As a self-professed Millennial I have been fortunate enough to experience technology truly BOOM. I was in 1st grade when I started learning to type in school, 3rd grade when we had a PC at home with floppy and hard disks, cell phones started entering high school, facebook my freshmen year in college, etc. You get the picture.
I recently read an article about how technology is helping bridge Baby Boomers and Millennials as we exit and enter the workplace. I took note of a few items:
1) While the recession is shaping the Millennial attitude, a recent study commissioned by the Career Advisory Board indicated that “both Millennials and their managers agree on the strengths (e.g. digital comfort) and weaknesses (e.g. impatience with established processes) of the younger generation…Millennials will manage their careers by pursuing advanced education, changing professions and work situations, and overcoming unique challenges associated with the 21st century workplace.
I'm glad to hear that studies have validated my tendencies and habits down to my strengths and weaknesses. However, I wonder if our impatience for established processes is because we do collaborate so often and in such a manner that the main theme is always progress. I feel that my weakness is not impatience as much as it is the unwillingness to be complacent. I have an internal desire to move forward, to push boundaries, to keep going to school, to explore new technologies and to find A+ Millennials I can collaborate with to create the best in educational technology and design. I would like to say that while we are eager to revamp processes, create efficiencies and progress forward we must understand the established process and then communicate our thought processes not just program them and share the end result.
2) This technology mindset also has major implications for how schools, colleges, and universities prepare them for the workforce. In fact, this generation is driving the shift across all educational institutions as they struggle to develop teaching approaches that are relevant, engaging, and more effective than the majority of today’s traditional classrooms.
As I apply to enter a second Master's program in Instructional Design I can't help but feel immensely frustrated when I hear this. 1) It is true in my experiences with the various universities I have worked at and attended. 2) Why wasn't all of this technology shared while I was in school? Along with all of the job opportunities available within such technologies? However there are schools and 3rd party vendors that are making tremendous strides to improve the "eLearning" experiences and to appeal to multiple intelligences in order to "connect" with students.
Working in higher education I hope that I am able to create engaging and effective programs for students to learn about Student Affairs topics. I hope that someday I am able to leave a footprint in how we train our student workers on campus from Campus Recreation, Student Union/Activities, Student Government, Stu.Orgs. & Greeks, RAs, etc. Additionally, in how we interact with students on topics such as financial literacy, sexual assault, advising, FYE/Orientation, campus health, etc.
Last but not least technology is not only a bridge between generations but it is a facilitator between individual exploration and face to face interaction.
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Check this out about shifting the way we teach/learn/think to how we are. Thank you Sir Ken Robinson for "Changing Education Paradigms".
Monday, June 13, 2011
Wednesday, June 8, 2011
Push Pop Press and the potential in Higher Education
If I could have a dream job I would design digital textbooks like this: http://pushpoppress.com/ourchoice/
Push Pop Press is currently in beta with Al Gore's Our Choice as they debut. Actually I would probably be more of a sales person working with professors and institutions to design their textbooks. I wish I knew about UI, engineering, etc. because then I would do it myself.
As a lifetime student and higher education enthusiast I love to learn and specifically I am a hands on learner. (You know the one that got an A in physics but a C in biology.) When looking at characteristics of Millenials (students and employees) we are often characterized as being visually stimulated, as having short attention spans and wanting things instantly. Push Pop Press has catered to this in every way imaginable.
Rewinding to the hundreds of dollars worth of textbooks I purchased during my undergraduate and graduate work and how much I did NOT read and instead looked up YouTube videos of how to create pivot tables in Excel. Fast forward to the number of staff manuals I have written and subsequent PowerPoint presentations of policy and how-to instruction. The ability to have an interactive educational environment is limitless from the integration of Prezi, Twitter backchannels/ HootCourse and the digital book Push Pop Press has created could revive the textbook industry.
I have used several textbook publishers websites for part of the requirements for a course. Not a single publisher's site is slick or has interactive components for reviewing materials or purchasing online textbooks. In fact most are still built in frames that resemble my Angelfire website from 6th grade. Imagine being able to view a 3D model of the cosmos inside of your textbook instead of reading the footnotes. Watching a dissection of a cat, pig or frog for organs. My favorite example from the Our Choice digital book is the ability to move the wind mill with your own BREATH to see how it powers the electricity in the home and the storage of the energy created.
Cool features:
Photos, audio captions, interactive maps and infographics, and videos. Touch screen and ability to "pull out" the features.
Potential Cool Textbook features (my own brainstorming):
In book quizzes, problem solving with solutions, 3D models, highlighting/bookmarking, note taking, printing abilities, supplemental information/readings, historical site and museum re-creations tours and Google Map/Earth integration.
Potential negatives:
Accessibility for the deaf and blind. Increasing a socio-economical divide.
See what I'm talking about in action:
Push Pop Press TED Talk from Push Pop Press on Vimeo.
I hope Push Pop Press chooses to pursue creating interactive textbooks for high education. The possibilities and potential for higher learning are endless. And if they don't someone else will and I hope I'm involved.
