a whole must be the one to encourage real learning. Social connectedness is a vital component in mediating real learning, and it is one that our society has to work for in order to achieve.
Girod, Gary. "Are The Millennials The Screwed Generation." Mag.newsweek.com. Joel Kotkin, 16 July 2012. Web. 24 Oct. 2013.
The new greatest generation was written by Joel Stein, and is critical analysis of the new generation in this article Stein states that people that are in the new millennial generation are considered narcissistic, lazy, and highly unmotivated. He is a writer for the world famous time magazine. The author thinks the only thing the new generation cares about is themselves. The author ran some tests on a huge amount of college students to see if they were narcissistic or not, according to those statistics he found that about fifty percent in 2009 are al considered to be narcissistic. The author shows that technology
This quote represents the generational gap as it dwindles into nothingness. Age has become such an important factor for anyone in this era. Few realize, though, that every generation is nearly the same. The only difference between any two generations is technology. All generations are plagued by the same problems and all hope that their children won’t face the same hardships. That is a case, which will never happen.
...o solve these problems in an innovative manner. Pew Research Group defining my generation’s journey to adulthood, as “forging our own passage” is accurate. Millennials aspire to influence and contribute to society like their parents of the “greatest generation” accomplished. A majority of Millennials are the children of the “greatest generation”. The children of the “greatest generation” fought the ideals of their parents to become politically and socially liberal in ideals that pertain to equality, feminism, race and sex. The “greatest generation” fought to be freethinking and as parents encouraged this same behavior in their children.
In The Shallows by Nicholas Carr, he asserts that the evolution of information and communication technology (ICTs) is having a detrimental impact on our brains despite the many benefits and advances we have made with it. His main focus is on the internet which he commonly refers to as the “universal medium” (92). Carr presents a very detailed but biased argument in which he views the internet and other technologies as the adversary of critical thinking and progress. To Carr, we are sacrificing our ability to think logically because we are choosing the simpler way to gain knowledge.
In the article, “Facing Challenges Is Part of Growing Up,” Taylor Tepper, a reporter at Money, discusses the reasons for why delaying adulthood is not smart. In response, Jessica Grose, a journalist and novelist, explains her reasons for why it is smart to delay adulthood in her article, “For Many Millennials, Children Are Out of Reach”. Both Grose and Tepper wrote their articles for the opinions page in the New York Times. The use of ethos, pathos, and logos in Tepper’s article appeals more to the audience than Grose’s article, which focuses mainly on ethos and logos, because he is more likely to be trusted due to his use of personal experiences relevant to the topic of adulthood.
The second chapter, "Formative Years," is a delight for readers who, like me, enjoy hearing others' stories and how they got to be where they are today. This section gives an in-depth background on the context in which Horton and Freire grew up and the major influences on their lives. Some of the points highlighted in this chapter include Freire's concept of "reading words and reading the world" (p. 31), distinction between "having authority and being authoritarian" (p. 61), Horton's emphasis on the importance of learning from the people and from each other (p. 41), and their agreement that education is not neutral (p. 64). The stories provided by both authors to illustrate these points projects great examples for the reader, from which each reader can reflect back on our own history to identify how we came to hold the ideas we have today.
Miller kept on emphasizing the main difference between the adolescents of today and the adolescents of her time is the amount of technology. This generation is so far advanced technologically from her generation, which allows for an abundance of opportunities. For example, students now have the ability to travel to so many different places, which allows for further education in a variety of fields. As compared to Mrs. Miller, who was not able to travel to a variety of places. Yet, Mrs. Miller feels as if adolescents are not a motivated as they were years ago due to the fact that knowledge can be accessed with the touch of a fingertip. This causes adolescents to not excel and prefer to just meet standards in accordance to Mrs. Miller.
