2009年8月18日星期二

翻译《05 学生的观点》

The Student's Perspective


学生的观点



Carie Windham


卡瑞·温德姆

North Carolina State University


北卡罗莱纳州立大学


© Carie Windham


版权所有(C)卡瑞·温德姆


Introduction


前言


We sat across from one another, he in his cracked leather desk chair and me in a wooden chair taken from the hallway. He leaned back, arms crossed, eyes peering over wire-framed glasses. I strummed my fingers nervously on the chipped wood of the chair's arm.


我俩面对面坐着,他坐在他那把破烂的皮制办公椅上,我坐在从走廊搬来的木头椅子上。他往后靠着,抱着手臂,隔着金边眼镜看着我。我的手指在椅子扶手上紧张的乱弹着。


"I e-mailed you the proposal last week," I said. "I don't understand why the topic change came as a surprise."


我说:“我上周就用电子邮件把计划寄给你了。为什么改变课题没有通知我?”


"I didn't get it," he said simply.


“我没有收到。”他简单明了。


"I sent it a week ago. Maybe it came back; I don't know."


“我一周前就寄了。也许退回来了,我不清楚。”


"I'll be honest; I don't check my e-mail."


“我没有骗你,我没有检查电子邮件。”


I paused. "Ever?" I asked.


我雷到了。“从不?”


"Ever. Can't stand it."


“从不。不会用。”


"Right. Should I have called?"


“好吧。那我以后打电话?”


"I don't check voicemail either."


“我也从不检查留言。”


My brow furrowed as I contemplated my next move.


我眉头深锁,我手足无措。


"So how exactly do you stay in touch with your students between classes?" I asked.


我问:“那你怎么确保和各班学生保持联系?”


"Well, I expect that they'll hunt me down on campus if they need anything."


“哦,我想他们如果想找我,一定会在学校找到我的。”


I sank back in the chair and stared at his desk, scattered with haphazard Post-Its and torn notebook paper. A cassette-tape answering machine gathered dust in the corner. An overstuffed planner bulged near my seat. I thought of my own desk at home-neat, sterile, a laptop and a Palm Pilot.


我倒在椅子上,盯着他的办公桌,散着凌乱的记事贴、撕下来的作业纸。角落里的卡座答录机上满是灰尘。在我座位旁边是一本油唧唧的胀起来的备忘本。我想念我家里的书桌——整洁、干净、有一台笔电、一台掌上机。


"So you're serious? No e-mail and no voicemail? Do you even use the Web?"


“你当真?不用电子邮箱,不用语音信箱,甚至不用网络?”


He just smiled.


他微微一笑。





Though we sat just four feet away from one another, the distance suddenly felt light years apart. I would find out, in subsequent conversations, that my professor-a relic of the Greatest Generation-did, indeed, surf the Web when it was necessary. But he preferred the newspaper over CNN.com, the weatherman over WeatherBug, and face-to-face visits over e-mail exchanges. He dusted off journals from the 1980s and flipped through their pages, and, if you asked him, he actually knew how to load one of those microfiche machines on the second floor of the university library. He represented, for me, a world I could scarcely remember-a world before driving directions on MapQuest, book buying on Amazon.com, and making plans on Instant Messenger–a world when tasks were managed one by one instead of all at once on multiple Web browser windows.


尽管我们的座位只有一米多远,但我突然觉得我俩相距数光年之遥。在随后的谈话中,我认识到,我的教授——最伟大一代的遗迹——实在是,有必要上上网。但他喜欢报纸甚于CNN.com ,喜欢气象员甚于WeatherBug,喜欢面谈甚于邮件交流。他珍藏有八十年代的报纸,还常翻阅。并且,如果你问他,他实际上知道如何使用图书馆二楼的微缩胶片机。他向我描绘了一个我几乎想不起来的世界——没有MapQuest查找驾车路线的世界,没有Amazon.com 可以买书的世界,不能制定计划、不能实时聊天——只能一项一项管理任务,而不是在多页浏览器上一次处理全部,这样一个世界。





I am a member of the Net Generation. I've surfed the Web since the age of 11, and it has increasingly taken over every facet of my personal and academic existence. I can barely recall making plans before the advent of IM and have rarely attended a campus meeting without setting it up over e-mail first. I get my news, my weather, my directions–even my clothes–from the Web. And, as my peers and I continue to flood the gates of the nation's colleges and universities, I am a puzzle to many of the faculty and administrators who will try to teach me. They will either try too hard to transform education into the virtual language I understand or too little to accommodate for the differences between us. Just as with past generations, however, all that is required is a basic understanding of what being a Net Gener really means and how it translates to the classroom.


