|
|
|
Home > Programs & Services > Generation Y > Frequently Asked Questions
Frequently Asked Questions About Generation Y - FAQs I don't think teachers in my school will be partners - how can I help them understand this model? When do the students and partner-teachers have time to meet and work on their projects? Can I modify the course for my own situation? How much time does a partner-teacher spend on their part of the project? Can I speak to a teacher who has done Gen Y? We don't have the money to do this. Does the Gen Y teacher have to be a technology guru? Can't I just do this on my own? Why are partner-teachers involved in Generation Y? Our technology plan this year is to buy Palm Pilots, does Gen Y work with handheld technology? We have a technology course already. Why do I need another one? Is Generation Y the same as Gen WHY, and Generation www.Y? How many Gen Y classes have there been? What prerequisite skills are necessary for Gen Y students? Is the online tool and report web site secure? We already have professional development in our district - why do I need this? Isn't it insulting for teachers to learn from students? Our school is only doing things that are tied to standards. Does Gen Y correlate to standards? Is Generation Y the same as Gen WHY, and Generation www.Y? Yes. The original name of the model was Generation WHY, but was changed to Generation www.Y. In early 2002, the name was changed to Generation Y because you can't say "www.Y", and most people called it "Gen Y" anyway. The model has grown and improved since the early days of Generation WHY, however, the vision of the program remains the same. For more information on the history and philosophy of Generation Y, click here. We already have a program where students help fix and troubleshoot computers - what is different about Gen Y? Students helping out in school is not a new idea. What Generation Y provides is a rigorous, proven program that improves student achievement and provides professional development for teachers infusing technology. The Generation Y curriculum is combined with online tools and services that provide a support system for creating technology infused lessons. Consultants provided by Generation YES even review every Generation Y student project and contribute their experience. There are times that students fixing computers result in student technology competence, or increased self-esteem. However, with Gen Y you get the support needed to increase these successful outcomes, plus more. Generation YES does have a program where students care for the infrastructure. Click here to learn more about Generation TECH.
Can't I just do this on my own? Yes. Of course. People do it all the time. Some schools purchase the curriculum materials and try to run the program just using the print materials. They figure they can do without the online tools, training for the teacher, project consulting or evaluation. However, there are two main reasons to license the complete program from Generation YES:
Can I modify the course for my own situation? Yes, absolutely. The curriculum is designed to be modified for every classroom profile. Generation YES consultants can help you with these modifications, and have experience from years of holding of Gen Y classes held in every imaginable situation. We can also speak from hard-won experience about what modifications work and what have NOT proven successful. For a free consultation, click here. For more information on different classroom profiles, click here. Reverse mentoring is a term that is sometimes used to describe the Gen Y method. It is when the usual mentoring relationship is turned around, so that a k-12 student mentors a teacher. The term gained popularity after Jack Welsh of GE found that he and other top executives were out of touch with current technology. He instituted a program that paired hundreds of his top executives with younger employees. The younger employees meet informally with the executives to show them how to use email and search the Internet. Reverse mentoring is a growing trend in businesses who wish to use the knowledge and skill of younger, techno-savvy employees and save the cost of formal training programs. Reverse Mentoring Articles
When do the students and partner-teachers have time to meet and work on their projects? Students and partner-teachers meet at mutually agreeable times. This can be a regular weekly appointment or as needed. Gen Y teachers often facilitate initial meetings, but typically the teachers and students plan their own schedule. Partner Teachers spend an average of 3 hours per semester working with their Generation Y Students. This can happen during a teacher's planning period, lunch, before or after school, or even through e-mail. Students work on the projects during the scheduled Gen Y class period. Are the web site tools secure? Yes. Only licensed Gen Y classes can access the Gen Y online tools, listservs and forums. A multi-tiered account system ensures users only see what they need. The listservs and message boards are moderated. All project reports are secure and backed up daily. Projects are used for sample projects only with permission of the school and project participants. More information: I don't think teachers in my school will be partners - how can I help them understand this model? Generation YES provides tools and support for the recruitment effort. The first time is the hardest as most teachers have never been exposed to our unique, yet proven model. After a Gen Y class has been delivered, you will find teachers lining up to be helped by a Generation Y student. The original partner teachers often want to continue, and new ones who see the benefits will now want to participate. Most schools have no problems increasing teacher involvement after the first class has been delivered. Typical recruitment strategies range from distributing and explaining our many recruitment brochures to showing the promotional Gen Y video/dvd and web site at school staff meetings. Partner Teacher recruitment strategies are thoroughly covered during the Generation Y Teacher training session. Our school is only doing things that are tied to standards. Does Gen Y correlate to standards? Gen Y supports standards in several ways. Gen Y has been correlated to ISTE NETS standards for students, and exceeds them in many areas. Also, as part of the project planning process, the online web tools lead the student through the process of correlating their lesson to local or state standards. For example, if a student and partner-teacher are working on upgrading a seventh grade math lesson with technology, part of of the project planning will be to correlate the lesson to seventh grade math standards. The result will be that every project will be aligned to the grade level and subject area standards. Teaching the students about standards, outcomes and assessments allows them to participate in their learning. This often gives them a new understanding of teachers and the whole education process. What prerequisite skills are necessary for Gen Y students? The Generation Y curriculum does not assume any previous technology knowledge or skills on the part of the students. Students need only be willing to tackle a challenging, hands-on, project based course. Typically, students bring a fairly wide range of knowledge and expertise to the course, presenting opportunities to establish and practice a collaborative approach to learning within the class itself. In cases where the course meets outside the normal school schedule (e.g., zero hour or after school), this requires a commitment by students to an additional investment of time and energy. We have a technology course already. Why do I need another one? Generation Y can be an alternative or addition to an existing technology course. Many existing technology courses offer a pre-set curriculum of word processing, spreadsheets and database skills. You may be finding that students come into this class with a wide variety of previous experience, and this curriculum does not serve all students. Gen Y classes offer a methodology that is very friendly to non-technical oriented students. Since the focus is on the project and not the technology, students can excel in the Gen Y class even if they do not find technology intrinsically fascinating. Schools find that the enrollment in Gen Y classes is unusually gender balanced compared to other technology offerings. Gen Y classes have a component that no traditional technology class has - an emphasis on professional development. By training students to help teachers integrate technology the Gen Y class has an impact throughout the whole school. Employers in my area tell us that our students still don't have skills necessary for the new knowledge jobs. Does Gen Y help with this? Yes. In this knowledge based economy, employers are looking for more than just skill training. They need employees who can think ahead, plan projects, and learn on the job. Gen Y focuses on these "soft skills" - collaboration and project planning, and gives students the support system to succeed in authentic project tasks. Our technology plan this year is to buy Palm Pilots, does Gen Y work with handheld technology? Gen Y is an excellent partner for schools implementing new hardware programs. Gen Y students can partner with teachers who are working with new hardware and help them set it up and infuse the new technology into existing curriculum for classroom use. Gen Y student projects can be lessons on how to use the new equipment or actually creating academic, content based lessons.
