Gen ‘Y’ and the Novelty of Learning
Today I am attending the Jefferson/Overseas Schools Technology Institute (JOSTI) in Fairfax Virginia. As featured keynote speakers, four students presented some of the work they have been doing. It was Sappho who really impressed me. She was poised and steadfast in her presence when presenting to some 100+ educators from around the world. She titled her talk along the lines of the novelty of Generation Y learning. After a brief introduction she gave a personal example of when she was working with the National Institute of Health (NIH).
Her task was to count the number of blood cells under a microscope … a tedious task that could last all too long. Imagine if you had to take a necessary break, I guess you would need to start over. In her words, the old school way of counting didn’t make sence. She thought outside the box and clicked the ‘PrntScrn’ button. What happened? She had a print out of her cells, broke them down into smaller squares and counted away.
However, she was caught counting cells while at lunch one day. When her colleague asked what she was doing, she explained. Surprising enough to her, no one had ever thought of using the ‘PrntScrn’ function. Sappho has started a new revolution. Now, a new buzz word can be heard at NIH … “Just ‘PrntScrn’ it.” A simple solution even if you’re not a Generation Y.
Perhaps we should look more to ‘Gen Y’ as a resource. They are the link between the past – present – future internet users. After all, thhose who have grown up with the internet their whole lives are todays 11 year olds. The ‘Gen Y’ kids really can be a bridge for the future.
Thanks Sappho for your insights.