我是一名网络世代。我从十一岁起就开始上网,网络日渐接管我现实生活和学术的方方面面。我几乎不能在收到IM之前就制定计划,也不能没有收到通知邮件就出席学校会议。我获取新闻、天气预报、位置方位,甚至我的衣物,全都来自网络。并且,正如我和我的同辈将继续涌入这个国家的各所高校,对于即将教我们的许多教师和管理人员而言,我们是个谜。他们要么很难将传统教育转变成我们能理解的虚拟语言,要么很难适应于我们之间的差别。然而,正如过去的几代人,这一切需要的就是最基本的了解,了解什么才是真正的网络世代,并如何将这种理解应用到课堂。


Meet Generation Y Not


不是千禧一代


It's easy to call myself a Net Gener–to talk about the pains of growing old in the Net Generation, to trade glib remarks with my peers about those fossils who grew up tied to their landline existence. Defining what all of it means, however, is another story.


要称自己为网络世代很容易——谈论网络世代生长的艰辛,用油腔滑调的言语和我的朋友们谈论那些被捆绑在土地上的守旧之人。然而,要给出网络世代的完整定义,又是另外一回事。





As a future historian, I've learned that everything in time must, eventually, fit neatly into a series of ages, categories, or generations: the Baby Boomers, the Bronze Age, the Silent Generation, the Renaissance. So, naturally, countless hours of history lecture were dedicated–in my head–to the role that my generation would play in future history texts. Would students in 2105 find us materialistic? Self-absorbed? Would we be defined by September 11 or the War on Terrorism? Quite frankly, I didn't know.


作为将来的历史学家,我必须如期学会所有东西,最终能够融入一系列时代、类别、世代:婴儿潮世代、青铜时代、沉默的一代、文艺复兴时期。所以,很自然的,无数小时的历史课程——在我头脑中——都让我们这一代人用来摆弄未来的历史课本了。2105年的学生会知道我们是唯物主义者么?自我主义者?9/11、反恐战争如何影响我们?坦率地说,我不知道。





Luckily, where my history musings fell short, the social sciences dedicated countless hours and volumes to dissection. And fortunately, the prognosis was good. Though the youngest among our ranks are barely teenagers and the oldest have just entered the workforce, it seems posterity will forever remember the Net Generation as the Next Greatest Generation. Or, if we fail to measure up, the Generation That Could Have Been the Next Greatest.


幸运的是,虽然我对历史考虑的不多,但是在社会科学上花费了很多时间,看了很多书,以求理解。很幸运,判断是对的。虽然我们这一代人最小的还不到十岁,最年长的刚进入社会,但后人似乎永远都会记住,网络世代会是新的最伟大一代。或者,即使我们达不到标准,我们也曾经可能是新的最伟大一代。





According to Neil Howe and William Strauss, authors of Millennials Rising: The Next Greatest Generation,1 my friends and I are nothing like our immediate predecessors in Generation X. We are academically driven, family oriented, and racially and ethnically diverse. We are committed to telling the truth and traditional values, yet we refuse to accept our elders' speeches or sermons at face value. We are not politically active, but community centered. We truly believe we have the tools and the desire to solve the lingering problems that our parents' generation has left behind.


据《千禧崛起》的作者,尼尔·豪和威廉·斯特劳斯表示:新的最伟大一代,我和我的朋友们,完全比不上我们上一代人,里根世代。我们受到学术驱动、面向家庭、多种族多民族。我们承诺保持真理和传统价值观,但我们也拒绝接受老一辈“不要轻易相信人”的话语和说教。我们不积极参与政治,但我们关心社区。我们真心相信我们拥有解决上一代遗留下来的问题的工具和愿望。





In my own experience, both as a Net Gener and as a student leader and journalist at North Carolina State University, Howe and Strauss and their colleagues are not entirely off base. But the generalities require greater exploration, especially in the role they will play for college faculty and administrators in determining how best to reach the next generation of learners.


我既是网络世代又是学生领袖,同时担任北卡州立大学记者,以我自己的经验来看,豪和施特劳斯及其同事的结论不算太离谱。其结论需要更多探究,尤其是对高校教师和管理人员,在决定如何更好的理解下一代学习者方面,所扮演的角色。


Driven to Succeed


被迫成功


Net Geners, for the most part, are not just driven by the notion of achievement–they are consumed by it. Drilled by guidance counselors, parents, and teachers about the importance of attending college in determining our own self-worth and success potential, the race for the top began for some of us in middle school. We quickly learned that a 4.0 grade point average is no longer sufficient to get a foot in the door of a good school and that every applicant would be able to claim honor roll as an achievement. To distinguish ourselves, therefore, we load our schedules with honors, advanced placement, and international baccalaureate coursework. We take classes from community colleges. A portion of us even enter college with sophomore standing.


