Journal #1

Finding new ways to connect: Professors adjust their methods to reach technology-savvy generation. By Eleanor Yang Su

The Millennial Generation (those who were born in the 1980s and early 90s) is challenging teachers in creating teaching styles to meet the students’ high expectations to technology. Today, one-third of the class listens to lectures while doing other things at once such as playing video games, checking e-mail in their laptops and checking cell phone for text messages. With so many distractions, professors seem to worry in creating good impressions in the classroom. Unfortunately, many professors are slowly embracing the use of technology into their classrooms.

2. Is multitasking beneficial to our students?
In Yang Su article, multitasking might affect students’ learning process since according to brain experts, people make more mistakes and complete tasks more slowly when they try to do many things at once. However, in my opinion, multitasking could be beneficial if we can use it wisely (like doing research in the internet while writing an essay and talking in the phone with a classmate to get help in the paper, etc.) and outside the classrooms (which seems hard to do).

1. How could I incorporate technology into my classroom to capture the student’s attention?
It is unfortunate for me to realize that I have to compete with technology-expert kids in my future teaching experience. I was introduced to technology at late age and I still feel that I have a long way to go. Yang Su explains that this new generation of students is quick to integrate to the latest technologies into the way they work, relax, and socialize; so I do also have to prepare with technology tools everyday to meet their kids’ expectations to learn and to have a fun class. Since I am planning to teach high school, some of my goals could be to create a class web site in which students can review lectures, post discussions, and have extra-exercises and/or activities to better understand the lecture.