In higher education, traditional students are characterized as 18-22 in age, majority Caucasian, full-time and interested extra-curricular activities (Falk & Blaylock, 2010). Today’s undergraduate students are classified as “digital natives,” because of their advanced exposure to the Internet, social media and other technology since birth (Liang 2010). The digital natives who started their undergraduate education in fall 2013 grew up when PCs, email, text messages, DVDs, smartphones, and the Internet already existed (Levine & Dean, 2013). Google, file sharing, Skype, YouTube, and Facebook existed by the time digital natives entered middle school, they were introduced to the iPhone before high school, and they in college they expect to communicate …show more content…
Studies show that nontraditional students over the age of 30 are more likely to succeed in online classes than traditional students because they tend to be more engaged with their courses, have better time management and value exchanges with their peers and instructors (Dibiase & Kidwai, 2010). In a course study at a U.S. university it was found that traditional students logged into class less frequently than nontraditional students, contributed less in class discussions, asked routine rather than substantive questions, but scored equally on assignments (Dibiase & Kidwai, 2010). The study also showed that nontraditional students enrolled in courses they felt would advance their careers while many traditional students only enrolled in courses to fulfill degree requirements (Dibiase & Kidwai, …show more content…
As competition in higher education increases, power is shifting into the hands students who will soon be able to virtually choose any university they desire online (Harden, 2013). In a survey of student affairs officers, it was found that 80% of college campuses are experiencing increased technology demand by students (Levine & Dean, 2013). In the classrooms administrators must find ways to compete with electronic and virtual distractions and find new technologies engage and retain the attention of students (Hoskins,
Just spending some time in the modern-day classroom; I have observed several students on their phones. During my high school years we did not have to worry about cell phones or laptops being a constant problem. In Annie Murphy Paul’s “You’ll Never Learn!” she explains the studies of multitasking while students do their homework with the modern-day distraction of the digital age; resulting in a lower quality of learning. I agree with Paul that the digital age is becoming a problem in education, even though educators are leaning towards teaching on a digital spectrum. In this essay, I will explain how a digital age versus a non-digital age is effecting everyone involved in a higher education.
According to current estimates approximately 75 percent of college students are now nontraditional students – older than 25, attending school part time, and having delayed entry or reentry into college for a variety of personal reasons. Post secondary education is needed by such students to develop their careers and to acquire new skills and knowledge in a global society where they are likely to have longer life spans than did workers in the past. This trend is not restricted to North America; it is a worldwide phenomenon.
Though being exposed to technologies like computers from an early age may have given us the ability to do things more efficiently, technology has also made us less dependent on ourselves. Claudia Wallis, editor for Time, in her article makes known in The Multitasking Generation, “That level of multiprocessing and interpersonal connectivity is now so commonplace that it’s easy to forget how quickly it came about. Fifteen years ago, most home computers weren’t even linked to the Internet” (63). There are many things that students are able to do on their computer that their parents aren't even aware of or that the parents couldn’t do themselves. My parents always tell of how looking through the library’s card catalog and searching for the books they needed only to find out that they have been taken out. Computers have allowed us to do many things faster for example, write much faster than a typewriter or pen and paper and correct typing errors without starting over. The computers and technology we now have makes it easier to almost anything and with technology so easily at your fingertips it o...
Michael J. Bugeja, director of the Greenlee School of Journalism and Communication at Iowa State University and author of“Facing the Facebook” in The Chronicle of Higher Education, states that the initial purpose of having access to the Internet in the classroom was to give students the opportunity to conduct research. However, this privilege is rapidly being used as a means for students to not pay attention during class. A poll was taken at Iowa State University where 20,247 out of the 25,741 enrollees were registered on Facebook (Bugeja 1). Social networking sites such as Facebook have had some negative effects in academia such as “institutions seeking to build enrollment learn that ‘technology’ rates higher than ‘rigor’ or ‘reputation’” (2), that there has been improper use of the freedom to use technology in the classroom, that employers and parents check Facebook to see what users have been doing, and that technology is an overall distraction in the classroom.
Digital communication is impairing young users from having real life conversations. For example, in the article “Teens Have A Smart Reason For Abandoning Facebook And Twitter,” the author, Felicity Duncan, reports “If college students spend most of their media time on group text and
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.