网络世代,在大多数情况下,不只是受到成功意愿的驱动——他们受到成功意愿的支配。经过指导顾问、家长和老师的反复灌输,读大学对于实现自身价值和成功潜力有多重要,我们当中有些人从初中就开始这项登顶比赛。我们很快就明白,GPA全部拿优秀不再保证我们有机会进入优秀大学,所有申请人都会把登上光荣榜当作成功。因此,为了脱颖而出,我们追求荣誉、尽力跳级、学习国际文凭课程。我们去社区大学上课。有些人进入高校的时候已经是大二学生了。





And achievement is no longer limited to the classroom. College-bound students learn early that extracurricular activities, leadership development, athletics, and community service are not only to be enjoyed but exploited. In a world where high school transcripts increasingly look more uniform in their perfection, a role as president of SADD–Students Against Destructive Decisions–might be enough to tip the scales in your favor. And you know it.


成功不再局限于课堂。想上大学的学生,早就学到,课外活动、领导力开发、体育运动、社区服务,不仅要享受,更要利用。在高中成绩单越来越完美的世界里,一个“学生反对有害裁决倡议”主持人的身份,足以扭转局势对你有利。你知道的。





Even at the university level, we feel pressure that our degree simply will not be enough. We've watched the economy falter and jobs disappear. We sat through the dot-com bust (feeling fortunate we were still in college, at least) and heard analysts share horror stories about students with four-year degrees and nowhere to go. Those fears have driven Net Geners outside the normal confines of the classroom and made them desperate to add both value and experience to their degrees. Internships are taken during the summer, co-ops throughout the year. Clubs are joined and community service embraced. It is enough, by junior year, to leave us wondering at what point all the preparation for life ends and enjoyment actually begins.


甚至到了大学,我们感受到学位不够用的压力。我们看到经济衰退、就业机会减少。我们捱过网络泡沫的破灭(至少,可以庆幸我们还在读书),听过分析师有关四年大学毕业即失业的恐怖故事。这些恐惧迫使网络世代走出教室,迫使他们急于为自己学位增加价值和经验。暑假去实习,全年参与勤工俭学。俱乐部和社区服务更是少不了。对于大三学生,让我们为一辈子的事情和即将开始的享受做好准备,这足以让我们不知所措。





For college administrators and faculty, it means that each class of incoming freshmen will be more stressed than the last. The average college-aged Net Geners sitting in the back of the classroom will have more than the weight of a 15-hour course load on their shoulders. Instead, most will be juggling a position or role in a campus organization, a part-time internship, an independent research project, and applications for summer jobs and graduate school. They will be masters of multitasking and–by the time they graduate–will leave with a suitcase of experience and an ulcer lying in wait.


对于高校管理人员和教师,这意味着每个新入学的班级比上一届压力更大。大学网络世代一般都坐在教室后排,每天承受着超过十五个小时的课程压力。相反,大多数都会在某个学校组织混一个位置或角色,找一份兼职实习,独立研究项目、申请暑期工作、准备读研。他们会成为多任务高手,到他们毕业的时候,带走的是一皮包的经验和即将发作的胃溃疡。


Driven by Compassion


同情心驱使


Our capacity for community service and engagement is not entirely tied to our desire to succeed, however. From a very early age, my peers and I have been exposed to opportunities for service and examples of servant leaders in the community and in history. Community service is not just an opportunity to the Net Generation, it is a responsibility.


我们用在社区服务和职业的能力,与我们期望的成功不完全挂钩。很小的时候,我们就已经在接触在历史上、在社区中行使服务,充当仆人式的领导人模范的机会。对于网络世代,社区服务不仅仅是机会,更是责任。





The average American high school encourages community service through service clubs, service awards, service requirements, or service-learning courses. Religious groups and national humanitarian organizations, bolstered by the falling prices of international travel, are taking youth on more trips around the world to teach the importance of a "global citizen" and a dedication to worldwide service. The nation and the media consistently praise and hold up examples of youth in service. It has become increasingly "cool" to give back.


一般美国高中鼓励社区服务,通过服务俱乐部、服务奖励、服务要求、服务研习课程等方式进行服务。宗教团体和全国人道主义组织,在国际旅行费用下跌的带动下,带领年轻人环绕世界旅行,以培养“全球公民”意识,致力于服务全球。国家和媒体一致赞誉并推举青年服务模范。在青年人当中,这已经变得越来越“酷”了。





Beyond high school, colleges and universities have increasingly become community centers for civic responsibility and community giving. Beyond a host of service organizations, most universities have departments on campus to coordinate service projects, plan service trips for extended university breaks, and support service organizations. Other student bodies, like that at NC State, coordinate mass days of service that often draw thousands of volunteers to work with service groups around the community.


