Gen‐i:
The
Rise
of
Generation
interactive
or
BTWIMLMAO@ULOL;)
By
Patrick
Aievoli
and
Kristine
O’Malley‐Levy
[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6svk_R_rVhA]Abstract
In
recent
years
the
Internet
has
made
yet
another
impact
on
the
conventional
and
traditional
paradigms
of
the
world
as
we
know
it.
This
new
generation
–
Gen‐i
–
has
truly
come
of
age.
Gen‐i
stands
for
generation
interactive,
isolated,
iterative,
Internet
driven,
immaterial,
isogonics,
isomorphic,
(cyber)
itinerant,
inoculated,
etc.
This
new
group
views
the
world
through
a
flat
20”
screen.
But
how
have
they
changed
the
way
the
world
works
on
a
social,
legal
and
ethical
level?
The
change
is
apparent
in
the
ways
that
this
new
group
deals
with
the
real
world.
This
has
occurred
due
to
a
new
demographic
and
geographic
effect,
this
effect
is
referred
to
as
“flatteners”
by
Thomas
Friedman
in
his
book
“The
World
is
Flat:
A
Very
Brief
History
of
the
Twentieth
Century”.
In
this
work
he
outlines
ten
“flatteners”
that
have
changed
the
world.
It
was
through
these
“flatteners”
Friedman
believes
that
the
world
changed
seemingly
overnight
and
forever.
This
paper
will
discuss
these
topics
as
well
as
issues
such
as
the
digital
divide
as
it
pertains
to
higher
education,
and
specifically
a
segment
of
population
referred
to
as
“the
lost
boys”,
the
18‐34
year
old
men.
Chapter
excerpt
‐
Social
effects
–
The
Flat
World
Before
we
talk
about
how
Gen‐i
is
changing
the
world
we
need
to
understand
just
four
of
Friedman’s
“flatteners”
and
to
discuss
how
these
“flatteners”
changed
the
world.
Flattener
#1
When
the
Walls
Came
Down
and
the
Windows
Went
Up.
In
this
section
Friedman
discusses
how
the
world
changed
dramatically
on
the
days
that
the
Berlin
Wall
came
down
and
the
World
Trade
Center
was
attacked
for
the
second
and
final
time.
Friedman
describes
how
the
demolition
of
that
wall
liberated
the
mindset
of
the
East
and
West
German
people
and
the
world.
He
describes
it
as
a
“get
out
of
jail
free
card”
not
just
for
the
locally
restricted
but
for
free
trade
as
well.
This
he
believes
opened
free
trade
to
that
part
of
–
if
not
the
now
“entire
world”.
He
also
goes
on
to
describe
how
the
extremists
who
demolished
the
World
Trade
Center
also
freed
the
mindset
of
the
rest
to
start
thinking
of
terrorism
as
activities
happening
not
at
a
distance
but
also
locally,
through
telecommunications.
The
localization
of
terror
would
not
have
been
possible
without
the
ability
to
communicate
internationally
in
a
nanosecond.
This
is
where
the
second
“flattener”
comes
to
play.
Flattener
#2
When
Netscape
Went
Public
Friedman
sees
the
Netscape
IPO
as
the
catapult
that
finally
pushes
us
over
the
edge
of
reality
and
into
a
“new
world”
of
cyber‐communications.
He
talks
about
how
Netscape
was
the
start
of
the
dot.com
bubble
and
how
it
created
the
niche
for
all
others
like
Google
and
Yahoo!.
This
browser
intellectually
also
changed
how
we
think
as
people
and
more
prevalently
as
students
of
all
knowledge.
Ted
Nelson
first
describes
how
knowledge
was
to
be
disseminated
via
this
new
medium
with
his
Xanadu
project.
Nelson
believes
that
information
should
not
be
stored
and
copyrighted
but
left
on
each
person’s
workstation
to
be
picked
at
when
needed.
On
his
Website
http://xanadu.com/nxu/
Nelson
describes
his
model
as
“The
Xanadu
model
has
always
been
very
simple:
make
content
available
with
certain
permissions;
then
distribute
and
maintain
documents
simply
as
lists
of
these
contents,
to
be
filled
in
by
the
browser
(in
the
same
way
that
browsers
now
fill
in
GIFs.)”
This
was
the
early
concept
behind
the
structure
we
find
through
the
workings
of
Gen‐i’s
most
heralded
stalwarts
–
P2Ps
–
“peer
to
peer”–
YouTube,
BigThink,
Napster,
Kazaa
and
LimeWire.
It
has
been
this
ability
to
“share”
information
that
has
truly
flattened
the
world.