“Adults are motivated to learn to the extent that they perceive that learning will help them perform tasks or deal with problems they confront in their life situations” (Knowles et al., 2015). When I began my graduate course work at Northern Michigan University, I had not ever participated in an online course. Since NMU’s online course format utilizes NMU EduCat, I needed to learn the process and tasks associated with the website’s navigation and tools in order to be able to successfully complete course requirements and interact with other class participants. I was hesitant and anxious about my ability to learn the EduCat features, but the EduCat tutorial course offered step-by-step directions with information, activities, and assessments that enabled me to learn the necessary information. I was able to use my new knowledge immediately to fulfill the requirements of my courses. This direct application to my current reality as an online graduate student allowed for my new knowledge on the EduCat processes to easily become ingrained as part of my daily task
Online education, while offering clear advantages such as supporting a self-paced learning experience by allowing learning on an on-demand basis rather than a strict class schedule, also has significant drawbacks. Students in an online only course may struggle with structure and content without hands-on instruction, which can help motivate students who otherwise may be distracted or have difficulty working independently. The traditional structure of classroom education is effective, but also comes with a set of obstacles, particularly for nontraditional students. The best way to bridge this gap is hybrid education, which combines technology and personal interaction to support efficiency and self-paced learning while keeping students motivated, social, and connected to their professors and their peers through face to face interactions. While this newer learning model is still under investigation, there is evidence to prove that hybrid courses can lead to academic success.
Pew Reasarch Center, ed. Teens and Technology 2013. Washington D.C.: Pew Research Center’s Internet & American Life Project, 2013. Print.
Technology affects everyone! Whether positive or negative, we are all affected, how it manifests itself into problems for youth will be studied and debated for years. Balancing technology throughout the educational process and keeping with current trends and uses of technology will affect everyone. Technology has transformed our youth’s daily and social lives. How do we measure the effects of technology on our ability to socialize or have a successful social life? Socializing is not just talking face to face, it’s our ability to interact, learn, and create original thought. Technology hindering today’s youth and their ability to socialize is affecting their capacity to read, write, and communicate. Today’s youth depends on careful considerations for the implementation of technologies. Our youth do not have the capability to convey their emotions through the use of technology, understand sadness, happiness or joy through simple text or emails. Communicating through the use of text, chat, and social network sites is lost using abbreviations and slang, inhibiting the use of the Standard English language. Using computers and hand held devices for relationships, reading, writing, and entertainment, turning them into introverted and socially inept individuals. Current trends resonating from our educational institutions to our workplace can be examples of how technology has altered the way younger people communicate. This tragedy transcends from youth to adulthood affecting the workplace. Social networking sites have begun to take hours away from employers. How do students understand ethical and moral dilemmas unless they are allowed to make mistakes and work through a particular problem? Creative and original thought needs...
When students are deciding on where to go to college, they have the option of choosing between online classes and the traditional classroom classes. Today, some students are finding it much easier to maintain a job, family and start a college career, all by taking online classes. Although some students still prefer to stick with the traditional classroom classes, they still have the option to take online classes. Both online and the traditional classes will provide the educational requirements needed to obtain a college degree and opportunities in the work field. Although the online classes offer just as much as the traditional classes, they are completely different when it comes to teaching methods, course material and time.
In the age that we live in, social media has intergraded with college student’s daily lives and how much time is spent on social media. Social media is neither inherently bad nor good it all depends on how it is being used. “Social media are increasingly mobile, smartphones and tablets give users instant and around the clock access to social media and other web functions.” (Martinez-Aleman) When college students access sites on social media like Twitter or Facebook and get side tracked then social media is bad because it effects their education. However, when it is being used to communicate with their peers or professors then social media is a tool of good. Some researchers believe that the social media helps college
their dorm room or apartment is sit down at their computer and go online. They proceed to either, read their e-mail, check their online courses for new assignments, or go on one of the many communication websites or programs that are available currently to this generation. None of this would be possible without the readily available Internet access that we often take for granted. The Internet has proven not only useful for entertainment purposes, but has also dramatically changed the educational approach, for both students and educators, and the way knowledge is being obtained.
In the undergraduate educational setting, student proficiency and comfort with technology are stressed, but the essential mission of most undergraduate institutions (especially, liberal arts institutions such as Dartmouth) is on the development of the individual. The nurturing and supportive environment of most undergraduate institutions helps students mature and develop. The rave and fad of online undergraduate learning causes students to miss out on too many intangibles of an on-campus education. Our current theory on education hasn’t adequately dealt with the intricacies of a web-based education, and therefore the effectiveness of such is highly questionable.
In today’s historically black colleges and universities, students use social media as a way of life. To educators, they are very tech savvy and tend to be visual learners (Bracy, Bevill and Roach). The Millennial Generation (also known as Gen Y, Generation D, the Net Generation, Digital Natives, Echo Boomers, and Nexters) favor instant gratification, are very demanding and rely on and comfort with all things technical (Bracy, Bevill and Roach). Students embrace diversity, are more global-centric and more socially responsible than past generations. As such, social me...