De må vakne, nettgenerasjonen kjem!

Jeg blar i en inspirerende bok forfattet av den kanadiske professoren Don Tapscott – ”Grown up digital” med undertittelen ”how the net generation is changing your world” (2009). Nettgenerasjonen er i ifølge Tapscott mellom 11 og 31 år gammel, de er altså for eksempel på universitetet allerede: ”Around the world the generation is flooding into the workspace, marketplace, and every niche of society. They are bringing their demographic muscle, media smarts, purchasing of power, new models of collaborating and parenting, entrepreneurship, and political power into the world” (s 3).

Tapscott & co har intervjuet tusenvis av mennesker – han konkluderer med at selv om ”there are many concerns, overall the kids are more than alright” (s 6). Det som gjør nettgenerasjonen annerledes, er dens livslange erfaring i bruken av Internettet. ”As the first global generation ever, the Net Geners are smarter, quicker, and more tolerant of diversity than their predecessors” – og som om ikke det er nok, bryr denne generasjonen seg “strongly about justice and the problems faced by their society and are typically engaged in some kind of civic activity at school, at work, or in their communities” (sst).

Tapscott identifiserer åtte karakteristika – eller “norms” som han kaller dem – i nettgenerasjonen (s 74-96):
1. freedom – The Internet has given them the freedom to choose what to buy, where to work, when to do things. They value freedom to be who they are, freedom of choice.
2. customization – NetGeners get something, and customize it to make it theirs. The want to customize everything, even their jobs.
3. scrutiny – NetGeners appear to have high awareness about the world around them and want to know more about what is happening. They learn to be sceptical, to scrutinize what they see and read in the media, including the Internet.
4. integrity – being honest, considerate, transparent, and abiding by their commitments.
5. collaboration – this is the relationship generation. They are great collaborators, with friends online and at work.
6. entertainment – for NetGeners, work should be fun, NetGeners see no clear dividing between the two;
7. speed – corporations that are quick to respond to inquiries are praised as trustworthy; while long wait times are critized; 
8. innovation – this generation has been raised in a culture of invention. Innovation takes place in real time. They love to innovate.

Dette danner så bakgrunn for bokens videre gang. I del 2 ”Transforming institutions”  finner vi kapitlet ”The Net Generation as Learners: Rethinking Education” som kanskje er av særlig interesse for oss I bibliotek. Der heter det, neppe overraskende, at “the boredom factor is not very surprising when you consider the gap between how the Net Geners think and how most teachers teach. Net Geners are not content to sit quietly and listen to a teacher lecture. Kids who have grown up digital expect to talk back, to have a conversation” (s 126). Han spør: “What works? Focus on the student, not the teacher” (s 129). Det betyr interaktiv læring – “School 2.0”. Han kommer med syv tips for undervisere på s 148: bl.a. fokus på pedagogisk forandring, ikke på teknologien: “Learning 2.0 is about dramatically changing the realtionship between a teacher and students in the learning process. Get that right and use technology for a student-focused, customized, collaborative learning environment”. Videre: Spør studentene, ikke kringkast din læring. Få studentene til å samarbeide med hverandre. Ha fokus på livslang læring, ikke på hvordan studentene greier eksamen. Bruk teknologi for å bli kjent med hver student. Design læringsprogram i tråd med de åtte ”norms”. Gjenskap deg selv som lærer.

Mye spennende å lese fra en engasjert forfatter som – i motsetning til dem som hevder at nettgenerasjonen ”are a bunch of dull, celebrity-obsessed, net-addicted, shopaholic exhibitionist with a taste for violence, online and offline» – konkluderer veldig optimistisk slik på s 289:

”This definitive research project on this generation has produced some profound and inspiring conclusions. The most important of these is: not only are the kids alright, but as a generation they are poised to transform every institution of society – for the better.”

Kom igjen, kids!

– Halvor

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