不管是高中,高校也越发成为市民责任和社区供应的社区中心。除了成立诸多服务机构外,大多数高校各系部也在协调各服务项目,为大学长假安排服务旅行,支持各服务机构。和北卡罗莱纳州立大学其他学生团体一样,协调弥撒日的服务,因为常有上千志愿者和服务团体在社区活动。





This acceptance of and emphasis on social responsibility has also changed the way the Net Generation looks at careers. Priority within our ranks is placed less on monetary value and fame than happiness and "doing something good." We join programs like the Peace Corps, AmeriCorps, and Teach for America in record numbers and repeatedly express an interest in a career that will–somehow–impact the future and other people.


这种对社会责任的接受和重视,也改变了网络世代对职业生涯的认识方式。在我们决定优先级的时候,更多考虑的不是货币价值和名誉,而是快乐和“做好一件事”。我们参与和平队、美国志愿队等组织,是“为美国教书”项目在册成员,一再表示有兴趣,在职业生涯中以某种方式影响未来和他人。


Driven by Hope


希望驱使


It is true, as Howe and Strauss indicated, that the Net Generation is an overly optimistic generation. We have not seen the corruption of power or felt the fear of the Cold War. Instead, we've watched technology solve problems and alleviate the rigors and stresses of our everyday lives. Just as society often views technology as a vessel for progress, we see ourselves as the future navigators. There is an unspoken sentiment within our ranks that the problems of the world have largely been deposited at our feet. With the hole in the ozone layer growing, peace shattering, and disease raging, many of us feel that older generations have simply stepped aside to make room for our ingenuity and creativity. And, largely, we feel that we are up to that challenge. In our eyes, our technological savvy makes us smarter, easily adaptable, and more likely to employ technology to solve the problems of past and present generations.


豪和施特劳斯指出的都是事实,网络世代是过于乐观的一代。我们没有看到权力的腐败,没有感受到冷战的恐惧。相反,我们看到技术解决问题,减轻我们日常生活中的残酷与压力。正如社会常把技术看作进步的容器,我们把我们自己视为未来的领跑者。我们有一种心照不宣的感受,世界上各种问题都将被我们踩在脚下。随着臭氧层的扩大,和平破碎,疾病肆虐,我们多数人觉得老一辈该靠边站,给我们的聪明才智和创造力腾出空间。而且,我们感到,在很大程度上,我们能迎接这一挑战。在我们眼里,我们的技术头脑,使我们更聪明,更容易适应,而且更有可能采用技术来解决过去几代人遗留下来的问题。


Father Google and Mother IM


搜索为父聊天为母


Perhaps the greatest indicator of the Net Generation, however, has less to do with our habits and values than our namesake: the Internet. I met the Internet for the first time from my second-row seat in Mrs. Kingsley's fourth grade class. We sat transfixed as a golden highway unfurled across the TV screen in a 30-minute film about the future of society. Soon, a voice promised, we would be able to talk to children across the world, access medical advice from our home computers, and search libraries across the country. The possibilities would be endless, the vaults of knowledge limitless.


然而,网络世代最明显的标记物,可能不是我们的习惯和价值观,而是我们的双生兄弟:互联网。我第一次接触互联网是在金斯利夫人的四年级课堂,当时我坐在第二排座位。电视屏幕上放了三十分钟的有关未来社会的影片,我们完全被其中展现的信息高速公路震撼了。很快,有声音承诺,我们能够与世界各地的儿童交谈,从自己家里访问远程医疗设备,搜索全国各地的图书馆。可能性无穷无尽,知识却是有限的。





After class, two friends and I stood in awe at the single PC in the back of the classroom. From that little box, we thought, we would soon access the world.


课后,我和两个朋友敬畏的站在教室后面惟一一台计算机前面。我们想,通过这个小盒子,我们很快就能接触到整个世界。





One friend picked up a yellow cable from the back. "Do you think this is it? Do you think this is the highway?"


一个哥们从计算机背后拿起一条黄色电缆,问:“是这个么?你觉得信息高速公路是这个么?”





I rolled my eyes. "They said the highway isn't complete yet. It's like cable–you probably have to wait until they dig the highway in your neighborhood," I remarked.


我转动眼珠,说道:“他们说信息高速公路还没完成。它就像电缆,你可能得等到他们在你邻居家也挖条高速公路才能用。”





It took years before I realized that the approaching Information Superhighway was nothing more than an interconnected system of networks. It would take many more before I realized the way the Internet had permeated almost every facet of my life.


