ICTlogy

Abstract:

It has been widely suggested, and in some respects accepted, that a so-called Net Generation of students is passing through our universities. Born roughly between 1980 and 1994 these students have been characterised as being technologically savvy, having grown up in an age where computers, mobile phones and the Internet are part of mainstream culture and society. A number of commentators have even suggested that educators – whom they label ‘digital immigrants’ – need to radically adjust their teaching and learning strategies to accommodate their ‘digital native’ students, predominantly by adopting and capitalising on the affordances of emerging technologies.

This project explored the notion of the Net Generation in higher education to gain a better understanding of:

• students’ and teachers’ current technological experiences and preferences (in the Investigation stage of the project); and
• a range of issues associated with the implementation of emerging technologies in local learning and teaching contexts (in the Implementation stage of the project).

This Handbook represents a key project outcome and this Executive Summary aims to distil its key findings and elements. The six statements presented below represent the main messages that have emerged from the Educating the Net Generation project.