The so-called Generation Y, Learning and Digital Technologies: What’s Real and What’s Just Hype in a Fortunate Label Prof. PhD Lorenzo Cantoni NewMinE – New Media in Education Lab Università della Svizzera italiana Lugano - Switzerland

A BRIEF INTRO The University The NewMinE lab E-ethnography, eLearning in Tourism, ICT4D

Mapping the debate Historic-sociological approach (Howe & Strauss, 1991 and 2000) Generation Y, Millennials, Next great generation (Wilson & Gerber, 2008)Millennials Socio-cognitive approach (Prensky, 2001 and 2009)Digital natives Digital wise (Beck & Wade, 2006)Gamers (Palfrey & Gasser, 2008)Born Digital Socio-pedagogical (Tapscott, 1997)NetGeneration (Oblinger & Oblinger, 2005)NetGeneration (Jukes & Dosai, 2003)Digital native learners (Rivoltella, 2006)Screen generation (Junko & Mastrodicasa, 2007)NetGeneration (Pletka, 2007)Digital learners (Pedrò, 2006)New millennium Learners (Prensky, 2010)Digital natives

CRITICAL VOICES Schulmeister / Buckingham / Bennet, Maton & Kervin “Generation” + over-generalizations + anecdotal evidence + technologies vs. usages + American-centrism + social panic + … A plethora of recipe books / Prêt-à-porter solutions

Margaryan & Littlejohn, 2008 “The findings show that many young students are far from being the epitomic global, connected, socially-networked technologically-fluent digital native who has little patience for passive and linear forms of learning.... Educators therefore cannot presume that all young students are “digital natives” who understand how to use technology to support and enhance their learning.”

TWO PROJECTS Media diet ICT and Learning practices/preferences Local & limited

work employees born after 1980  average age: 23.3  127 male: 53.8%, and 109 female: 46.2% Six companies of the Canton Tessin (Switzerland)  three banks, one consulting company, a provider of industrial gas turbines, and a local newspaper Quantitative and qualitative approach  survey  projective methodology

Learners’ USI-SUPSI 2010 University and University of Applied Science 562 students  12.6% out of 4,449 BA and MA students  318 female (56.6%), 244 male (43.4%).  average age 24.5 years, median 23  different Faculties/Departments  56.2% from Switzerland, 24.9% from Italy, 12.5% from other European countries, while 3.6% from Asia, 1.8% South America, 1.1% from North and Central America and Africa. Questionnaire in Italian and English

A rich learning diet WorkersStudents  search engines (53.6%)  classroom teaching (52.8%)  individual study (42.9%)  individual f2f training (36.5%)  specific websites/blogs (22.7%)  eLearning platforms (19.3%)  multimedia supports (18.0%)  printed diction./enc. (17.2%)  social networks (7.3%)  search engines (57,2%)  classroom teaching (52,3%)  individual study (50,8%)  wikipedia (35,4%)  eLearning platforms (35,0%)  specific websites/blogs (33,2%)  individual f2f training (30,7%)  printed diction./enc. (16,8%)  multimedia supports (13,9%)  social networks (8,6%)

Students: technologies used For learning related activities, they use  search engine (90.6%)  portable computer (86.1%)  USB memory stick (84.7%)  text editor (77.6%)  presentation editor (69.4%)

In your study, you use ICT to… ICT usages when studyingMuchPretty much A little Never Information gathering Consult course materials Download materials Communicate with friends Read the materials of a course Write the assignment Communicate with colleagues Share materials Prepare oral presentations Manage information Do an assignment individually Rehearse before an exam Plan a group work Do an assignment collaboratively Communicate with tutors and professors Listen to course materials Do self-assessment exercise Buy online

Collaborative projects Technologies used  (92.0%)  portable phone (75.0%)  Instant messaging tools (e.g.: Skype, 32.4%)  Chat (27.9%)  Learning Management System (11.3%) Male do use Instant messaging tools more than their female colleagues (40.6% vs. 26.0%) Female students do use more USB memory sticks, text and presentations editors Selecting a team mate: 25.0% male students and 19.8% female students do consider colleagues’ ICT competencies

Perception of eLearning “eLearning is an important element in my courses” (51.0%) “eLearning is one of the many important components in my courses” (43.2%) ICT did improve…  the way I do my homework (83.6%)  the way I collaborate with my colleagues (76.6%)  the way I study (76.2%)  the way I attend to my hobbies and interests (72.2%)  the way I stay in contact with relatives and friends (65.2%)  the way in which I share my ideas and creations (58.0%)

An internal digital divide?  96 technologies presented by Lego models, 49 in the “private life”, 14 in the “workplace”, and 36 straddling both parts Learners’ USI-SUPSI  ICT daily use query a search engine (79.3%) read/write (78.1%) watch a movie / listen to audio files (38.5%) read newsletters (36.6%) read newspapers (34.8%) create/update profile on social networks (30.9%)

A Lego map home vs. work

CONCLUSIONS No simple direct eLearning recipes can be derived eLearning as a context: every learning in the knowledge society eLearning as a strategy

To have more and better eLearning, we do not necessarily need more ICT, we need to be aware of their role in the overall living experience of learners and teachers (context), and to activate them if and when needed (strategy). Conclusion

Thank you! Prof. PhD Lorenzo Cantoni NewMinE – New Media in Education Lab Università della Svizzera italiana Lugano - Switzerland