过了好些年我才真正明白,即将到来的信息高速公路,只不过是相互联接的网络系统罢了。用了很多年,我才意识到互联网已经充满了生活的方方面面。


Technological Masters


技术为王


Growing up alongside the wheels of Web-based progress has instilled a feeling within the Net Generation that technological understanding is a necessity for current life and future existence. We cannot succeed in this world, we reason, without an understanding and command of technological advances. This feeling is reinforced by the emphasis on computer literacy in public school curriculums and the nagging feeling that few jobs in the future will not rely on some form of computer technology.


伴随网页技术的进步一同长大,给网络世代灌输这样一种认知,掌握技术,对于当今生活和未来的生存,是必不可少的。如果不能理解并控制技术的发展,我们就不能在这个世界上,取得成功。这种认知,受到公立学校课程里的计算机素养的强化,也受到未来没有什么工作不依赖某种形式的计算机技术这种唠叨的强化。





To keep pace, Net Geners have become some of the most technologically adept members of society. Our cell phones often serve as Web browsers, digital phones, and game consoles. We keep our schedules and addresses in Palm Pilots and our music in MP3 players. We program our televisions to record movies while we watch a game on another channel. We strive to stay ahead of the technology curve in ways that often exhaust older generations.


为了跟上步伐,网络世代成为了社会上技术最熟练的人群。我们的手机也充当网页浏览器、数码手机、游戏终端。我们把日程安排和通讯录存放在Palm Pilot 里面,把音乐放在MP3 播放器里。我们在看其他频道的比赛的时候,安排电视录下另一频道的电影。我们努力保持技术领先,让老一辈追赶不及。





This drive to keep pace with current trends is not fueled by society's ability to educate and teach these technologies. Instead, we are a generation of learners by exploration. My first Web site, for example, was constructed before I had any concept of HTML or Java. I simply experimented with the commands until the pieces fit together. I have installed every addition to my computer myself, often with just my instinct and eyesight to guide me. Likewise, many of my peers rarely pick up the instruction pack to learn programming or a technique. Instead, spurred by our youthful exploration of the Internet, we tend to learn things ourselves, to experiment with new technology until we get it right, and to build by touch rather than tutorial.


促使我们紧跟时代潮流的,不是社会的教育水平,社会没有教会我们这些技术。相反,我们是探究学习的一代。比如说,我建立第一个网站的时候,完全没有任何HTML 或者Java 的概念。我只是不断尝试这些命令,最终拼凑起来。我计算机上所有零配件都是我自己加上去的,基本上都是靠直觉和眼光引导着去做的。同样,我的许多伙伴,很少通过翻看说明书来学习编程或其他技术。相反,通过我们对互联网的积极探索,我们总是自己学习新东西,体验新技术,直至掌握,通过接触而非指导来建构知识。


Filling the Attention Deficit: Reaching the Net Generation in a Traditional Classroom


弥补注意力缺失:了解传统教室里的网络世代


In middle school, my second-period health class took a break from memorizing the food groups to learn healthy study habits. Flipping idly past images of red-shirted, blue-panted stick figures seated upright in desk chairs in our text, we were told that the best way to study was to isolate ourselves from the television, the tape player, and the busy sidewalks outside the window. We were to clear a nice study corner with a comfy chair, good lighting, and ample work space.


在中学,健康课的第二阶段,在掌握健康学习习惯的时候,需要记住食物分类,我休息了一下。随手翻过花花绿绿的图表,笔直地坐在课桌前,我们被告知,最好的学习方法就是远离电视机、收录机,关上窗户、远离喧嚣。我们要隔离出一个角落,放一把舒适的椅子,加上良好的照明,充足的工作空间,才好学习。





If Harcourt Brace were to evaluate my college study space, it would–no doubt–be the antithesis of healthy study habits pictured in one of their textbooks. There would be no clear desk, no silent cocoon, no harsh lighting. Instead, Law and Order reruns would be playing in the background. To my left, a trail of jumbled cords would stretch from my bedroom to a laptop on the couch cushion. My IM buddy list would be minimized on the screen, but noise alerts would be turned on to tell me when friends signed on or off the Internet. A collage of browser windows would remain open, one directed to CNN.com to read the day's news between chapters, another to my e-mail to know exactly when the next piece of mail arrived, and then another to Google, in case the text raised any questions. Somewhere in the middle would be me and a history textbook turned to page 149.


