Generational Differences:

Millennials, Social Media,

and Education

Josh Murdock@professorjoshInstructional DesignerProfessor Ed Tech, Student

Success, & Social Networking

WHAT IS THIS PRESENTATION ALL

ABOUT?

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The Generations: Who are they? What are they like? What are they doing? How do we engage them?

Twitter:

What is Twitter?

How can I use it?

Why do I use it?

Facebook:

What is Facebook?

How can I use it?

Why do I use it?

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20+

15-1910-

14 5-9

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Born: 1922–1945 (About 6% of the Workforce)Work, Ethics, and Values:• Hard work• Respect Values• Sacrifice • Duty before fun• Adhere to rulesInteractive Style: IndividualCommunications: Formal memoMessages that motivate: Your experience is respected

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Let them know that you value their experience and loyalty to the organization, spend adequate time in orientation and training activities (including the use of technology), and respect common norms of courteous behavior.

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Born: 1946–1964 (About 41% of the Workforce)Work, Ethics, and Values:• Workaholics• Work efficiently• Crusading causes• Personal fulfillment• Question AuthorityInteractive Style: Team player, loves to have meetingsCommunications: In personMessages that motivate: Your are needed or valued

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Millennials in the Workplace: A Helpful Guide

(yes, this is a parody)http://youtu.be/Sz0o9clVQu8

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Show them how they can be an organizational star, provide them with training and developmental opportunities, and involve them in operational matters.

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Born: 1965–1980 (About 29% of the Workforce)Work, Ethics, and Values:• Eliminate the task• Self-reliance• Want structure and direction• SkepticalInteractive Style: EntrepreneurCommunications: Direct and ImmediateMessages that motivate: Do it your way and Forget the rules

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Partner them with mentors (ideally Boomers) whom they can respect, do not expect them to give up their life for the job, promote work/life balance, and refrain from giving them too much extended hands-on supervision.

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Born: 1981–2000 (About 24% of the Workforce)Work, Ethics, and Values:• What’s next• Multitasking• Tenacity• Entrepreneurial• Tolerant• Goal oriented Interactive Style: ParticipativeCommunications: Email, VoicemailMessages that motivate: You will work with other bright, creative people

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Millennials Guide to Baby Boomers

(yes, this is a parody)http://youtu.be/C1a6M3dBNwc

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Capitalize on their technological skills, provide them with structure, allow them to work in a collaborative manner, be generous with training and orientation activities, and involve them in reverse mentoring programs with Boomers and Gen Xers.

Our Millennial

shttp://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2_CgM2btWzM

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The Millennial Generation

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The Millennial Generation has emerged as a force that will shape the social and economic dynamics of the next decade (Howe & Strauss, 2000).

The definition of

when millennials

were born varies,

with estimates

ranging from

1977 to

1982

Researchers agree that the uniqueness of millennials results from technological forces that have affected this generation.

Unique millennial

competency is the ability

to effectively use

broadly networked

digital communication

technologies to quickly

and seamlessly

accomplish a variety of

tasks.

Millennial Students Characteristics

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What do you believe are the characteristics of a millennial?

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“Individuals raised with computers deal with

information differently compared to previous cohorts: They develop hypertext minds, they

leap around.”- Marc Prensky

Characteristics of the Millennials

OStudents of the Millennial Generation are accustomed

O Learn better through discovery and

experiential learning rather than by being told

O Have the ability to shift their attention rapidly from one task to another and may choose not to pay attention to things that don’t

interest them — attention deployment

O Believe multitasking is a way of life and are comfortable when engaged in multiple activities simultaneously

O Believe staying connected is essential and they want a fast response time (Howe & Strauss, 2000)

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Their learning styles originated with millennials growing up with technology

My 1st Computer

millennials were born around the time the PC was introduced

20% of the students began using computers between the ages of 5 and 8

and almost all millennials were using computers by the time they were 16 to 18 years of age (Jones, 2002).

Imagine the younger millennials!

