Teaching our grandchildren to suck eggs?: Introducing the study of communication technologies to the 'Digital generation'

It has been argued that age-related and generational differences in communication technology use and more generally in learning style and mindset increasingly divide lecturers from students. This paper reports an investigation of one cohort of level 1 students’ current communication practices and learning styles conducted in order to adapt a module in direct response to student need. A small scale survey of communication and web use was undertaken and students completed the Kolb learning style inventory. The results demonstrate that the sweeping generalizations of generational or age related difference are not a firm foundation for pedagogy. For example, familiarity and use of Web2.0 technologies was patchy and students seemed to prefer to be consumers not producers, though they did show a preference for immediate communication. This reinforced our sense of the need to teach students about many Web2.0 technologies, especially the content creation aspects. Students had diverse learning styles and their preferences did not suggest a radical change from the past. The need continues to be to offer a variety of learning opportunities for a diverse student body. The paper demonstrates the value of systematic data collection about students’ existing knowledge and practices and of assessed reflective activities to stimulate students to be more active in negotiating a successful learning experience for themselves.