by Larelle Stagg     Have you noticed how quickly kids are growing up these days? I remember when childhood was about ice-cream vans and mud pies, riding bikes freely around the street and building ‘impenetrable’ forts. Now it seems that if our kids aren’t participating in any number of extra-curricular activities, on protective rubberised surfaces, while texting their friends (about the latest gaming technology), then we’re somehow not doing our job right by them.

Welcome Generation Z.  They’re not yet adults, but they’re shaping up to be the most technically-savvy, connected, discriminating and impatient of all the generations. They are the students in our schools today, and will continue to be so into the 2020’s. Perhaps this implies that the future of education depends largely on understanding and engaging with these 21st century learners?

Born around 1998 to the present, Gen Z are known as Digital Natives. From an early age they learn how to flip channels on a TV remote, operate a DVD player, play tennis on a wii, navigate an iPad and read books on a Kindle. And that’s before they even start school! A recent study by AVG even found that in the two to five year old bracket, 19% of kids know how to use a smartphone application but only 9% can tie their shoelaces.

With information flowing at an all time high, Gen Z are able to chat with their friends, download the latest music, share photos, organise their social calendar, do research for a school project, catch up on the world news, and provide editorials on their lives – all at the click of a button. We might refer to smartphones, online games, blogs and social networking as ‘new technologies’, but for our kids, they are merely how you interact in the world.

Growing up around this type of technology, Gen Z have learned to be multi-taskers. For example, when eating breakfast, they might be listening to downloaded music, while playing on their ipod touch, when they receive a text from their friend about a program that was on television. They’re hyper stimulated with declining attention spans. So, as parents and educators, we need to learn ways to engage them smartly to compete for their fleeting attention.

Gone are the days when kids used libraries, encyclopaedias and reference books. The web is where Gen Z now go to learn. With the speed and ease with which students can ‘google it’, there will be many who won’t remember a time when ‘Google’ wasn’t a verb. But how accurate is all the information on the web? And what are we doing to help our kids interpret this information with a critical eye? It’s no secret that our kids are growing up faster. But with free access to so much information, it’s common for them to learn about adult issues without the opportunity of exploring it with their parents.

This year alone, Internet access will exceed 2 billion users and over 6 trillion text messages will be sent. In fact, a recent Nielsen Research poll found that the average US teenager sends or receives over 3,000 texts a month – that’s 6 texts per hour for every hour they are awake. And thanks to social networking sites like Facebook, Twitter and Skype – they are communicating with people around the world without needing to be in the same physical space. For this generation, their communities are so much bigger than what any generation has ever witnessed.

But are their communities as safe as we experienced growing up – when neighbours looked out for neighbours and kids could freely roam the streets? The reality is, new technology introduces new ways of communicating with people. The language is different, it’s less face-to-face, it demands immediate response, and it’s not always safe and inclusive. In fact, cyber bullying is now being cited as a significant problem for today’s youth.

But it isn’t necessarily all bad news. The ever-increasing volume of data being communicated to Gen Z is forcing them to become efficient and discriminating consumers. With the web providing a big window to the world, they are learning about global events and mobilising around social or environmental causes they care about. They are communicating with family and friends in real time, allowing them to develop and maintain close relationships irrespective of distance. Their big online communities let them discover and connect with hundreds of like-minded peers from all around the world. And with online games like Farmville, they are learning how to make practical decisions and take calculated risks.

So what does this mean for education? Learning for these students is no longer about just remembering print based information. They need to be able to decode, interpret and critically analyse diverse sources of information so they can make informed choices – particularly at an age where media and marketing have tremendous resources targeted at them.

Accordingly, inquiry units, open-ended questions and explicit teaching of thinking skills are all being used in schools to help develop deep understandings and opinions about the world. This includes education on how to navigate the online world safely and respectfully. Literacy learning is now multi-modal where students are learning about the different purposes, conventions, language and meaning behind the ‘texts’ they engage in (i.e. digital, sound, music, words, images). The content aims to focus on authentic issues that involve their lives and global interests – and often connects them with communities beyond the classroom. The delivery of learning integrates new technologies, and teaching strategies are becoming increasingly creative as a means of dealing with their declining attention spans.

While our kids will still go through all the personal and relationship dramas that go hand-in-hand with growing up in any generation, we need to acknowledge that technological and social changes have changed the way Gen Z experience the world. By better understanding our kids, the technology they use, and the issues in their lives, we can determine how to most effectively engage this high-tech, connected, and savvy generation.

About the author:

Larelle Stagg is a primary school teacher focussed on student wellbeing and special needs. She is also mother to 3-year old Jamie, a former HR Manager, and co-creator of www.livinglearningloving.com where she shares reflections on living a spiritual life with meaning.

Register now to join YourKidsEd for e-updates with new feature articles, links, and inspiring ideas to educate and enrich your kids! It's FREE!!