Flattener
#9
In‐Forming
Google,
Yahoo!,
MSN
Web
Search
I
would
imagine
that
nothing
previously
has
changed
the
field
of
educational
research
in
the
same
way
that
these
aforementioned
search
engines
have.
How
students
do
research
has
been
affected
forever
by
these
marvels
of
technology.
The
“stacks”
of
most
libraries
are
bare
of
students
while
they
sit
hunched
over
glowing
depositors
of
information.
A
double‐edged
sword
to
say
the
least!
The
rise
of
these
machines
has
clearly
altered
how
educational
research
is
conducted.
Search
has
now
replaced
the
concept
of
Research.
Although
I
love
Google
I
am
concerned
with
those
that
are
in
love
with
Google.
Search,
especially
research
needs
to
be
validated
before
it
can
be
used.
Too
many
students
are
simply
copying
and
pasting
their
way
into
idiocy.
There
needs
to
be
a
better
structure
in
place
in
order
to
assure
the
content
has
merit.
In
a
recent
honors
conference
on
plagiarism
I
asked
students
how
they
feel
about
using
the
Web
for
research.
After
polling
the
class
the
level
of
students
who
used
the
Web
for
research
was
approximately
80
to
90%.
The
question
that
was
then
asked
was
how
many
used
verbatim
the
content
they
found?
I
was
surprised
to
see
the
honors
group
would
merely
use
it
as
a
springboard
for
more
research
initiatives.
This
was
a
good
thing
however
when
I
asked
the
same
question
later
to
a
group
of
non‐honors
students
the
results
were
different.
Not
only
would
they
use
the
content
but
also
in
some
cases
students
would
actually
get
papers
translated
via
Google
in
order
for
them
not
to
get
caught
for
plagiarism.
This
new
vehicle
for
research
was
truly
making
the
students
smarter
in
some
ways.
Friedman
states
that
“Google
levels
information
–
it
has
no
class
boundaries
or
education
boundaries”;
this
is
both
good
and
bad.
It
helps
educate
through
delivery
of
information
however,
the
information
may
be
in
question.
Flattener
#10
The
Steroids
Digital,
Mobile,
Personal,
and
Virtual
In
this
section
I
believe
Friedman
gets
to
the
heart
of
the
matter.
Here
is
where
the
addiction
of
Gen‐i
students
comes
to
full
fruition.
The
connectivity
and
the
wireless
quality
are
the
most
dangerous.
Those
of
you
old
enough
to
remember
The
Who’s
rock
opera
“Tommy”
should
empathize
with
my
statement.
We
appear
to
be
creating
a
generation
of
plugged
in,
turned
on,
tuned
out
zombies!
Just
as
television
was
the
babysitter
of
my
generation
the
iPod
and
the
iPhone
are
the
televisions
of
this
generation.
The
problem
it
generates
is
isolation.
Think
of
the
difference
between
the
old
9‐volt
transistor
radio
and
today’s
iPod.
The
difference
is
the
music
was
free
–
really
free.
Not
just
free
because
it
is
available
but
free
because
we
couldn’t
store
it
or
in
essence
possess
it.
True
we
had
cassette
decks,
and
we
could
copy
record
open‐air
version
but
usually
the
quality
made
them
worthless.
However
today
with
mp3
quality
available
the
ripped
and
burned
versions
are
as
good
as
the
original.
This
is
a
big
issue
not
just
to
the
RIAA
(Recording
Industry
Association
of
America)
but
also
to
the
mindset
of
the
“ripper.”
If
taking
other
people’s
property
is
acceptable
at
a
young
age
how
can
that
ever
change
with
respect
to
stealing
ideas
and
intellectual
property
in
college
and
the
workplace.
If
the
magic
of
talking
to
anyone
anywhere
at
anytime
also
exists
how
and
when
do
individuals
feel
distance?
In
a
recent
survey
of
honors
students
I
asked
them
the
following
questions.
Do
you
think
it
acceptable
to
steal
music?
Over
90%
said
more
than
acceptable,
typically
stating
that
the
music
was
simply
there
for
the
taking
and
why
not?
I
also
asked
how
they
develop
an
original
theme
to
their
work?
This
was
the
more
difficult
answer
to
give.
Many
thought
it
okay
to
depend
heavily
on
packaged
research
by
this
I
mean
research
that
exists
at
a
secondary
source
level.
Is
this
the
exponent
of
invalid
search
methods
or
simply
laziness?
Maybe
they
really
didn’t
know
how
to
research
or
they
just
didn’t
think
it
necessary?
If
we
are
developing
a
society
of
“rippers”
then
what
can
we
expect?
Gen‐i
is
going
to
get
what
they
want
exactly
when
they
want
it.
