Teaching to a New Generation

After all this research on Generation Y it lead me to wonder more about the generation I teach… Generation Z. After searching for awhile and not finding much information on Generation Z because the age group is still so young, I found information from a Baby Boomer website. It states many characteristics of Gen. Z. A few characteristics that stood out in my mind are how generation Z are not good listeners and they also lack interpersonal skills. The article brought to mind a very good point… Could the world become almost completely virtual because of this generation?
This brought me to wonder why I am fighting it. Why do I keep comparing this generation to my own? I keep saying “it was never like this when I grew up”, or “it worked when I was in elementary school”. I am a Gen Yer and consider my learning style very different then fellow teachers who are older and from a different generation. I found an article from Tech and Learning on Teaching Gen Yers and laughed when it described almost everything about me and how I learn. Is what I am feeling now about the current generation, what my teachers thought about my own generation growing up?
I find I should embrace this generation and use their strengths towards them. I find my class this year keeping me on my toes and wonder what an effect more technology would have on them. They are generation Z completely. I have found I need to keep my classroom moving and active. I have also found anything on the computer is a good thing. Even something as simple as typing in Microsoft word instead of using a whiteboard has them sitting on the edge of their seats. My classroom also received document cameras and projectors this year. Once again, the simple act of using the document camera to project their show and tell was amazing. I had a completely quiet classroom (which rarely happens) and every student was engaged during this activity.
But where do I begin? Marilyn Western wrote an article about many ways to use technology in a classroom. She also gave examples of several sites on the internet that provide free services and programs to help a teacher use technology in his/her classroom. But what result does it all have on the students? It has many positive outcomes. Many are listed within Effects of Technology on Classrooms and Students, but the one that popped out the most is the change in student and teacher roles. It states when students use technology the role of learning turns more active and they are more responsible for their learning.
Is Gen Z, or even Gen Y, such a bad thing? Why am I constantly comparing them to when I grew up? Why do I want them to duplicate students of my generation when clearly they are their own unique generation and have so many new things to offer? Maybe if I let go the past and grasped the future it could become a good thing. Maybe even great!
Maybe if I allowed and encouraged my students to channel their abilities it would bring a whole new aspect of learning to my classroom. One that may even bring change to future generations…