Whenever I read anything about generations and their differences, I find myself both fascinated and annoyed. Understanding how the technology and culture of a particular time influences people is very interesting to me. However, I find the broad and general descriptions of a group of people based only on when they were born to be very limiting and short sighted. I see the value in trying to understand our students and how they world they grown up in influences their learning styles, however not all students will fit all the prescribed characteristics of the millennial or edge generations.
Despite my hesitations at applying generalizations to students, I do notice some of my students exhibiting the characteristics that researchers have attributed to the edge generation. In Sarah Fudin’s article, she mentions that one of the most striking differences between the edge generation and previous generations is their ability to multitask. When I first began working in high schools three years ago, this was something I immediately noticed. I observe students working on school work, listening to music, responding to text messages, and chatting with friends (in class) all the at same time. At first, I thought this was impossible and would be detrimental to their work. However, many students do seem able to multitask and still be successful. This is something that I personally cannot do. When I am reading or writing, I need to focus on the task at hand. I find music and my phone to be distractions, however, most of my students have had a phone (or ipad or similar device) essentially since birth. They seem to have integrated the use of this technology into everything they do.
Another characteristic of the edge student that is mentioned in Amy Lynch’s article is their desire for more privacy online than the previous millennial generation. Most of my students seems to use more one-on-one forms of social media such as SnapChat or Instagram Stories. Many of them do not have a Facebook at all (or if they do it is seldom used). Instead of broadcasting their actions and whereabouts to the world, they seem to be happier using social media to communicate one on one with smaller groups of friends. This also fits in with the Southern Connecticut State University article which states :
“GenEdgers may be able to create authentic, meaningful relationships with people via Skype and other technological devices in which people can see each other, even though they may be physically a long distance away from each other.”
My students are obsessed with taking pictures, SnapChat, and FaceTime. They stay in contact and form relationships through screens. This is totally normal to them, since as I previously stated, this technology has been in use for their entire lives. My students actually asked me last semester if I would create a SnapChat account for the class where I could post homework assignment reminders into the story.
Finally, in the Research Live article, the authors mention that Gen Edgers are much less likely to be influenced by brands. I can also see some truth in that. I myself am a millennial, and when I was in high school brands were all that mattered in clothing, accessories, cars, media etc. However, my students today seem much less interested and influenced by brands. They are more skeptical about the intentions of companies. I think it will be very interesting to see how brands adapt their marketing strategies over the next decade in order to reach a more skeptical and private consumer.