There
ain’t
no
stopping
them
now!
I
actually
hated
disco
(for
the
record
–
no
pun
intended).
The
Digital
Divide
Described
by
Phluid
in
the
article
“The
Digital
Divide
in
America
“
–
the
term
“Digital
Divide”
was
created
by
Lloyd
Morrisett,
the
former
president
of
the
Markle
Foundation,
an
organization
dedicated
to
promoting
information
technology
for
health
and
public
needs.
Lloyd
Morrisett
coined
the
term
to
differentiate
between
technology
“haves”
and
“have‐nots”
(Hoffman
55)
Today
this
differentiation
has
developed
into
“capable”
and
“incapable”.
Speaking
about
the
capable…
In
a
recent
honors
conference
given
at
the
C.
W.
Post
campus
of
Long
Island
University
an
impromptu
survey
revealed
that
90%
of
the
students
had
access
to
high‐speed
Web
connections.
This
coupled
with
their
research
habits.
Where
as
the
majority
still
favored
the
traditional
approach
to
primary
source
research
many
stated
that
they
were
tempted
to
use
secondary
sources,
primarily
Web‐based
search
engine
sources.
This
spoke
a
lot
about
the
capability
of
this
generation
and
of
those
“capable”
of
accessing
the
information.
In
his
article
“Age”
Matthew
Gartland
states
the
following,
“The
techno
youngsters,
however,
have
the
ultimate
edge.
They
were
raised
in
environments
filled
with
new
technologies
and
were
introduced
to
these
concepts
are
far
earlier
ages
than
their
parents.
The
birth
and
accelerated
growth
of
the
Internet
and
high‐speed
broadband
has
fueled
their
interest
and
passion
to
learn
more
and
capitalize
on
the
many
wonderful
and
dynamic
opportunities
that
have
emerged
in
tech
fields
at
home
and
across
the
globe.
To
succeed
in
a
society
where
globalization
is
running
rampant
and
job
outsourcing
is
becoming
more
common,
these
techno
youngsters
have
acquired
the
evolved
understanding
that
knowledge
is
more
powerful
than
ever
and
that
to
rise
to
the
top
one
must
be
willing
to
continually
pursue
higher
level
education
and
stay
current
with
the
leading
technologies”.
If
this
is
true,
can
one
withhold
from
this
Gen‐i
their
right
to
information?
How
can
we
teach
them
to
credit
sources?
On
what
level
and
what
is
the
validity?
And
if
appropriating
Internet
material
is
becoming
the
norm
then
has
the
process
of
researching
changed
for
good?
On
what
level
can
we
accept
their
work
as
valid
–
or
in
art
as
original?
Many
issues
come
to
play
here.
Is
it
influence
or
derivation?
In
his
article
“The
Need
for
a
Strategic
Foundation
for
Digital
Learning
and
Knowledge
Management
Solutions,”
Mehdi
Asgarkhani,
C
P
I
T,
Christchurch,
New
Zealand
AsgarkhaniM@cpit.ac.nz
states
the
following.
Furthermore,
recent
studies
of
learners’
attitudes
towards
e‐Learning
within
tertiary
educational
institutions
(e.g.
Burns
et
al
2001,
Asgarkhani
2003)
indicated
that
there
is
an
increasing
demand
for
web‐assisted
courses.
A
recent
pilot
study
of
trends
and
attitudes
within
the
CPIT
in
Christchurch,
New
Zealand
(Asgarkhani
2003)
suggested
that
in
general,
there
is
an
increasing
interest
in
the
application
of
e‐Learning
(despite
the
fact
that
most
of
their
learning
still
happens
in
the
classroom).
Even
though
the
results
of
this
study
are
not
considered
as
being
final,
it
appears
that
the
demand
for
quality
web‐assisted
courses
with
multifaceted
person‐to‐person
interaction
will
increase
rapidly
in
the
near
future?
With
this
being
said
we
need
to
rethink
how
we
are
teaching.
How
are
we
providing
the
information
to
a
generation
that
expects
updates
instantly?
A
generation
that
realizes
knowledge
grows
minute‐by‐minute
and
second
by
second.
Dynamic
content
management
is
quickly
becoming
a
double‐edged
sword.
Here
we
wish
to
update
daily
the
content
of
a
Website
for
educational
purposes
but
at
the
same
time
we
make
it
more
difficult
for
a
teacher
to
find
the
source
of
the
plagiarism.
It
is
like
playing
whack‐a‐mole
with
the
entire
world.
As
soon
as
something
gets
updated
the
teacher
or
validating
individual
has
to
find
the
material
and
hold
it
in
their
own
database.
