 People born together in a particular year or group are sometimes called historical or cohort generations.  Each generation’s name reflects its most distinctive demographic feature or historical experience.  A brief description of 5 such generations follows…..

 Hardworking  Loyal  Technologically Challenged  Submissive and Traditional

The Great Depression Encouraged to pursue higher education. Education uninterrupted by war. Religion Conformity WW11 The Korean War.

 Born between 1946 and 1964  75 million boomers in the U.S.  6 million boomers in Canada  Era of The Cold War, The Civil Rights Movement, the Vietnam War and the birth of NASA  Emphasized team-building, collaboration and group decision making

 Baby Boomers shaped a new teen identity against old notions  Their parents talked about hardships and sacrifice  Great divide among baby boomers: Some learn new technologies - others feel forced and fear it  Shift from exclusive to inclusive classrooms  Bloom’s Taxonomy was first introduced to the Baby Boomers

 Born in the 60’s and 70’s  Independent  Technologically Adept  Freedom and Responsibility- “latch-key Kids”  “Helicopter Parents”

 Gen X’ers are said to be: Irrational, and Well- Educated Self-Absorbed at Self- Reliant BratstheEntrepreneurs sameTech-Savvy time… … described as “working to live rather than living to work”.

 Most common consensus places them born between 1982 and 2000 or 2002  They are the first generation to accept social media as a common form of communication and interaction  Students are very comfortable multi-tasking  Comes from the use of laptops, smart phones, video games, etc.  They can have 3 or 4 types of technology on the go

 Having access to the Internet 24/7, students are not challenged by content-based questions  Teachers need to create situations for students to problem-solve, think critically and creatively to find solution to educational problems  Millennials learn and work better in group settings.

 Also known as ‘Generation “AO”- always on.  Born in the 1990’s to present time  Highly connected  had lifelong use of communication and media technologies such as the World Wide Web, instant messaging, text messaging, IPODs, cell phones and YouTube.

 Some exhibit a thirst for instant gratification and quick fixes, a loss of patience and a lack of deep-thinking ability  Recent research has found 35% of those ages 6 months to 3 years have a TV in their bedroom; 10% ages 4-8 have a computer in their bedroom; and 51% of those ages 9-12 have a cellphone.

 Research has shown that by the time they reach adulthood, today’s kids have spent 30,000 hours on the internet and playing video games.  much more adept at processing visual information and have better hand-eye coordination.  visual style of learning may be preferable to auditory and other styles. It also means, not surprisingly, that they may prefer learning that is game-like in nature.

 They love learning if there is a game involved- I have a great “Optics” game that involves shooting things!  Short lessons, with a variety of activities. Their attention span is definitely a factor to consider in planning lessons.  Anything I have them do that allows them to use technology is great, especially our new Ipads.

 I recently had them register for Edmodo in my class- they loved it! They felt like we were doing something illegal…  They don’t have a lot of presentation or research skills but are eager to learn whatever I show them.  My PGP this year involves integrating more technology into my classroom. I feel this is necessary to better prepare my students for 21 st century learning experience.