Changing Instructional Strategies to Teach the Net Generation Student

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The New F.A.C.E. of Business Education
Teaching Financial Analysis and Communication
Endeavors via the Technology of WebQuests
Dr. Diane J. Fisher ? Dr. Sharon E. Rouse Dr.
Lajuan Davis ? Mrs. Joy P. Davis The
University of Southern Mississippi NBEA
Convention, April 6, 2007
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(No Transcript)
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Todays Diverse Learners

• Defining the Net Generation
• Students born around 1982 through late 1990s
• Students who have grown up with technology
• Students who have always had the Internet
• The Millennial Generation
• Traditional age (18-to-22-year-olds) college
  students

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Todays Diverse Learners

• Characteristics
• Digitally Literate
• comfortable using technology without an
  instruction manual
• Understanding of technology may be shallow
• Moves between real and virtual instantaneously
• Expands literacy well beyond text
• Text literacy may be less well developed

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Todays Diverse Learners

• Connected
• Highly mobile
• Always connected via cell phones, instant
  messaging
• Immediate
• Fast
• Demand for immediate response
• Experiential
• Prefer to learn through discovery
• Self-directed

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Todays Diverse Learners

• Social
• Academically driven
• Family oriented
• Committed to telling the truth
• Not politically active, but community centered

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Todays Diverse Learners

• Learning Preferences
• Prefer to learn and work in teams
• Prefer structure rather than ambiguity
• More comfortable in image-rich environments than
  text
• Refuse to read large amounts of text
• Readily take part in community activities

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Implications for Action

• Raising Faculty Awareness
• Expert faculty key ingredient for learning
  success
• Experience and expertise
• Professors ability to use current technology
  available (Blackboard)
• Professors ability to convey lecture using
  PowerPoint
• Students want and crave interactivity

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Implications for Action

• EDUCAUSE study
• Student technology use
• First for educational purposes (99.5)
• Second for communication purposes (99.5)
• Surfing the Internet for pleasure (97.2)
• Classroom activities (96.4)
• Students prefer classes with moderate/ extensive
  technology

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Implications for Action

• Changes in Instructional Strategies
• Result in greater student outcomes
• Engage the student
• Make learning fun
• Meet the needs of todays learner
• Increase opportunities to teach every child
  effectively
• Move beyond comfort zone to improve teaching

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WebQuests

• WebQuests
• Combine effective instruction into one integrated
  activity
• Strategies to increase student motivation
• Develop thinking skills
• Cooperative learning process
• Students become responsible for their own
  learning

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Renewed Interest in Basic Business

• Keying In January 2007
• E.g., student interest in personal finance
• Identity theft
• Credit-card fraud
• Online banking
• WebQuests can be utilized to teach personal
  finance/communication skills, etc.

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WebQuests Enhance Learning

• Use WebQuests to enhance certain units or
  segments of business courses
• Emphasize units students need to remember long
  term
• Five-year rule
• Follow proven methods for creation and use of
  WebQuests
• Maximize student learning/outcomes
• Do not overuse WebQuests

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WebQuest Information

• WebQuests are technologically created lesson
  plans
• Do need to have technology to create WebQuests
• WebQuest Money in Motion
• Do not need to have technology to utilize
  WebQuests
• WebQuest Youre in the Drivers Seat Buying
  Your First Car . . . .

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Teaching Methods

• Obtain templates and create WebQuests
• Utilize (but evaluate) pre-created WebQuests
• Use SMARTBoards
• Post WebQuests on the schools Web site
• Share WebQuests in staff development meetings
  (network) or teacher kiosks

Livingston, P. (2006.) 1-to-1 Learning Laptop
Programs That Work. ISTE Publications.
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Methods

• Make WebQuests authentic (real world)
• Allow students to communicate with experts around
  the world
• Allow collaborative work
• Provide short WebQuests (one hour)
• Involves exploration and evaluation of
  teacher-selected sites
• Answers a question

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Methods

• Provide lengthy WebQuests (one to four weeks)
• Synthesizing information
• Constructing a framework to display data
• Publish WebQuests
• School Web site
• School or local library
• School newsletter