Not
an
easy
task.
The
question
is
now
how
do
we
hold
back
the
tide
of
new
information?
Products
like
Turnitin.com
are
trying
to
combat
these
issues
but
not
every
school
or
university
can
afford
the
license
fee.
However
companies
like
Blackboard
are
integrating
“Turnitin”
into
their
learning
management
solution
structures.
Recently
I
conducted
another
survey
of
both
honors
and
non‐honors
students.
The
purpose
of
the
survey
was
to
determine
both
Internet
usage
and
research
habits.
Some
of
the
questions
asked
were
as
follows.
Do
you
have
cable
modems?
Only
80%
said
they
had
cable
modems
while
10%
said
they
had
dial
up
and
the
other
10%
said
they
had
something
like
a
Digital
Subscriber
Line.
Almost
all
had
a
CD
burner
and
50%
had
a
DVD
burner.
Now
with
the
technology
in
place
the
other
questions
were
more
so
geared
towards
their
use
of
such
technology.
Do
you
use
the
Internet
for
research?
How
heavily
do
you
rely
on
the
Internet
for
your
primary
source?
Do
you
use
it
for
secondary
sources?
In
these
cases
almost
all
of
the
non‐honors
students
stated
yes
to
these
questions
while
the
honors
students
stated
that
they
still
use
the
library
and
librarians
for
their
research
needs.
When
the
group
was
asked
do
you
use
the
Internet
to
steal
music
and
or
images?
Almost
all
said
yes.
Do
you
use
the
Internet
to
steal
research
papers?
Almost
all
said
no.
They
stated
that
stealing
research
papers
was
reaching
a
bit
too
far
and
not
worth
the
risk.
However
when
asked
do
you
think
it
right
to
take
information
or
intellectual
property
from
the
Internet
the
group
still
seemed
confused
by
the
question.
For
if
it
is
okay
to
steal
music
and
images
what
was
actually
considered
intellectual
property
seemed
to
be
still
up
in
the
air.
However
the
only
concern
seemed
to
be
getting
in
trouble
for
stealing
research
papers
only
because
of
the
possible
punishment.
What
was
most
disconcerting
of
this
survey
was
how
they
drew
their
own
lines
in
the
dirt.
Stealing
forms
of
art
was
okay
but
stealing
written
papers
was
not
acceptable.
But
again
it
seemed
to
be
based
on
the
act
of
punishment
and
not
moral
reasoning.
This
is
where
the
problem
lies.
For
how
long
until
that
line
fades
away?
How
long
until
the
need
for
citation
and
reference
becomes
fogged
to
the
point
of
non‐
distinction?
Onward….
If
this
new
Gen‐i
has
a
right
to
their
path
of
knowledge
how
will
we
as
educators
facilitate
that
path?
How
will
we
pave
this
path
towards
valid
content?
Will
we
be
able
to
handle
the
ten
billion
web
pages
available?
How
will
we
manage
the
truth
that
is
truly
out
there?
It
increasingly
looks
like
the
student
may
truly
become
the
teacher
of
the
new
“generation
interactive.”
How
are
they
wired?
Are
the
users
of
this
new
technology
wired
differently
then
their
predecessors?
Are
they
more
prone
to
multitasking
and
receiving
information
at
a
greater
pace?
Do
they
actually
use
this
new
knowledge
or
is
it
just
stored
like
random
trivia?
To
answer
these
questions
you
need
to
sit
and
talk
with
these
new
users.
You
need
to
find
out
what
they
are
expecting
from
an
experience.
What
do
they
want
to
walk
away
with
that
is
different
from
the
older
generation
and
how
will
we
position
ourselves
to
adapt
to
their
needs
and
desires?
What
changes
will
have
to
be
made
when
you
will
be
able
to
download
a
movie
set
or
DVD
box
set
in
three
to
five
seconds?
What
will
happen
to
the
mindset
of
these
users?
With
all
of
these
choices
will
their
attention
span
deteriorate
or
expand?
Will
they
kind
of
mutate
to
a
different
mindset?
This
has
happened
in
the
past.
The
individuals
of
the
past
have
adapted
and
changed
the
way
they
decipher
information.
They
adapt
and
absorb
differently.
They
weigh
choices
on
further
information
not
just
what
is
in
front
of
them.
This
is
a
form
of
multi‐tasking.
In
an
article
from
“Multitasking
Millennials
Work
Well
in
the
Web
2.0
World”,
published:
May
07,
2008
in
Knowledge@W.P.
Carey
states
the
following.
The
wild
and
wooly
world
of
Web
2.0
development
is
a
comfortable
work
environment
for
20‐
something
employees,
says
Harbrinder
Kang,
director
of
collaboration
technologies
for
Cisco
Systems,
Inc.