He seems to force what he says, rather than having a natural tone, causing the reader of the article to be left with a feeling of discontent. Although he only focuses on the negatives that those of the past have done, his argument is direct. No matter what generation you are from, it seems one always suspects the other of either ignorance or reckless abandon. It is easy for someone of the younger generation to point fingers at those who raised them, while taking no responsibility to take control of their lives. He does leave the reader with more awareness of a problem students face upon leaving school. This article is a persuasive piece due to the usage of Brooks principle message and literary
Microgeneration’s are already rising and horrifying the group right before them, an example needs to be set to show them that it is possible to work through the generational differences (Stein). People have power in numbers and currently the separation between age and features of generations are preventing them from being one workforce, working together to achieve a common goal—the wellbeing of an entire society. All groups can make an effort to close the gap by being more accepting and open minded to change. As Millennials run into setbacks in their advanced methods, previous generations can help and explain the foundational way of operation. While previous generations fall behind in technological advancements, Millennials can share their expertise on technology. Every generation has its flaws and together the holes can be filled, simply with a little optimism and collaborative work. The key to closing this gap is education – knowledge of the past and present. Programs such like Pollak’s initiative to work with companies and help train directors how to manage and market to the Millennial generation of young adults will contribute to a better understanding on how to handle workplace confrontations (qtd. in Dowdy). Lastly, Millennials too have some contributions they can make to close the gap. As understanding as they are, they
Not So Much” had defended the actions of millennials of which had been misinterpreted as have other generations past. However, “A’s for Everyone” by Alicia C. Shepard had voiced the opposition’s side, focusing the student and often times parent harassment on professors for better grades of which student entitlement as well as the inflation of grades have been to blame. With these two articles, one could conclude that although this most recent generation has been misunderstood, certain factors has made this generation expect some comeuppance. To put it simply, Generation Y had been bashed by its elders for their behaviors seen as immoral, lazy, and even negligent in their roles of society. Although some may have proved to increase efficiency in the workplace as well as in personal relationships, the human trait of entitlement has, in fact, been ubiquitous, especially pertaining to academic
Nicholas Carr’s “Is Google Making Us Stupid” and Sherry Turkle’s “How Computers Change the Way We Think” both discuss the influence of technology to their own understanding and perspective. The first work by Nicholas Carr is about the impact technology has on his mind. He is skeptical about the effect it could cause in the long term of it. He gives credible facts and studies done to prove his point. While Sherry Turkle’s work gives a broad idea of the impact of technology has caused through the years. She talks about the advances in technology and how it is changing how people communicate, learn and think. In both works “Is Google Making Us Stupid” and “How Computers Change the Way We Think” the authors present
Wagschal, K. "I Became Clueless Teaching the GenXers." Adult Learning 8, no. 4 (March 1997): 21-25.
In Renee Wilson’s article, “In Defence of the iGeneration” (2013), she explores her belief of the iGeneration being the smartest generation yet. Through the use of many anecdotes, Wilson reflects on her experiences of teaching the iGeneration and their ability to ignore negative criticism and still show their full potential. In her article, Wilson discusses the iGeneration’s reliance on technology and social media; however, she does not engage the disadvantages of technology, in particular laptops in the classroom, which, as I argue here, is in need of more study. In this essay, I argue that the use of laptops by students in a university classroom is distracting not only to the student, but also to surrounding students. Inevitably, multitasking and distractions in the classroom will result in a decline in academic performance.
There is a generation that is 80 million strong who is the start of a new millennium. The people of this generation are called the Millennials. Many think of them as closeminded, faulty and not fit to run the major cooperation’s of the world someday, yet the true identities of this group are just starting to be revealed. Millennials can easily and thoroughly understand the new advances in technologies. They are also the most diverse and open minded generation yet. They show a lot of potential and could someday change the world for the better. A writer for Time magazine, Joel Stein, does a wonderful job describing the millennials for who they truly are in his article “The New Greatest Generation.” While Stein agrees with Twenge in that millennials show faults, he maintains that their faults have potential to make them the next greatest generation. Despite the negative connotations millennials receive, they often have the ability to be resourceful with the technology, open-minded to the diversities the world displays and have a lot of potential.