如果哈考特·布雷斯【按:出版公司】来评价我的大学学习环境,毫无疑问,是他们教科书上的健康学习习惯的反面典型。没有干净的桌面,没有安静的角落,没有刺眼的灯光,边上正在重播《法律与秩序》。在我左边,杂乱的电线从卧室一直牵到沙发垫子上的笔电。我的即时聊天朋友列表已经最小化,但是不断有声音提示我有人上下线。各种浏览器窗口还开着,一个开着CNN.com 方便看当天新闻;一个开着电子邮件,好及时知道有邮件到达,还有一个开着谷歌,以防有问题要查。中间某处可能是翻到第一百四十九页的历史课本。





My study space-which could be found in the average dorm room suite-is characteristic of my life. With information and accessibility lying effortless at my fingertips, I have grown accustomed to juggling multiple tasks at once, at lightning speed. In the average online conversation with a friend, for instance, I am likely to be talking to two others, shopping online at Barnes & Noble, laughing out loud at Friends reruns, and printing off notes from a chemistry lecture. It is only in the classroom, therefore, that my mind is trained on one subject. To keep it in place requires some flexibility and creativity on the part of the professor and an understanding of the basic principles that guide the Net Generation.


我的学习环境——这在学生宿舍随处可见——就是我的生活特点。信息尽在指尖,我早已习惯了同时最好几样事情,还特别快。举个例子,平时在网上和朋友聊天,我有可能和两三个人聊,同时在巴诺公司【按:美国最大的连锁书店巨头】网上买书,还因为重播的《老友记》开怀大笑,同时复印化学课的笔记。因此,我认为课堂只能改善一个主题要固定下来,就需要教授表现出一点灵活一点创意,以及对引导网络世代的基本原则有所理解。


Interaction


互动


Though online communication is often seen as the opposite of personal and the antithesis of contact, for the Net Gen it is certainly not seen as such. Instead, the Internet has become a vehicle for interaction. It allows us the opportunity to communicate with friends, to participate in chat room discussions, and to stream video from around the world. In short, it allows interaction with a variety of people and material. In the classroom, we crave much of the same. An online society may increase the means of communication, but it does not diminish the human need for connection. Instead, many Net Geners often leave the computer screen craving actual conversation and interaction with their classmates. To capitalize on this need, faculty should encourage interaction both within and outside the classroom. Group work should be emphasized alongside required one-on-one meetings with professors. Students should be given the opportunity to interact with faculty and researchers outside the confines of the curriculum and to develop meaningful relationships with them.


虽然在线交流通常被视作不真实的、无接触的,但网络世代不这么认为。相反,互联网已经成为一种互动媒介。它可以让我们有机会联络朋友,参与聊天室讨论,观看世界各地的流视频。总之,让我们与形形色色的人和物发生互动。在教室,我们渴望也能这样。网络化社会可能会增加联络手段,但并不会减少人们对联系的需求。事实上,许多网络世代常常离开计算机屏幕,投入到现实中同学间的交谈和互动当中。为了充分利用这种需求,教师应该鼓励教室内外的互动。团队工作也应该强调与教授进行必要的一对一交谈。应该给学生与课堂之外的教师和研究者互动,与他们发展有意义的关系。


Exploration探究


Just as we want to learn about the Web by clicking our own path through cyberspace, we want to learn about our subjects through exploration. It is not enough for us to accept a professor's word. Instead, we want to be challenged to reach our own conclusions and find our own results. Lessons last longer, in our minds, if we understand the relevant steps to reach them. Therefore, a need to explore is implicit in our desire to learn. Rather than discussing bias, for instance, a journalism professor once asked my class to analyze several articles and discuss their diction. We arrived at the conclusion that the authors' bias was implicit in their work with little direction. We left class that day with both a sense of accomplishment and a deeper understanding of the journalistic themes the professor had hoped to explore.


正如我们在网络空间里,通过点击来了解网络,我们也通过探究来了解我们的课题。仅仅认同教授讲的,还不够。相反,我们想尝试得出自己的结论,找到自己的结果。在我印象中,如果我们理解掌握课程的相关步骤,课程会更长。因此,在我们对学习的渴望中隐藏着对探索的需求。比如,新闻学教授有一次要求班上分析一些文章,只是讨论其用词,而不是讨论偏见。我们得出的结论是,作者的偏见通过细小的导向,隐藏在文章中。那天我们跑题了,取得成功,深入理解了教授希望我们探究的新闻学主题


Relevancy关联


In a world where technologies change daily and graduates armed with four-year degrees are entering the workforce in record numbers, there is an increasing fear among the Net Generation that a four-year degree will be neither relevant nor sufficient preparation when it becomes time to enter the work force. Consequently, students are consistently looking for practical applications of their studies in a real-world context. Establishing relevancy in the classroom is not as simple as it sounds. It does not equate to presenting a laundry list of future occupations or examples of a field in the news. Instead, more and more curricula are focusing on the notion of extension, or applying the lessons learned in the classroom to real-life problems, institutions, or organizations in the community. For the Net Generation, such curricula speak to two of its values: community service and interaction. Extension is an opportunity to help a community while learning the real-world application of taught material and acquiring relevant skills and experience. As a history major, for example, I spent a semester researching a cultural heritage site on the North Carolina coast. Beyond simply teaching documentary skills, the experience helped glue together the pieces of four years of courses to demonstrate how my degree would eventually translate into marketable skills.