”Especially
those
with
attention‐deficit
disorder,”
he
adds,
with
a
laugh.
Kang
says
if
you
stroll
through
Cisco’s
San
Jose
headquarters,
you’ll
see
plenty
of
young
employees
sitting
behind
computer
screens,
with
three,
four
or
five
windows
open,
simultaneously
texting,
talking,
instant
messaging
and
maybe
even
participating
in
a
teleconference
‐‐
insouciant
and
alert
at
the
same
time.
“This
generation
functions
differently.
They’re
able
to
multitask
and
bounce
around,”
Kang
told
information
technology
managers
gathered
for
the
“Achieving
Innovation
through
Collaboration”
symposium
hosted
by
the
Center
for
Advancing
Business
through
Information
Technology
at
the
W.
P.
Carey
School
of
Business.
A
leader
in
Internet
networking,
Cisco
was
founded
in
1984
by
a
group
of
computer
scientists
at
Stanford.
The
company
went
public
in
1990,
and
reported
$34.9
billion
for
fiscal
year
2007.
As
Baby
Boomers
scramble
to
keep
up,
the
youngest
segment
of
the
work
force
‐‐
often
referred
to
as
Millennials
‐‐
are
taking
the
lead
when
it
comes
to
certain
styles
of
work,
such
as
the
creative
tag‐teaming
favored
at
Cisco.
Natural‐born
surfers
They
also
are
key
to
Cisco’s
goal
of
finding
better
ways
to
aggregate
and
distill
data
flooding
in
from
the
Internet.
The
average
knowledge
worker
is
flooded
with
data
every
day,
swamped
by
information
both
relevant
and
irrelevant
to
performing
his
or
her
job,
Kang
said.
“Skype,
wiki’s,
instant
messaging,
voice
mail,
e‐mail,
blogs,
forums,
RSS
feeds
‐‐
it’s
overwhelming.
We’re
overwhelmed,”
he
explained.
”How
do
you
surf
up
the
information
you
need?”
Cisco’s
solution:
develop
new
software
applications
designed
to
tie
into
business
processes
such
as
metrics,
marketing
and
sales.
And
while
developing
these
new
products,
Kang
said,
Cisco
leaders
realized
the
company
needed
to
change
directions
to
be
able
to
produce
what
customers
need.
“Our
business‐model
evolution
has
moved
us
from
a
centralized
command
and
control
environment
to
collaborative
teamwork
over
the
last
three
years.
We
actually
eat
our
dog
food,”
he
continued.
For
example,
work
groups
‐‐
broken
into
smaller
“boards”
and
larger
“teams”
‐‐
focus
on
specific
product
lines.
New
technologies
being
sold
to
customers
are
often
first
embedded
in
Cisco
operations.
Launched
in
January,
2008,
“CVision”
is
Cisco’s
internal
version
of
YouTube,
and
contains
blogs
and
video
blogs
focused
on
aggregating
data,
using
RSS
feeds
to
enter
information
into
one’s
blogs
or
discussion
groups.
More
than
10,000
of
the
company’s
approximately
65,000
employees
regularly
participate.
Collaborating
on
new
technologies
pays
off
in
several
ways;
Kang
noted,
including
employee
productivity,
boosted
innovation,
recruitment
and
retention
and
revenue
growth.
With
this
kind
of
evidence
it
is
hard
to
dispute
that
there
is
a
new
mindset
evolving.
Are
the
workplace
and
the
gray
hairs
ready
for
these
new
workers?
Are
there
mechanisms
in
place
that
allow
for
their
speed
and
efficiency?
Are
we
able
to
take
full
advantage
of
it
as
opposed
to
other
countries?
Are
we
wasting
these
natural
resources
because
we
are
holding
on
to
the
whip
and
buggy
mentality
of
old
business?
Chapters
1. How
are
they
wired?
- I. Is it nature or nurture?
- a. Is this genetic or man made?
- b. Was it the same for the Boomers just TV & radio?
- c. Did we evolve into different form of human?
- II. Are their brains actually different?
- a. Gen‐i the full MRI
- b. Brain activity can be manipulated
- c. The children who stare at screens
- III. Are they really multi‐tasking or suffering from ADHD?
- a. Are they getting anything accomplished?
- b. Is it all just a big waste of time?
- c. Is it just the Boomer viewpoint?
- IV. Did the pharmaceutical industry engineer this generation?
- a. Conspiracy theory?
- b. Have they been engineered this way?
- c. Did we know this would be the new economy?
- d. Was Vannevar Bush right or just warning us?