Push Pop Press is currently in beta with Al Gore's Our Choice as they debut. Actually I would probably be more of a sales person working with professors and institutions to design their textbooks. I wish I knew about UI, engineering, etc. because then I would do it myself.
As a lifetime student and higher education enthusiast I love to learn and specifically I am a hands on learner. (You know the one that got an A in physics but a C in biology.) When looking at characteristics of Millenials (students and employees) we are often characterized as being visually stimulated, as having short attention spans and wanting things instantly. Push Pop Press has catered to this in every way imaginable.
Rewinding to the hundreds of dollars worth of textbooks I purchased during my undergraduate and graduate work and how much I did NOT read and instead looked up YouTube videos of how to create pivot tables in Excel. Fast forward to the number of staff manuals I have written and subsequent PowerPoint presentations of policy and how-to instruction. The ability to have an interactive educational environment is limitless from the integration of Prezi, Twitter backchannels/ HootCourse and the digital book Push Pop Press has created could revive the textbook industry.
I have used several textbook publishers websites for part of the requirements for a course. Not a single publisher's site is slick or has interactive components for reviewing materials or purchasing online textbooks. In fact most are still built in frames that resemble my Angelfire website from 6th grade. Imagine being able to view a 3D model of the cosmos inside of your textbook instead of reading the footnotes. Watching a dissection of a cat, pig or frog for organs. My favorite example from the Our Choice digital book is the ability to move the wind mill with your own BREATH to see how it powers the electricity in the home and the storage of the energy created.
Cool features:
Photos, audio captions, interactive maps and infographics, and videos. Touch screen and ability to "pull out" the features.
Potential Cool Textbook features (my own brainstorming):
In book quizzes, problem solving with solutions, 3D models, highlighting/bookmarking, note taking, printing abilities, supplemental information/readings, historical site and museum re-creations tours and Google Map/Earth integration.
Potential negatives:
Accessibility for the deaf and blind. Increasing a socio-economical divide.
See what I'm talking about in action:
Push Pop Press TED Talk from Push Pop Press on Vimeo.
I hope Push Pop Press chooses to pursue creating interactive textbooks for high education. The possibilities and potential for higher learning are endless. And if they don't someone else will and I hope I'm involved.
Monday, June 6, 2011
The next step... inspired by women
Over the past month I have been trying to figure out my next step, path, destination, journey, etc. So naturally I turned to TED for some inspiration. I found three specific speeches that spoke to me. One about a non-profit journey of helping people help themselves, one about using what you know to speak for you and process thoughts and one about women being their own inhibitor.
They say that millennial's unemployment solutions are being solved by creating their own employment opportunities. In other words, being innovative, pushing envelopes and creating their own businesses. They say that millennials do not like being defined and limited to a box or a list of adjectives. They say that we are programmed.
I believe I am programmed to inspire change and be the change I want to see in the world. Thank you Gandhi. I believe that Sheryl Sandberg, Facebook COO, is on to something when she talks about how there are too few women leaders. That we must start sitting at the table, treating our partners like partners and don't leave before you leave. I am at the point in my life where I'm focusing on sitting at the table.
Ms. Sandberg goes on to talk about characteristics of women leaders versus men leaders and how similar characteristics are perceived differently.
They say that millennial's unemployment solutions are being solved by creating their own employment opportunities. In other words, being innovative, pushing envelopes and creating their own businesses. They say that millennials do not like being defined and limited to a box or a list of adjectives. They say that we are programmed.
I believe I am programmed to inspire change and be the change I want to see in the world. Thank you Gandhi. I believe that Sheryl Sandberg, Facebook COO, is on to something when she talks about how there are too few women leaders. That we must start sitting at the table, treating our partners like partners and don't leave before you leave. I am at the point in my life where I'm focusing on sitting at the table.
Ms. Sandberg goes on to talk about characteristics of women leaders versus men leaders and how similar characteristics are perceived differently.
"Success and likability are positively correlated for men and negatively correlated for women."
This has resonated with me for days now. I find that as a woman I am expected to be feminine, mind my words and sit on the side of the table. Through some specific incidents I find this to be more true in environments where I am an ethic minority as well. So my question is how as a woman am I supposed to be ambitious, vocal and progressive when the result is I'm perceived as a "know-it-all", in-compassionate and political? How do I balance the perceived gender role and my internal desires? Do I have to tap dance to get to the table and then show my true character?
Originally when I pursued my MBA I looked at it as an opportunity to pursue entrepreneurship within the non-profit sector or high education. I have unlimited ideas on how to create non-traditional education programs to benefit students and the business of higher education. I am bursting at the seams with ideas that at night I find it hard to sleep. Through these three women I am becoming more inspired to create my own small wooden table and someday I can upgrade to a nice big oval polished one. I'm inspired because I know I have what it takes to be successful , I have always know it but the affirmation is the push. Simply, I'm awesome!
See the TED talks which have inspired me lately.
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