MILLENIALS TECHNOLOGY

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No landline (cell phone only)

Texted in the past 24 hours

Use twitter

Used wireless internet away from home

0% 20% 40% 60% 80% 100%

41%64%

80%88%

14%20%

62%75%

AN

D

http://bit.ly/aUJvzp

MILLENIALS Technology

22

AN

D

Feb

-05

Au

g-0

6

Nov-0

8

Jan

-10

0%10%20%30%40%50%60%70%80%

7%

51%71% 75%

Social networking sites: how use has changed

http://bit.ly/aUJvzp

MILLENIALS NEWS

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AN

D

http://bit.ly/aUJvzp

50% of Americans said they got some news from a Mobile Device

Educational IssuesODiversity of needs, backgrounds,

and experiencesOHigh Drop-out and failure rates

(average 3 out of 10)OPoor class participationOTypically under preparedODifficulties relating to authority

figures using traditional communication techniques

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They are worth the troubleO Violent Crime is down 60-

70%O Teen pregnancy is down

OEngaged in community service

O Welcomes everyone as part of the community - Tolerant

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How they “ Tick ”OExposed to vast amounts of

information at a very young age

ODifferent patterns of communications and social intimacy

OAmbitious, but with unrealistic expectations

OWell aware of rules, but enjoy the challenge of circumventing the rules

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ENGAGING THE MILLENNIALS

OLearn at a fast pace that does not involve a “telling style”/ “text-oriented” style of teaching

OLike visual examples, less text, and less telling

OWant interactivity

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Our challenge is to introduce new learning and teaching approaches to engage the millennial students.

Is using Social Media tools one of those approaches?

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“Your goal should not be to discard social media, but to figure out how to make it a powerful tool, rather than a useless distraction.”

-Ben Parr

A Vision of K-12 Students Today

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Social Media Revolution

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“The qualities that make Twitter seem insane and half-baked are what makes it so powerful.”

- Jonathan Zittrain –Harvard Law Professor & Internet Expert

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Glossary of Twitter TermsTweet. A message sent via Twitter (140

Charters).Hashtag. Hashtags allow the community

to easily stream a particular subject by using a

hash in front of the tag. Example: Putting

#iPhone in a tweet about the iPhone. DM. A Direct Message sent via Twitter only

the recipient can see.Twittastic. The Twitter version of

fantastic.Dweet. A tweet sent while drunk.http://webtrends.about.com/od/twitter/a/twitter_glossary.htm

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“Why do I want to write only 140 characters at a time?”

-Josh Murdock

Variety of Content – News Source – Information – Promotional Tool – Networking - PLN

https://twitter.com/professorjosh #EdTech #Elearning #HigherEd #EdChat

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“It use to be, you had to be famous to let everyone know what was on your mind. Not any more!” -Lisa Macon

https://twitter.com/lisamacon

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“Academic Excellence in 140

Characters.” Rey Junco

Study showed the positive effect of Twitter on college student engagement and grades.

https://twitter.com/reyjunco http://youtu.be/SVOY2x81_bg

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“Before long you begin to realize how much Twitter helps you inspire others.”

- A m a n d a K e r n

https://twitter.com/amandakern

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“ The principle goal of education is to create men and women who are capable of doing new things, not simply repeating what other generations have done.”

- Jean Piaget

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Facebook Stats - www.facebook.com

More than 500 million active users

50% of our active users log on daily

Average 130 friends

People spend over 700 billion minutes per

month on Facebook

Average user is connected to 80 community

pages, groups, and events

Average user creates 90 pieces of content

each month

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“FACEBOOK IS MY SOCIAL AND WORK NETWORK.” – Josh MurdockConnect – Collaborate – Share – Network

http://www.facebook.com/professorjosh

My “Like” Pages

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“Not being on Facebook is like not having a TV or not owning a cell phone. You can avoid it, but you’ll really miss out. ” –

Lisa Macon

http://www.facebook.com/lisamacon

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Facebook Groups in EducationThe Advantage of Facebook Group in Education by Nate Green

Promotes

Co l l abora t ion

Educat iona l L inks

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“Instead of asking students to stop using it, embrace Facebook as a learning & communication tool.” – A m a n d a K e r n

http://www.facebook.com/amandakern

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“It’s not just about recipes, fashion, and DIY ideas. You can bookmark and share ideas visually across educational networks ” – Josh Murdock

http://www.pinterest.com/professorjosh

Educat iona l L inks

Shared Boards

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CONTACT INFORMATION

Twitter: @professorjoshFacebook: facebook.com/professorjoshBlog: http://professorjosh.com Email: jmurdock3@valenciacollege.edu