Mandy Moore. Frankie Muniz. 1982- Millennial. Mary Cassatt

1
Millennial Musings
Marina Leight Director, Center for Digital
Education mleight_at_centerdigitaled.com
2
The Millennial Profile

• Self-confident
• Ultra-communicators
• Team players
• Activist oriented
• Smart
• Conventional
• Technology Experts
• Millennials believe their mission is to fix the
  world that the
• Gen Xers and Boomers messed up!

3
The Generations
Source Millennials Rising, the Next Great
Generation, Neil Howe William Strauss, 2000
4
The Millennials

• Values of Millennials . . .
• 96 get along with their parents
• 75 share their parents values
• 78 believe religion is important
• 60 engage in community service
• 80 think it is cool to be smart

Source Millennials Rising, the Next Great
Generation, Neil Howe William Strauss, 2000
5
Family is Important

• 91 of students felt they have at least one
  family member they can confide in.
• If they could, 50 of students would spend more
  time with their family.
• 74 get along with their parents extremely or
  very well.
• When picking one person as a role model, 44 of
  students pick a family member.

SourceThe State of Our Nations Youth. Horatio
Alger Association of Distinguished Americans,
Inc. 2003. 7 Aug. 2003    
6
Things you discuss with your parents Important
Family Matters
9-17 in 2003 2003 63 2001 53
7
Millennials Feel They Are Unique

SourceKeeter, Scott, et al. The Civic and
Political Health of the Nation A Generational
Portrait. The Center for Information Research
on Civic Learning and Engagement (CIRCLE). 19
Sep. 2002. 7 Aug. 2003  
8
Millennials Are Ambitious

• 88 of students report that attending college is
  critical or very important to future success.
• 94 plan to continue their education after high
  school.
• 90 feel being personally satisfied is very
  important for success.

SourceThe State of Our Nations Youth. Horatio
Alger Association of Distinguished Americans,
Inc. 2003. 7 Aug. 2003    
9
How ambitious are they?

• 86 say their generation will produce the next
  Bill Gates
• 67 say they know the next Bill Gates
• and
• 24 say they could be that person

Source Millennials Rising, the Next Great
Generation, Neil Howe William Strauss, 2000
10
Who wants to be President of the United States?

• Who believe they could be elected president
  someday
• 62
• Who would want the job
• Girls-21
• Boys-13

Source Survey of 12- to 17- year-olds,
ABCNEWS.com (February 15, 1999)
11
Interested in World and Community

• 76 of students would like to learn more about
  the world.
• 28 of high school students use a foreign news
  source to learn about current events.
• After September 11, 2001, 78 of students felt
  optimistic and hopeful. Two years later, 75
  still look toward a future with optimism and
  hope.
• 70 of students report volunteering or
  participating in community service.

Source The State of Our Nations Youth.
Horatio Alger Association of Distinguished
Americans, Inc
12
Have Substantial Purchasing Power

• In 2002, teens (ages 12-19) spent 170 billion.
• 15.6 million college students (ages 18-30) spend
  almost 200 billion annually.
• Two out of three students report influencing
  their parents buying decisions.
• 20 of teens own stock.

Source Interprise Poll on Personal Finance
2002. Junior Achievement, Inc.
13
Percent of online children whose parents asked
them to go online for info on products/services
Source Yankelovitch Youth MONITOR
14
Internet is Medium of Choice

• In 2003, the time spent with the Internet
  exceeded the time spent with TV for ages 13-24.

SourceUnited States. Dept. of Commerce.
Economics and Statistics Administration. . A
Nation Online How Americans are Expanding Their
Use of the Internet.  
15
Teens and young adults are searching for
independence and control, and the Internet gives
it to them like no other media can. Millennials
vividly expressed excitement, freedom, immediacy,
and most of all control over their experience
where they go, what they learn, what they buy,
whom they talk to, and how they live their lives.
Source Yahoo Born to Be Wired
16
But kids are still reading
Source Salij, Marta. Potters Numbers are Pure
Magic. Detroit Free Press. 20 June 2003. 8 Aug
2003
17
Summary of Findings March 2004

• Geography Review all 50 states DC PR DOD
  Schools worldwide
• K-3 Class Surveys
• 3-6 Class Surveys
• 3-6 Individual Surveys
• 6-12 Class Surveys
• 6-12 Individual Surveys

18
Summary of Findings March 2004

• Participation Overview
• 210,000 surveys submitted by students from 3,000
  schools during the survey time period October 25
  through November 3, 2003
• Grade distribution
• K-3 (5) - 3-6 (26) - 6-12 (69)
• Gender distribution
• Female (50) - Male (50)
• Survey type
• Class version (70) - Individual version (30)
• Community profile
• Urban (27) - Rural (32) - Suburban (41)
• School profile
• Charter (1) - Private (3) - DOD (4) - Catholic
  (5)
• Public (87)