- V. How has Gen‐i dovetailed with this new economy?
- a. Are they prepared for the new workforce?
- b. Are they typical of other new workforces?
- c. How long until they are the new buggy whip makers?
2. Defining Gen‐i
- I. What was the world like prior?
- a. Is the TV & radio generation so different?
- b. Did video really kill the radio star?
- c. Is the entitlement the same or greater?
- II. How were they raised?
- a. Were they more isolated as children?
- b. Did the cost of housing contribute to this isolation?
- c. From car seats to play dates
- III. Did media play an important role?
- a. Has the news and other media outlets created this consumer?
- b. Is this what they wanted?
- c. Huxley was right on target?
- IV. How did the housing bubble create this generation?
- a. What happened when Mom went to work
- b. What happened when Dad didn’t come home
- c. When did they learn to make three meals a day and do the laundry
- V. Have other political‐economic issues formed a generation?
- a. Wars
- b. Innovation
- c. Economic restructuring
- d. Gaslight villages
3. What is Gen‐i thinking?
- I. Are they accepting of previous generations or simply waiting?
- a. Are they waiting for their time to come?
- b. Have they learned how to use the wisdom of this generation?
- c. Are we simply in their way?
- d. Has it always been that way?
- II. Do they have a true respect for history?
- a. Has the rip and burn mentality become a priori?
- b. Have they learned that one culture is built on the previous one?
- c. Do they know its worth and are they using it wisely?
- III. Do they feel totally entitled or endowed?
- a. Did we make them that way?
- b. Will it be empowering or an Achilles heel?
- c. Do we need this entitlement for them to rise up again?
- d. Disposable is the new antiquity?
4. How will gen‐i change the world?
- I. Will they push the educational structure to change?
- a. Should it change?
- b. Does it need to change?
- c. What will be lost in translation?
- d. Have we always lost something in the transition and translation?
- II. Will the educational structure agree or disagree?
- a. The jury is still out.
- b. 68% growth rate to online
- c. Over 400 colleges in Second Life.
- III. How is it or will it affect the training of teachers?
- a. Will the pedagogy change?
- b. Would Socrates have gone along with it?
- c. Would this be a more practical use of theory?
- d. Would the true hands‐on approach lend itself to better penetration of learning?
- e. Will it better prepare them for their own futures?
- IV. Will they need to be certified in technology as well as educational methodology and
- practices?
- a. Will technology become the new penmanship?
- b. How are we going to approach grammar and spelling?
- c. Would and could we still require primary sources?
- d. Who becomes the expert, the theorist or the clinician?
5. Has the world already started to change?
- I. Is Gen‐i a product of the world or is the world a product of Gen‐i?
- a. Chicken or the egg?
- b. Engineered to be this way?
- c. Does the global economy just happen?
- II. Was it all planned?
- a. Is there a 50‐year plan?
- b. Was Vannevar Bush the innovator or the public relations person?
- III. Was a new economy planned?
- a. Are all economies planned?
- b. What about the tulip bubble or gold rush?
- c. How long of an arc does this new economy have?
- IV. Was Vannevar Bush the architect?
- a. Visionary or spokesperson?
- b. What did he envision?
- c. How close was he?
- d. Digital Nostradamus or know‐it‐all?
- e. Scientist or economist or both?
- V. Did the innovators of today have entrée to that plan?
- a. Were academia, Xerox and Bell Labs, etc. all partners?
- b. Did the government fund it all?
- c. Was it just for defense or economic futures?
- VI. Were they just opportunists?
- a. Who isn’t?
- b. Insider info or vision?
- c. Meerkats or moneymakers?
- 6. What technological breakthroughs have made these changes possible?
- I. The creation of the Internet.
- a. Why was it developed?
- b. Who were the key players?
- c. Why were they selected?
- d. Who owns it today?
- II. The advent of the personal computer.
- a. Early days of computing
- b. Xerox to JooJoo
- III. The first cell phone
- a. Bell to Droid
- b. What is the plan?
- IV. The Newton to the Palm to the iPod to the iPhone.
- a. The advent of handheld devices
- b. Next gen devices
- V. The penetration of Ethernet to fiber to wireless.
- a. Origin of Ethernet
- b. Why glass?
- c. Photonic lasers
- VI. The increase of bandwidth availability.
- a. Net neutrality
- b. Peeling the onion
- c. What is going to happen when it all goes wireless?
- VII. Going mobile.
- a. Will it be device centric?
- b. How will we handle permissions?
- c. Download from anywhere to the cloud?
7. What social impact will this change have?
- I. From Kermit to WWW to Friendster to MySpace to Facebook to Ning
- a. Is the concept of intellectual property is gone for good?