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Methods and Issues

• Teach students to cite information properly
• NoodleTools NoodleBib
• Utilize WebQuests that promote higher- level not
  lower-level (drill kill) thinking
• Make WebQuests learner centered, not student
  centered
• Discourage plagiarism and cheating

http//www.thematzats.com/webquests/page2.html htt
p//coe.west.asu.edu/students/esmarion/PeaceWQnf/w
hywebquests.htm
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A WebQuest for Teachers
http//www.lerc.educ.ubc.ca/LERC/students/4771999S
/LIBE1/MD/
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Higher Level WebQuests
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Brain Imaging

• fMRI measures blood flow
• PET - imaging
• EEG - imaging

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Computers Supporting Learning

• Short term (working brain)
• Long term
• 1. Procedural Memory
• Process skills
• (Touch type)
• 2. Declarative Memory
• (Factual label and location)
• Sylwester, 2005

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Brain Connections

• Multiple Stimulations
• Enriched Classrooms and Curriculum

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Educators

• Must have learners
• Solve realistic problems
• Customize environments
• See the big picture from the details
• Provide feedback based on reality, rather than
  from an authority figure

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Declarative Knowledge

• Knowledge from the result of a lesson that
  educators want learners to know

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Money in Motion
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Introduction
Introduction
Home
Uncle Charlie has just won the lottery! Since he
has no children he has decided to share a portion
of his earnings with his nieces and nephews.
Each is to receive 20,000. He is a little
concerned, however, about his relatives spending
habits. He doesnt feel they make the most
informed decisions when spending their money.
That is why he is asking for your help! After
all, you are the one who just bought a new dirt
bike with the money you saved from your
babysitting and lawn mowing jobs. And how about
the money you made at the yard sale selling your
Barbie doll collection? Uncle Charlie thinks you
would be just the person to advise his nieces and
nephews.
Introduction
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Task
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Uncle Charlie
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Evaluation
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Task
Introduction
Home
Spending money comes easily to most of us.
Americans spend 277 billion each year eating
out, 237 billion buying clothes, and 6.6
billion going to the movies! Thats a lot of
cash! But why do some of us eat inexpensively at
the local fast food chain while others spend five
times dining at a fine restaurant? Why must some
of us have 100 sneakers while others are
perfectly content with a less costly brand? WHAT
REALLY AFFECTS OUR SPENDING? That is the
question you will be researching during this
WebQuest. You and your teammates will compile
your information and create a kids newsletter on
spending. Your newsletter will reflect the
information your team thinks is most important
for the average American consumer to know about
spending. Exemplary newsletters will be made
available to local financial institutions for
distribution.
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Process
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Step 1
Remember Uncle Charlie?  Since he respects your
views on spending he has asked you to counsel his
nieces and nephews on how to use his generous
donation.  In order to do this you will be
assuming the role of a financial planner.  You
and your teammates are each to select one of the
following nieces or nephews to be your client. 
After you have made your selection, click on your
client's name to learn more about the
responsibilities of your new job.
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Next
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Amy
Jenny
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Sam
Jack
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Process
Introduction
Home
Step 2
Now it's time to share your wealth of knowledge
with your teammates.  Sitting together, each
person is to present his Financial Plan and share
his or her Research Notes with the other members
of the group.  Use the What Affects Spending
template (column A) to take notes during the
presentations.  After everyone has presented,
discuss the information you have just recorded. 
What influences the nieces and nephews spending
habits?  What ideas and information appear
similar for each of the nieces and nephews?  What
connections can be made?  WHAT AFFECTS SPENDING? 
Remember, that is the essential question for this
WebQuest.  Take notes on your discussion and
include your ideas in column B.
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Process
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Home
Step 3
Before beginning your newsletter it would be
helpful to have some samples to examine.  There
are many facets that make a good newsletter.  You
will learn what those are by participating in the
next step of the WebQuest.  You and your
teammates will be evaluating a selection of
newsletters on the web and in printed form.  To
do this each of you will once again take on a
role.  You will be evaluating each of the
newsletters strictly according to the role you
receive, not according to your personal opinion. 
After discussing your findings with your
teammates, your team will reach consensus on
which newsletter you feel is the  best.  You will
then present your findings and rationale to the
entire class.  By the end of this activity you
and your group will uncover the components of a
good newsletter.    
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Process
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Step 3
Select one of the following roles
   
