Today's College Students and Technology Use

College students of today are very different from those of 15 years ago.  Whether we call them Generation Y, the Millennial Generation, etc., this group of young adults has grown up surrounded by technology.  Today's college students, born in the early - mid 1990s, did not know the world before the internet.  Smartphones came on the scene in their teens. Electronic multitasking and communication are normal tasks for them.  In order to reach them in the classroom, it's important to understand what makes them "tick".  Sometimes this means stepping outside of our own comfort zone and playing with new technologies, and using technology in the classroom.

To better understand the way these students think and how they utilize technology, check out this infographic.  I love infographics - they present interesting stats in a quick and easy to read way.  When you click on the link, note that the graphic will display very small - click on it to zoom in and enlarge the image.

Students today are using etextbooks, taking notes electronically, and have access to a wealth of information through computers and mobile devices.  Take a look at this data and consider a new way you could try to reach your students next semester using technology.  Will you collaborate with your students using a Google+ Hangout?  Hold class in a Canvas chat or conference if class is canceled due to weather? Set up a Twitter backchannel and have students tweet during class?  The possibilities are endless - consider trying something new to reach your students via technology and see the impact it can have on student success and satisfaction in the classroom.

The Importance of Understanding How to Search the Web

These days nearly every student is using the internet as a resource - and why not?  There is an incredible wealth of information available online.  The challenge today is no longer how or where to find information, but it is deciphering what is accurate and what is not.  The internet has been mainstream for about 20 years and today's college students do not remember a world before the internet (scary, isn't it?), but surprisingly they are not necessarily entering college prepared with the basic skill of web searching -an essential 21st century skill.  It's important that all instructors understand the finer points of web searching so that we can help our students be more successful in their search for information online.

The basics:

When getting started with a web search, students need to understand how to pick the best search terms and how to interpret the results they find.  This is a skill that takes time to fine tune, but it's growing more and more important in today's world of information overload.  Google has a great site that, although geared toward K-12, has great tools and information about search education.

Assessing the accuracy and reliability of a resources:

There are many clues on a website that can help viewers tell if the information is likely to be accurate - things like clues in the web address (URL), the author, and the type of website the information is on (a personal blog, for example). I once read a great article written by Alan November entitled "Teaching Zach to Think".  It deals with this very topic and shows the scary side of students not knowing how to detect misinformation on the web.

It's important that we all, as educators, understand how to search the web effectively so that we can help students do the same.  The internet gives us the opportunity to find a great amount of information at our fingertips whenever and wherever we may be, but there are many potential dangers when students do not have an understanding of how to find and interpret this information accurately.