在技术日新月异的世界里,创纪录的毕业生带着四年学位进入职场,网络世代越发担心在进入职场的时候,四年学位不是用不上就是不够用。因此,学生一直在真实环境中寻找应用所学的实际项目。在真实世界与教室之间建立联系,并不是说得那么简单。这并不是给出一份未来职业清单,或者给出新闻领域样板就可以的。相反,越来越多课程关注扩展,或者将课堂所学应用到真实生活中解决问题,服务社区机构、组织。对于网络世代,这种课程有两项价值:社区服务、互动。扩展是在学习教学材料在现实世界中的应用、掌握相关技能经验的同时,服务社区的机会。比如,作为历史专业学生,我用了一个学期研究北卡罗莱纳州海岸文化遗产名录。除了简单的教授纪录片相关技巧,还有帮助整合四年零散课程知识的经验,这表明了我的学位最终如何转化为市场需要的技能。


Multimedia


多媒体


Turn on the nightly news and it is clear that no medium is one-dimensional. Prose is supplemented by song. Photographs are accompanied by video. Issues are even turned into online polls and discussions. For the Net Gen, nearly every part of life is presented in multimedia format. Even my study space, as I detailed before, is a hodgepodge of digital, audio, and text information. To keep our attention in the classroom, therefore, a similar approach is needed. Faculty must toss aside the dying notion that a lecture and subsequent reading assignment are enough to teach the lesson. Instead, the Net Generation responds to a variety of media, such as television, audio, animation, and text. The use of a singular unit should be kept short and alternating, producing a class period as diverse in structure as it is in content. In my four years of courses, the best example of a multimedia classroom comes from a three-hour seminar I participated in on the Vietnam War. Though the prospect of spending three hours in the same cramped classroom was daunting, the professor employed a variety of media to keep our attention. Class began with a song from the period, and film clips were used throughout to illustrate key themes or replicate events. The lecture alternated discussion interspersed with photographs, tables, and graphics. As a result, most of us were more alert and interested in this class than in previous 90-minute classes, despite the considerably longer class time.


打开晚间新闻,可以看到没有什么媒体是一维的。散文配的有背景音乐。照片附得有视频。内容甚至都变成了在线调查和讨论。对于网络世代,生活中几乎每一部分,都是以多媒体的形式呈现的。即使我的学习场所,如前所述,混杂了数码、音频、文本信息。因此,要让我们的注意力保持在教室里,就必须采用类似的做法。教师必须抛弃先讲课然后安排阅读任务,就足以教好一堂课的垂死观念。相反,网络世代对各种媒体作出回应,比如电视、音频、动画、文字。使用任何一种媒体都应该简短、保持互动,根据内容结构将一堂课分成若干阶段。读了四年书,最好的多媒体课堂例子来自于我参与的关于越战的三小时研讨会。虽说要在局促的教室里呆上三个小时足以让人害怕,但教授安排了诸多媒体吸引我们的注意。课堂从当时的一首歌曲开始,无数电影片段贯穿整堂课,用以说明关键主题和转折事件,教师演讲和学生讨论交替进行,照片、表格、图片点缀其间。最终,与之前的九十分钟课堂相比,我们绝大多数人显得更加灵活,有兴趣,尽管上课时间更长。


Instruction


教学


It's easy to deduce that all this technology has made the Net Generation lazy. We don't pick up dictionaries anymore–we go to Dictionary.com. We don't walk to the library–we search online journal databases. We wouldn't know an archive if we stumbled into it on the way to the fax machine. Though the Internet is attempting to phase out these standard methods of research, they are important, nonetheless. The average college student, however, has no clue how to navigate or investigate the modern library. Instead, students increasingly rely on Web sites and Internet archives for information–increasing the likelihood that they will stumble across and cite false or incorrect information. For those reasons, modern classrooms, faculty, and libraries must still teach and demonstrate basic research skills such as finding journals, evaluating primary sources, digging through archives, or even perusing library shelves. Today's students may believe they can learn solely on the Internet, but they cannot.


