The Google Generation & digital literacy

The argument: The technological nature of this new generation requires a reformation in the traditional educational system.

http://3dlearners.blogspot.com/2012/04/digital-natives-and-academics.html

Pro: Generation Google (aka, Millenials, Generation MySpace, Generation Media) is a new breed of researcher. Intellectuals have wonderfully flexible minds; absorb information quickly, adapt to changes and are adept at pulling from multiple sources. NEW HOPE FOR OUR INTELLECTUAL FUTURE.

Prensky: "Digital Native" vs. "Digital Immigrant"

Prensky, M. (2001). Digital Natives, Digital Immigrants Part 1. On the Horizon. 9(5). 1-6. doi:10.1108/10748120110424816

Prensky, M. (2001). Digital Natives, Digital Immigrants part 2: Do they really think differently? On the Horizon. 9(6). 1-6. doi:10.1108/10748120110424843.

Tappscott: Growing up digital: The Rise of the Net-Generation (300 interviews of "N-Geners" who participated in online chat groups such as Freezone to identify the characteristics and learning styles of this group of techies. TECHNOLOGICAL DETERMINISM.


Con: Google The human mind can only attempt to focus on one thing or another so with the gift of being more technologically adept... what has to suffer to make room for that? Generation suffers from internet-induced attention deficit disorder and lacks reflective awareness. Qualify of information is suffering in place of quantity of information. Term: information overload. SUPERFICIAL INTELLIGENCE.

Rowlands et al. (2008): "claims that although the generation demonstrates an apparent ease and familiarity with computers, they rely heavily on search engines, view rather than read and do not possess the critical and analytical skills to assess the information they find on the web"

Rolands, I., Nicholas, D., Williams, P., Huntington, P., Fieldhouse, M., Gunter, B.,… Tenopir, C. (2008). The Google generation: the information behavior of the researcher of the future. Aslib Proceedings, 60(4), 290-310. doi:10.1108/00012530810887953

Shear: (2005) Studies law students: "Google Generation doesn't know about controlled vocabulary, hierarchy of information, or even the difference between a table of contents and an index"; take for granted that it isn't all out there electronically. They don't know how to research.

Shear, J. (2005, June). Elevating form above substance. AALL Spectrum. 10-15. Retrieved from http://www.aallnet.org/main-menu/Publications/spectrum/Archives/Vol- 9/pub_sp0506/pub-sp0506-elevating.pdf

Obrien: (2008) Times article: "technology makes it easy for them to collage information, but not to analyze and understand it" SUPERFICIAL INTELLIGENCE.

 O’Brien, C. (2008, July 23). How the Google generation thinks differently. The Times.

 


Alternative: 

Buckingham: You can't generalize by saying there's a new generation out there who's taking information by storm. Technology is an outcome or function of other social processes; but it suggests that it needs to be seen in the context of other social, economic and political developments. Be careful characterizing the discussion of children and technology.

Published in David Buckingham and Rebekah Willett (eds.) Digital Generations: Children, Young People and New Media (Mahwah, NJ: Erlbaum, 2006)