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Process
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Step 3

• Individually examine the following newsletters
  and evaluate them according to your role.
  Remember to keep in your role, even if you
  personally feel differently.  Record information
  about each site as you review it.  This
  information will be helpful later in your group
  discussion.  Remember to keep in your role while
  answering the following question - Which
  newsletter is the best and why?
• Office of Financial Aid
• School Newsletter
• As a group discuss your findings and prepare to
  present your results to the class. Your
  presentation should answer the following
  questions
• Which newsletter is the best?
• Why did you select it?
• What are the components of a good newsletter?

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Process
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Step 4

• Now it's time to develop your newsletter.  Use
  Microsoft Publisher to begin creating your
  newsletter. The biggest part of that task is
  already completed.  You and your teammates have
  thoroughly researched the area of spending.  Your
  team highlighted the important factors of
  spending which you will focus on in your
  newsletter.  You have examined a variety of
  samples and now realize what makes a newsletter
  interesting, pleasing to the eye, informative and
  accurate.  Now add some common sense,
  organization and commitment and you will have
  that exemplary newsletter in no time!  Here are
  some guidelines which will help you through the
  process
• Select a Title
• Decide on Layout
• Identify Major Topics
• Select Formats
• Assign Tasks
• Go To Print!

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Evaluation
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You will receive both a team grade and an
individual grade for this project.  Your team
newsletter counts as 50 of your grade. 
Carefully review the Newsletter Rubric before you
begin this WebQuest.   The remaining portion of
your grade is based on your individual work  20
for your financial plan, 20 for your research
notes and 10 for your individual effort and
participation.
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Conclusion
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Uncle Charlie is very impressed with your work! 
And he certainly appreciates all the effort you
put into advising his nieces and nephews.  
Hopefully, because of your efforts his money will
be used wisely.  After participating in this
WebQuest what have you learned about your
personal spending habits?  How are you like
Jenny, Amy, Sam, and Jack?  How are you
different?  What financial plans do you see for
your future?
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Uncle Charlie
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References

• http//www.thematzats.com/webquests/page2.html
• http//coe.west.asu.edu/students/esmarion/PeaceWQn
  f/whywebquests.htm
• Kvavik, R. B. (2005). Convenience,
  communications, and control How students use
  technology. In D. Oblinger J. Oblinger (Eds.)
  Educating the net generation. EDUCAUSE
  www.educause.edu/educatingthenetgen
• Livingston, 2006, ISTE Publications
• McNeely, B. (2005). Using technology as a
  learning tool, not just the cool new thing. In D.
  Oblinger J. Oblinger (Eds.) Educating the net
  generation. EDUCAUSE www.educause.edu/educating
  thenetgen

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References

• Oblinger, D. G., Oblinger, J. L. (2005). Is it
  age or it First steps toward understanding the
  net generation. In D. Oblinger J. Oblinger
  (Eds.) Educating the net generation. EDUCAUSE
  www.educause.edu/educatingthenetgen
• Orlich, D. et al. (2007). Teaching strategies.
  Houghton Mifflin Company, Boston, MA.
• Roberts, G. R. (2005). Technology and learning
  expectations of the net generation. In D.
  Oblinger J. Oblinger (Eds.) Educating the net
  generation. EDUCAUSE www.educause.edu/educating
  thenetgen
• Smith, S. E. Potoczniak, A. (2005). 5 points
  of connectivity. EDUCAUSE Review, 40(5)
  (September-October 2005) 30-41

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References

• Sylwester, Robert. (2005). How to explain a
  brain. Cory Press, Thousand Oaks, California.
• Windham, C. (2005). The students perspective.
  In D. Oblinger J. Oblinger (Eds.) Educating the
  net generation. EDUCAUSE www.educause.edu/educa
  tingthenetgen
• Tileston, Donna. (2004). What every teacher
  should know about learning, memory, and the
  brain. Cory Press, Thousand Oaks, CA.

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Contact Info
http//www.usm.edu/technologyeducation/bte/index.h
tm