Millennials and the New-Aged Mindset

According to the How Millennial Are You? survey by Pew Research Center, I fit 89% in the Millennial qualities. Considering that the students I am going to be teaching are Millennials as well, this means that I should be able to relate and understand their overall beliefs and views of society to help make the classroom a more comfortable environment. Being able to identify with the students at a generational level would make me seem more approachable to them because they have a more clear idea of what to expect.
To find out what results from a different generation, I had my mother take the same quiz mentioned above and she got scored a 3%. Even though she was born in 1962 and was born at the end of the baby boomer stage, according to her generational age from the survey, she belongs to a generation before the Silent generation that started in 1928.
And for curiosity, I had my fiance who is the same age as I am take the quiz, and he scored the exact same result I did (89%).

According to the article, The Information Age Mindset: Changes for Students and Implications for Higher Education by Jason L. Frand, there are 10 characteristics that make up "the information-age mindset", as follows:
1. Computers aren't technology- Considering technology as anything that is new or has come around since my birth, technically computers are not technology. My father was a computer repairman and a computer teacher at Fairmont State when I was born in 1987, and I have been around computers all my life. I do remember when we first used Windows, and changed everything about the computer from before. So, I think I still consider computers new technology because of all the advancements since I first used them. Nowadays, computers come in all shapes and sizes and are found in just about every job. I have to disagree and say that computers are technology for the Millennials in the sense of all the advancements that have been and keep coming around.
2. Internet is better than TV- I agree completely with this attitude. The Internet is an engaging activity, and full of information. While it is true that there is a lot of "information" that is passed as fact, it can be hard to determine the quality of the information that the web user is receiving (But there is a wealth of quality information for those users who know how to differentiate and validate sources). Regardless, the Internet is a valuable research tool, and allows users to engage in socializing, creating, and exploring. Internet is definitely better than TV.
3. Reality is no longer real- This argument claims that we can't believe anything we see or hear because we have such extreme data-manipulation capabilities that we cannot rely on information, pictures, audio, video, or much of anything else to be true. That part of the argument is real and I totally agree with that. But to go as far as to say reality isn't real anymore is too far of a stretch for me. Reality to me is the real world, away from social websites, the media, and information from the Internet as a whole. Reality that I have everyday with my kids and my world around me is as real as ever.
4. Doing rather than knowing- Here, the author is conveying that just knowing a lot of facts and information doesn't get you ahead. To stay on top in the working world today, a person must be able to use and to adapt to the many changes in information. We are becoming a globalized society where the information is shared in real-time and being able to make quick decisions, work through changes, and stay on top "doing" is the bigger value compared to "knowing." I would agree with this one a lot. I would also like to add that with the wealth of information available at our fingertips, "doing" definitely is the better skill to possess in this age.
(Although, my brother is a quantum/theoretical physicist with minimal "doing" skills and is a very big asset to our society)
5. Nintendo over logic- The trial-and-error approach to problem solving with the new-aged mindset is being questioned. Can people with the new-aged mindset use other types of problem solving skills such as research and study? I think so. So, while I can see that they are saying that people with this new-aged mindset are quicker to jump into things and learn by trial-and-error, I think that there is first a thought process of how much there is to lose by the error. I think if it comes to a situation with an ample amount of time and a significant loss for error, then these same people would not carelessly choose to make too quick of a decision.
6. Multi-tasking way of life- I think that the author hit the nail on the head here. There is so much going on all at once and we have become habitual multi-taskers at the cost of focus and quality.
7. Typing rather than handwriting- I am stuck right in the middle. I think that there is nothing more sincere than a handwritten letter, but nothing more handy than a word processor for homework. I choose based on the purpose. The author here feels he can more easily compose poetry with a word-processor than a typewriter. I write a lot of poetry and have always preferred a pencil and paper over anything typed.
8. Staying connected- The author is conveying the idea that because the availability of real-time socializing abilities whether at home, at work, or on the go have changed the way we do just about everything. I am fairly guilty of this very concept. I admit I leave my cell phone on "vibrate" in class so in case I need to be reached (because I have children) I stay available. It drives me crazy when my phone dies or I am forced to turn it off because I never know what I'm missing or if I'm needed to act at any certain moment.
9. Zero tolerance for delays- People are becoming more and more expectant to have our wants met with a certain frame of immediacy in all different aspects of our lives. Having the ability to send information in real-time, web users expect quick responses to emails, etc. I expect a certain amount of time to be allotted for responding but I think that I am fairly tolerant in this area.
10. Consumer/creator blurring- For those of us with the new-aged mindset, there is a very thin line for the ownership of intellectual property- whether that property is music, pictures, videos, thoughts, words, software, etc. We see something we like, we want it so we take it. I think it was interesting how the author brought up how some companies open their products for beta-testing, and allow the consumers to take part in the development of the product, therefore blurring ownership lines that much more. I can't say I've never been guilty of this exact thing, but knowing that this is the way the world works, it makes me skeptical to put my own creativeness on the Internet.

This information may have been presented a little bit harshly for those of us in the categories of "new-aged mindset" or "millennials", but I think that both of these sites are credible in pointing out just how different my generation is. It doesn't mean that we are doomed or even worse than any of our predecessors, just different. Our generation will be one of life-long learning. The skill-sets that are needed to be taught will be different for just that purpose. We are no longer studying to do one certain thing for the rest of our lives. We are learning to adapt, to act, and to survive in a world that is constantly changing and demanding new things from us. This activity most closely relates to the ISTE NETS T Standard 4a: 4. Promote and Model Digital Citizenship and Responsibility Teachers understand local and global societal issues and responsibilities in an evolving digital culture and exhibit legal and ethical behavior in their professional practices. a. Advocate, model, and teach safe, legal, and ethical use of digital information and technology, including respect for copyright, intellectual property, and the appropriate documentation of sources This goal was accomplished by having us read and report on digital articles and properly site our research.