- b. Anywhere, anytime, anything, anyone?
- c. Creating distance
- II. Isolation Row
- a. Does Gen‐i have a handle on this?
- b. Do they want this?
- c. Texting circle of friends
- III. Subterranean Homesick Blues
- a. Are they just reaching out to form a family?
- b. Has the new economy created this need?
- c. When did this shift occur?
- IV. Teenage Wasteland
- a. Will this generation be better off than their parents?
- b. Will this generation make it to retirement?
- c. Will this generation have children?
- V. Tommy Can You Hear Me? Or You Know Where to Put the Cork
- a. Have we numbed them into oblivion?
- b. Will they make it back?
- c. Will they rise from this metamorphosis?
- d. A new breed coming?
8. What legal impact has there been?
- I. Cyber‐bullying
- a. Has it just morphed to the Internet?
- b. Do they feel more empowered y distance and disguise?
- c. What is the extent of the liability?
- d. Who pays the price ultimately?
- II. Sharing?
- a. Has it always existed?
- b. Did the technology just make it easier and more prolific?
- c. Where will they draw the line?
- III. Blurring the lines.
- a. Can they draw a line or is it out of control?
- b. Has the legal system given up or just preparing?
- c. Has it affected morals?
- d. What impact has it had on the economic structure of the arts?
- IV. Nation to Nation
- a. How does the law work internationally?
- b. What are the consequences?
- c. Case studies
- V. The Wild, Wild West
- a. Is Internet law in its infancy?
- b. What are the precedents?
- c. What are the ramifications?
- d. How will it be enforced?
9. What ethical impact has there been?
- I. Do ethics even exist?
- a. Spinoza’s Law
- b. Outside the tribe
- c. Staying alive!!!
- d. Can society exist without ethics?
- e. What is the path to ethics?
- II. Yours, Mine, Everyone’s?
- a. Where did this come from?
- b. Is it fair?
- c. Does acceptable become fair?
- d. Have laws always been developed this way?
- III. I Download Therefore I am
- a. Has it become unacceptable to follow the rules?
- b. Has it become unacceptable to act properly, responsibly?
- c. Does it give them credence to their peers?
- IV. Share, share, share.
- a. Is it morally wrong to “share”?
- b. Is it what Ted Nelson had in mind?
- c. Is the basis for the Internet?
- V. Open courseware for all
- a. Is open access a bad thing?
- b. Will it destroy the economic structure?
- c. Is it merely a gateway to a new economic structure?
- VI. How do we pay?
- a. Creating new revenue streams
- b. Generating alternative revenue streams
- c. New model – new content
- d. User generated content
- VII. How Long Can a Good Thing Last?
- a. Is it self‐sustaining?
- b. Will the model progress to a new standard?
- c. Will it be supported?
10. How will we adapt?
- I. Speaking in Tongues.
- a. Will the current parental generation need to learn this language?
- b. What cultural hurdles are there?
- c. Will it reach critical mass and dissipate?
- d. Will it produce a new change?
- II. Wider than ever Generation Gap
- a. Will the gap widen?
- b. Does this have the “legs” to keep going?
- c. Will it change the world?
- d. Is it a beneficial change?
- III. Did We Lose Them Forever?
- a. Will this create a final separation of “haves” and “have‐nots”?
- b. Will they have time for us to make the “curve”?
- c. Has multi‐tasking replaced basic organization skills?
- d. Can we evaluate the difference?
- IV. Stepping into the Abyss.
- a. Do we need to take the first step?
- b. How far down the rabbit hole will we have to go?
- c. Can we come back from this hyperbole?
- d. Will there be an advantage to the trip?
- V. Old Habits Die Hard
- a. What baggage are we bringing with us?
- b. Will it be of any benefit to Gen‐i?
- c. Will they let us “steer”?
11. How will media adapt?
- I. Must See PC?
- a. Breaking out from 1 foot to 10
- b. People’s choice award?
- c. Can we let the audience decide what is popular?
- d. When they stopped making television shows.
- e. Everybody is a “star”
- II. Back to the Philco?
- a. Portable video – the 10” screen
- b. What happens when they make the choices?
- c. Have ratings worked before – will they now?
- III. The Message is the Medium
- a. McLuhan had it backwards?
- b. Does the device create the message?
- c. Drums to digital waves
- d. Frequency has always had the power
- IV. Traveling Man (and Woman).
- a. Mobile use of the medium
- b. Isolation for the masses
- c. How do we create interaction?
- V. Fifteen Minutes of Fame.
- a. Will everybody be a star?
- b. Who will be the audience?
- c. Do they care?
