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Show and instant messaging. And they want learning to not only be instantaneousâ€"it should also be entertaining (in Prensky, 2001, p. 1). Others, like Tom Brown, associate dean of students at Virginia Tech, and Mary Ann Pugh, director of the Center for Counseling and Career Planning at Randolph-Macon College, believe that technology's role in the structuring of personalities and learning skills is limited. As Brown states: "I think [students] spend more time in their room on the computer. But when it's time to come out and socialize," students are more than ready to do that (in Phalen, 2002) While people contest the basic characteristics of the millennial student, most educators agree that the digital revolution and resulting emphasis on technology among millennial students offers both challenges and opportunities for students and instructors. These challenges and opportunities become pronounced when the environment is entirely digitalâ€"in the online classroom. I have been affected profoundly by the online classroom environment as both a student and instructor. After completing the second year of the Ph.D. program in Communication at the University of Utah, I relocated to California for my husband's job. At the time, I was only four classes shy of completing my classes and wanted badly to finish my program. Thanks to the kindness and generosity of three instructors who allowed me to take their classes online, I successfully completed my comprehensive exams about eighteen months later. Today, I am working on my dissertationâ€"long distance, of course. My employment as a faculty associate at Arizona State University has also been entirely online. I currently teach two courses in mass communication at Arizona State from my home in San Clemente, California. Because of the digital revolution, I can put my four-month-old baby down for a nap in California, conduct a discussion with students in Arizona, and communicate with my professors in Utahâ€"all from the same location and at the same time. For me, the benefits of the digital revolution far outweigh any drawbacks. But for other students and instructors, the online environment can be detrimental to their teaching and learning. Pros and Cons of Online Classes As I prepared to write this article, I invited my students to write about both the challenges and opportunities they are facing as millennial students enrolled in an online course. My students were very willing to tell me what they think about their previous and current online courses. Some students feel the workload of an online course is too heavy; others feel it is easier than a traditional face-to-face class. Some students have found the purely online format to be prohibitive to communicating effectively; others feel that they communicate better online. Some students are pleased that everyone in the class is "forced" to participate in the discussion forum; others feel it shouldn't be required. I did, however, find striking consensus in some areas. According to my students, the pros of taking online classes are (1) greater flexibility; (2) less anxiety when discussing issues; and (3) control of surroundings. My students also consented that the cons of taking online classes are (1) the heavy responsibility placed on the student; (2) difficulty establishing relationships with professors and classmates; (3) frustration that comes with computer malfunction or lack of technical knowledge; and (4) the need for hands-on learning in some subjects. Students growing up in the digital age have little patience for lectures, step-by-step logic, and "tell-test" instruction. They are used to the "twitch speed" of video games and MTV. They're used to instantly receiving hypertext, music, beamed messages, and instant messaging. lessons | fall 2007 7 |
