Millennials are defined as being generation y. They are teenagers who are making the passage into adulthood at the beginning og the new millennium. I recently took a millennial quiz to determine my millennial score. According to the quiz, my score is 84. This is a fairly high score. Having such a high millennial score is great for my future students. It is very likely that most of my students will also have higher scores. Higher scores reflect a greater ability to communicate with and use computers and technology more effectively. This means that I will be able to better teach my future students how to use modern technology.
I recently read an article written by Jason L. Frand. In the article, Frand suggests ten attributes of the information-age mindset. Below are the ten attributes, as well as my views on where I stand with them.
1. Computers Aren’t Technology: I would have to agree with this statement. When I picture the word technology, I think of the latest and greatest inventions. Computers have been around for quite some time now and with all of the new technological devices that are out there, I do not think computers can be considered technology anymore. I am currently using a four year old laptop that is set up with Windows XP and it is very outdated!! I install updates on it, but that just doesn’t cut it. With the iPAD, iPAD2, tablets, smart phones, kindles, and everything else that is now available, it’s very hard to consider a normal computer a piece of technology.
2. Internet Better Than TV: I would agree with this statement as well. I watch many of my TV shows on the internet instead of the television. I can watch the show whenever I want to, and it makes it much more convenient for me.
3. Reality No Longer Real: With so much technology available, it is hard for photography to be trusted. It’s so easy to crop and edit photos that it makes it hard to believe things you see and hear on the internet. Technology makes it very easy for people to create fake emails and profiles on social networking sites.
4. Doing Rather Than Knowing: I agree that it is more important to do than it is to know. Although having knowledge is important, what you do is far greater. Just as the saying goes, “Actions speak louder than words.” You can talk the talk but can you walk the walk?
5. Nintendo over Logic: I agree with this statement. The key to winning a Nintendo game is trial and error. You have to lose some of the games to figure out better, more accurate methods to get you to the end. This is true in everyday life as well. It’s important to discover things on your own; otherwise, you may never learn a valuable lesson.
6. Multitasking Way of Life: Multitasking is DEFINITELY a way of life anymore. People are too impatient to slow down. Although you may not want to admit it, everyone is guilty of texting and driving. People are too impatient to wait until they stop to reply to a text message. Therefore, we unwisely choose to multitask by driving and texting. I especially multitask when I am doing homework. I cannot stay focused on just one thing. Normally, I am texting, watching TV, doing homework and on facebook all at once.
7. Typing Rather Than Handwriting: I agree with this 100%. I wish I could do everything by typing. Typing is so much faster than handwriting, not to mention much, much neater. Typing also makes it easy to reproduce and share your documents. When you type a document, you also get benefits like spell and grammar check.
8. Staying Connected: Most everyone used technology to stay connected. Whether it’s through phone calls, texting, facebook, or Skype, everyone uses technology to stay connected to others.
9. Zero Tolerance for Delays: As I mentioned in number 6, humans now a days are very impatient. We want things done and we want them done NOW! I am definitely guilty of this. I hate when it takes someone ten minutes to text me back, I can’t imagine having to mail someone a letter and wait for a response.
10. Consumer/Creator Blurring: I agree that in today’s world, it is hard to make a distinction between the creator and the user of certain pieces of information. When conducting research, you often use others thoughts or ideas. It is very important to cite your resources. As a future educator, I believe it is important to promote this to avoid plagiarism.
I would consider myself a millennial of the information-age. It is my personal belief that it is important to be up-to-date with modern technology. I feel this is especially true, since I am a future educator. Teachers should be using all of the latest and greatest ideas to teach their students. The more information they are able to provide to their students, the better off they will be later down the road.
I had my dad take the millennial quiz, also. He is 45 years old and scored an 8. Age wise, he is considered to be in the "generation x" category. However, according to the quiz score, he is in the "silent" group. My dad isn't the most technologically savvy person in the world, but I thought he would score higher than he did. He has a cell phone and uses it daily for busniess calls. He just recently started texting and he uses basic computer skills at his job. Because of this, I thought his score would have been a little higher. Maybe his conservative, old-fashion beliefs lowered his score?
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