It is interesting
reading in Born Digital how there seems to be two schools of thought
when it comes to the net gen and the workforce.
These two ideas are opposites of each other. The first thought is that
employers are reluctant or just plain refuse to embrace the net generation. The
second thought is that employers taking the steps necessary to make the net
generation part of their workforce.
There are
companies that do not know or are not ready to deal with the net generation. “They
can refuse to adapt to the Net Gen, stick to their old hierarchies, and
reinforce the generational firewall that separates the managers from the newly
hired minions.” I have seen this a lot in the school I teach at. Our school has
a very intense Internet blocker. It not only blocks what the students have
access to it also blocks what the teachers have access to. The teachers and
students share the same blocks. For a long while my school banned access to
Facebook, wordpress and other sites. As Trapscott says “The Net Gen wants to take
a digital break; the boomer employers shut them down.” So after much argument
amongst the teachers my school gave in and partially unblocked these sites.
Unfortunately they are only unblocked from 4:30pm to 8:00am; even on weekends!
What’s more
is that there are companies that embrace the digital generation. Most of these
companies have not yet fully incorporated the digital generation. They are in
the process of doing so. The company Cognizant created an amazing document for
all companies, “Preparing for the Next-Gen Worker: Is Your Organization Ready?”
This talks about the fact that the net gens are coming and that it is important
for organizations to be ready for them. It “explores eight questions you should
be asking regarding your organization’s readiness for next-generation workers:
1. What
will make or break our business success over the next decade?
2. Have
we built an organizational capacity for collaboration?
3. Are
we leveraging technology to improve performance?
4. Are
we able to tap the best available talent?
5. What
does it mean to work in our organization?
6. What
do our “managers” do?
7. Are
we basing our decision-making on the best possible input?
8. Is
our organization ready for the future?”
Another
great resource for companies and the workforce is the book, The 2020 Workplace: How Innovative Companies
Attract, Develop, and Keep Tomorrow's Employees Today This book is about what the workforce of
2020 will look like and what companies need to prepare for so they are ready
for it. The authors wrote the book because they saw that many companies keep
viewing the future as a “linear progression from past years” and this is not
what the future of business is going to look like.
Sources:
Erickson, T., Livingston, M., Livingston, J., & Clark,
S. (n.d.). Preparing for the Next-Gen Worker: Is Your Organization Ready?. cognizant.com.
Retrieved June 16, 2014, from http://www.cognizant.com/perspectives/preparing-for-the-next-gen-worker-is-your-organization-ready
Meister,
J. C., & Willyerd, K. (2010). The 2020 workplace: how innovative
companies attract, develop, and keep tomorrow's employees today. New York:
Harper Business.
Tapscott,
D. (2009). Grown up digital: how the net generation is changing your world.
New York: McGraw-Hill.
Brian-
ReplyDeleteIt can be flat out irritating when you are trying to use the school internet for educational purposes and the very sites you need to complete a task are blocked. At the same time, your district is probably trying to promote technology integration but yet they are not providing sufficient tools to get the job done. I’m hoping this dilemma will be short-lived. I rarely ever experience blocked sites at my school and often I’m amazed at some of the sites that are not blocked.
Patrick Ledesma wrote an article titled, Are Internet Filters and Firewalls Irrelevant, discussing the relevancy of filters with today’s youth. He makes similar points throughout his article with one being students these days are so savvy they typically can find their way around firewalls to get the information they’re looking for. I find this to be true at our school where students have been caught looking at inappropriate content which lands them in suspension. Ledesma notes, “We can all agree on the value of technology and the Internet, but our responsibilities will compel us to make different decisions…Administrators and managers will do whatever is necessary to ensure stability and safety, and will continue maintaining the Internet filters and firewalls as an imperfect solution” (Ledesma, 2011). You could let this runs its course and hope the firewall tension eases up in the near future or you can engage in open dialogue with administration and other teachers in hopes to make a change. We do have a responsibility to deliver a safe and secure educational environment but there is no need for such strict filters this day and age.
Ledesma, P. (2011). Are Internet Filters and Firewalls Irrelevant? Retrieved from http://blogs.edweek.org/teachers/leading_from_the_classroom/2011/03/internet_filters_and_firewalls_are_irrelevant.html?intc=es&intc=mes on June 17, 2014.
The rural school I worked at blocked students and teachers too. It was so frustrating because some teachers wanted to use YouTube as a teaching tool. Facebook was blocked, but it didn't take the students long to figure out how to get around the block. According to the online article Schools Should Be Teaching Kids How to Use the Internet Well, “The intentions of using Internet filters in schools are good of course, but they were created in times when it was still possible to shield students from the dangers of the unknown. Better now is to take needed steps toward educating students about how to live responsibly and productively on the Internet.” It is so important to teach students digital citizenship. I believe it should be taught Kindergarten through 12th grade, not just at the secondary level. The article also mentions the importance of teaching students about leaving a positive digital footprint and healthy social networking.
ReplyDeleteI also found this resource Fact Sheet on Internet Filters (http://www.fepproject.org/factsheets/filtering.html). It chronicles the background and history of internet filters.
Walthausen, A. (2014, February 14). Schools Should Be Teaching Kids How to Use the Internet Well. Retrieved from http://www.theatlantic.com/education/archive/2014/02/schools-should-be-teaching-kids-how-to-use-the-internet-well/283807/
Free Expression Policy Project. (2014, June 12). Fact Sheet on Internet Filters. Retrieved from http://www.fepproject.org/factsheets/filtering.html