Source NetDays Speak Up Day 2003
19
The Millennials

• Millennials and technology . . .
• The Internet is not an extra for most students
  but an essential component of every aspect of
  their lives.
• 81 of the students said that losing access to
  the Internet would impact their personal lives
  and their schoolwork

Source NetDays Speak Up Day 2003
20
The Millennials

• Millennials and technology . . .
• Todays tech-savvy kids are using technology in
  ways that surprise their teachers.
• Assignment to write a report?
• 67 of students in grades 7-12 go online to
  research their topic first,
• 10 go the library to find a book
• 9 ask their teacher for help
• 5 look in a textbook

Source NetDays Speak Up Day 2003
21
Summary of Findings March 2004

• How are students using technology in their free
  time?
• For grades K-6 Online gaming
• For grades 7-12 Email

Source NetDays Speak Up Day 2003
22
The Millennials

• Millennials and technology . . .
• IM is changing the way students are communicating
  with each other.
• 54 of students in grades 7-12 know more of their
  friends IM screen names than their home phone
  numbers.

Source NetDays Speak Up Day 2003
23
Summary of Findings March 2004

• Who are todays students in terms of technology
  use?
• Have an email account? K-3 (29) Gr. 4-6
  (45) Gr. 7-12 (79)
• Significant increase in email connectivity (22)
  from 3rd grade to 6th grade
• 12 of students in grades 7-12 have 4 email
  accounts
• High percentage states
• K-3 IL, TX, PA Gr. 3-6 KY, MI, NY Gr.
  6-12 WI, WA, MN, AK, SD
• Use IM? Yes 70 of students in grades 7-12
• 18 of the students have 4 IM screen names
• 54 of the students know more of their friends
  IM screen names than home phone numbers
• Highest percentage of those students in 9th grade
  
• High percentage states TX, NJ, NC
• Source NetDays Speak Up Day 2003

24
Summary of Findings March 2004

• Who are todays students in terms of technology
  use?
• New sites and technology? Students list friends,
  exploring on their own and family members as the
  top influencers.
• How tech-y are you?
• 26 of students in grades 7-12 assess themselves
  as advanced as do 23 of the 4th-6th graders
• The gender divide is real here 31 of boys in
  gr. 7-12 chose advanced for themselves only
  17 of the girls
• 78 of the K-3 students knew what the Internet
  was
• Like using technology?
• 71 of students in grades 4-12 enjoy using
  technology and learning new ways to use it a
  subset of those students are tech mentors and
  help their friends with tech problems

Source NetDays Speak Up Day 2003
25
For specific information about Washington and
Speak Up Day contact

• Julie Evans
• CEO NetDay
• 949-609-4660
• Julie_at_netday.org

26

• The New Junior Citizen Millennial Civics 101

27
Grassroots Reconstruction

• Community Service
• Politics
• Teamwork
• Civic Spirit

28
Soldotna, Alaska
29
Waukazoo and Woodside, Michigan
30
Students speak OUT
31
Tax Dollars

• American tax dollars should be used for schools
  so they can have computer upgrades and more
  up-to-date books so kids can be more confident in
  themselves.
• Katelyn Baldys, 9

32
Tax Dollars

• Tax dollars should be used for schools, food,
  roads, parks, charity, protection,
  transportation, electricity,police and fire
  departments, army, the marines, school boxes,
  backpacks, glue, folders, paper, and flowers.
• James Lewis, 10

33
How a millennial would spend a tech budget

• All K12 students surveyed said their top
  priorities for increased spending are
• More computers
• Better software for student use

Source NetDays Speak Up Day 2003
34
How a millennial would spend a tech budget

• And if students were in charge of designing a new
  school their number one tech demand would be . .
  .
• Fast, wireless access throughout the school

Source NetDays Speak Up Day 2003
35
The Millenials Vote
36
Our Challenge

• Are our schools ready for this generation?
• How do we create the learning environments that
  engage this generation to help them reach their
  full potential?
• How do we equip these students with the skills
  and knowledge they need to be competitive in a
  global, information-based economy and
  contributing citizens?
• What assumptions about education do we need to
  question?

37
Hows this for Out of the Box?
38
Jungle Magic
39
Millennials dont think about technology as a
subject unto itself. Why do we?
40
Millennials influence the present and are the
future. Pay close attention to them, as their
usage of media influences other demographic
groups and they literally represent the world to
come.
Yahoo Born to Be Wired
41
Center for Digital Education

• For more information about the
• Center for Digital Education contact
• Marina Leight
• Director
• 916.932.1300
• Mleight_at_centerdigitaled.com