"The science department had recently purchased motion sensor software and hardware for science labs and did not have the time or knowledge to implement the unit into their curriculum. Two Gen Y students researched the product, loaded the software, learned how to use the motion sensors, and taught the science teachers. Two weeks later, students were using the equipment in experiments." Palm Pilot and laptop schools will find that Gen Y provides a much needed cadre of students who are familiar with technology and willing to share their expertise. With the large amount of new equipment in such classrooms, it can be very helpful to have trained students available to help out and relieve the strain on expensive tech support personnel. Isn't it insulting for teachers to learn from students? No. Teachers overwhelmingly report that they feel comfortable learning from and with students. Since it is a collaboration, the teachers provide the knowledge of content and pedagogy, and the students bring their technology expertise to the table. The learning takes place within this two-way relationship, not from one person with all the answers. In fact, if the teacher does not want to learn the technology, they don't have to. They can let the student develop and produce the technology component of the lesson. However, many teachers find that as part of the interaction, they learn about the technology and this propels them into learning more. Having the student as a consistent resource allows the teacher to move into unknown areas at their own pace. From the NWREL evaluation, "Over ninety percent of responding partner teachers reported that a successful technology integration project was developed for their class(es), and that the Generation www.Y model, engaging students to collaborate with teachers, is a good method for providing support and assistance to teachers as they integrate technology. Over ninety percent also reported a desire to continue in the program and to continue rebuilding lesson plans to make more use of educational technology." We already have professional development in our district - why do I need this? Gen Y is not a replacement for all professional development programs in a school or district. However, Gen Y has been found to be very effective and efficient in helping teachers infuse technology. The Gen Y students are trained to support teachers with technology implementation, thereby allowing the teachers to focus on the pedagogy and the big picture of how technology can improve student learning. Teachers report that when they have students who�ve completed the Generation Y program in their classes they are more apt to use technology because they can rely on their students for assistance. Our tech support people won't allow students to have special access to the computers. Can we still do Gen Y? Gen Y students will need sufficient access to the computer system to be able to:
Collaboration with the technology director and the IT personnel is a key Gen Y success factor. Often Gen Y is misinterpreted as a class where students learn to fix computers, and this might be seen as a problem by IT personnel who do not want students to have access to the hardware or network. A good way to help the IT Staff understand the Gen Y program is to include them in the training session for the Gen Y teacher. All Gen Y training sessions are open to other school personnel and students. We don't have the money to do this. Funding is always a concern in schools. The Gen Y program will save you money in several ways.
Many grants have been successfully written for Gen Y classes and we have material that can help you be successful as well. Also see the page on finding funds in the News section of this website. Does the Gen Y teacher have to be a technology guru? No. Gen Y teachers are not necessarily technology teachers, many successful programs have been run by teachers with little or no technology expertise. In fact, it is important that you do not provide all the answers for the students. The most important ingredient for a Gen Y teacher is the ability to step out of the lecture role into that of a facilitator. Collaborative learning is meant to empower the student to find their own answers - with help from a skilled teacher. How much time does a partner-teacher spend on their part of the project? In the Northwest Regional Labs (NWREL) evaluation of Generation Y, partner-teachers reported an average of 3 hours per semester spent meeting with their student partner. Partner Teacher Experience Our tech support costs are skyrocketing and we can't get more technology programs until we can figure out how to support all of it. How can Gen Y help with this? Gen Y students are the answer to this dilemma. It is a simple fact that using traditional methods of tech support, the support budget will go up at the same rate as the whole technology budget. The only way to change this is to find support solutions that are more cost effective, or to reduce the demand on those support systems. Gen Y does both. The students can answer simple questions to supplement your tech support personnel, leaving them free for other duties. How many Gen Y classes have
there been? Can I speak to a teacher who
has done Gen Y? Can I see Gen Y in action? Why are partner-teachers
involved in Generation Y?
|