- d. Who will drive the cultural bus?
12. How will the economy adapt?
- I. Has Ford Got a Better Idea?
- a. Reaching out to the public
- b. Working the line
- c. The true people’s car
- d. Case studies
- II. BTW Social Media is Hear to Stay
- a. What is the ROI?
- b. What is the future of SMM?
- c. Will it replace current media strategies?
- d. How is Gen‐i adapting?
- III. New Jobs for Everyone
- a. What are the vertical markets for this new economy?
- b. Entertainment
- c. Information
- d. Promotion
- e. Education
- f. Art
- IV. 99¢ Tube socks and $200 Cable Bills
- a. Where will the money be spent?
- b. Will atoms replace bits?
- c. How will Gen‐Ii find its place in this new economy?
- d. Are they just laying on the barbed wire?
- V. Muscle is Gone, Cerebral is Here to Stay
- a. Will we ever produce atoms again?
- b. Is it a diminishing marketplace for jobs
- c. Was that the plan – NAFTA, Global Trade, Outsourcing?
- d. Will the country make it?
- e. What will it take to make it?
- f. Are we sacrificing this generation to make it?
13. Do we have a choice?
- I. Going Off the Grid
- a. Can we afford to just go off the grid?
- b. Will economic isolationism work?
- c. Do we need to become global citizens?
- II. King Canute
- a. Fighting the waves
- b. Do we have enough power left to hold back the tide?
- c. Is our educational system teaching how to make rafts or yachts?
- III. Immersing Ourselves
- a. Up to our nose in it
- b. Will we make the transition?
- c. Will we sink or swim?
- IV. Taking It on the Chin
- a. What countries will be our competitors?
- b. How are they preparing their generation?
- c. Is the new generation responsive?
- d. Is it all based on discipline?
14. What has happened in the past with these kinds of seismic changes?
- I. Papyrus to Paper to Calligraphy
- a. Imhotep’s Accomplishments
- b. Book of Kells first steps
- c. Charlemagne creates the distribution model
- II. Calligraphy to Moveable Type to Electronic Delivery
- a. Monastic Scribes – beginning of the trade
- b. PiSheng beats Gutenberg
- c. Bell taps out the start
- III. Telegraph to Radio to Television
- a. Bell transcribes the future
- b. Tesla/Marconi the fight for dominance
- c. Farnsworth to RCA – the first license
- IV. Television to Laser Disc to DVD
- a. Farnsworth wins
- b. Bell Labs makes major steps
- c. SONY – from tape to disc
- V. DVD to on‐Demand to IPTV
- a. SONY burns up the future
- b. CERN opens up the world
- c. Samsung clicking away
- VI. IPTV and Beyond
- a. Samsung alters the stream
- b. The dissolution of Network Television
15. What lays ahead for us?
- I. Why the Future Does Need Us
- a. Every generation needs a guide
- b. Will we know the way?
- c. Will they listen to the directions?
- II. Do We Lose Them?
- a. Crawling into the clubhouse
- b. Does our isolation cause their distance?
- c. Will we have the strength to guide them?
- III. Beating the Tsunami
- a. Will we weather the tide?
- b. Will we know the signs?
- c. Will we head for the hills?
- IV. Embracing the Waves
- a. Getting the boat ready
- b. Strength in numbers
- c. Learning how to hang ten
- V. Using It for the Better
- a. Harnessing the power
- b. Keeping the goal in mind
- c. Preparing for the next step
- VI. Everyday is a New Morning
- a. Embracing the dawn
- b. Making the most of the time
- c. Looking back to yesterday
16. Epilogue
Works
cited
(partial
list
to
date)
Asgarkhani,
Mehdi
C
P
I
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Christchurch,
New
Zealand.
The
Need
for
a
Strategic
Foundation
for
Digital
Learning
and
Knowledge
Management
Solutions
Cooper,
Joel
and
Kimberlee
D.
Weaver.
Gender
and
Computers:
Understanding
the
Digital
Divide.
New
Jersey:
Lawrence
Erlbaum
Associates,
2003
Friedman,
Thomas.
The
World
is
Flat:
A
Very
Brief
History
of
the
Twentieth
Century.
New
York:
Farrar,
Straus
and
Giroux,
2005
Gartland,
Matthew.
The
Digital
Divide:
Age
Spring
2004
Government
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The
Digital
Divide:
Understanding
and
Addressing
the
Challenge.
Christopher
P.
Latimer.
December
2001.
Phluid.
The
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United
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U.S.
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of
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Overview.
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U.S.
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of
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“Guidance
on
the
Enhancing
Education
Through
Technology
(Ed
Tech)
Program.”
March,
2002