很容易推断出,所有这些技术,都让网络世代变懒。我们不再翻字典——我们去Dictionary.com。我们不去图书馆——我们搜索在线期刊数据库。我们不知道怎么发传真。虽然互联网正在逐步淘汰那些经典研究方法,但它们仍然很重要。然而,一般的大学生,完全不知道如何去浏览研究现代图书馆。相反,学生们逐渐依赖网站和互联网信息档案室——增加了偶然发现、虚假引用、引用错误信息的可能性。针对这些情况,现代的教室、教师、图书馆必须坚持教授、展示基本的研究技能,比如搜索期刊、评估主要来源、挖掘档案,甚至细细翻阅图书馆书架。今天的学生会认为,他们能够独立的从互联网上学到东西,实际上他们不能。


A Virtual Education: Crafting the Online Classroom


虚拟教育:精心打造在线教室


Philosophy: my nemesis. For five semesters I had cleverly evaded its call–pointedly skipping over the requirement with the dim hope that a registration glitch might fill the spot without my actual participation. But as graduation grew closer, the empty spot next to its name hadn't budged. So, with a sinking feeling of dread, I decided to budge instead.


哲学:我的克星。五个学期以来,我明智的回避它的呼唤——直截了当地略过能带来些微希望的机会登记小事故可以弥补我没有到课。但随着毕业日益临近,姓名旁边的空白没有改变。因此,越发的害怕起来,我决定作出改变。





My only consolation, as I dutifully joined the roll for Philosophy 205, was that Introduction to Philosophy was finally being offered in a Web-based course. I had never tried an entirely "virtual" classroom before, thinking such endeavors were better suited to distance education students or those with full-time jobs. But philosophy? That could be an exception.


我惟一值得安慰的是,我尽职尽责的参加了哲学205课程的名单,这是最终以网页课程形式提供的哲学概论。之前我从未尝试过完全的虚拟教室,认为这些事情更适合远程教育学生和有全职工作的学生。但是哲学?这可能是个例外。





The class was set up with sincere trust and respect for the student. Reading assignments from an assigned text were listed on the course Web site. For grading, we were asked to periodically turn in homework questions from the text and to take occasional quizzes and exams. Every exam was open note and open book with a three-hour window of time. The homework was loosely graded.


设立这门课是出于对学生的真挚的信任和尊重。需要阅读的指定文章都列在课程网站上。为了评分,要求我们定期上交家庭作业,都是和课文有关的问题,还有不定期的测验和考试。每次考试都是三小时的开卷考试。家庭作业评分比较宽松。





For the first exam, I read every chapter and highlighted the notes from the study guide. I finished the test in less than 30 minutes. For the second, with the full weight of a 16-hour semester upon me, I did the reading but skipped the highlighting. I finished in an hour. For the next exam, with two test experiences under my fingertips, I skipped reading altogether and simply searched for the answers in the text. The test took nearly two hours. Each time, the grade was the same. By the end of the semester, I couldn't tell the theory of relativity from utilitarianism. But speed reading? I was a master.


为了第一次考试,我读了每一章,划出学习指南指出的重点。考试结束前三十分钟才做完卷子。第二次考试,我承受着十六个小时学习的全部压力,我阅读了,但是跳过上次做的重点。我一个小时就做完了。到第三次考试,由于有了两次考试经验,我完全跳过阅读,仅仅在课文中搜索答案。这次考试几乎花了两个小时。每次考试分数都一样。学期末,我说不出功利主义相关理论。但是高速阅读?我已经是高手了。





The professor had assumed, while crafting his course, that putting philosophy on the Web would give his students more flexibility to shape their own learning experience. We could read at our own pace. We could respond to message threads at our leisure. We could even take tests with the full support of our text, our notes, and–in my case–our quick darting eyes.


教授假定,在上课期间,将哲学知识放上网,能让学生更灵活的塑造自己的学习经验。我们可以按照自己的步伐阅读;我们可以在有空的时候回复话题信息;我们甚至可以在考试的时候使用全部课文、笔记以及——以我为例——我们一目十行的眼睛。





What he hadn't expected, perhaps, is that the advent of the Internet and the opportunity of the online classroom had not diminished the need for traditional educational principles like discipline, engagement, and interaction. Instead, my online course had turned learning into exactly what I despised–a one-dimensional exercise in learning and regurgitating facts.


也许,他没有想到,互联网和在线教室的出现,并没有减少对传统教育原则的需求,比如训练、参与、互动。相反,我的在线课程已经把学习变成了我所鄙视的、一维的学习与反馈活动。





Take, as a counterexample, a course in Latin American History offered on the Web. Like my philosophy course, we were asked to read from an assigned text. Instead of quizzes and tests, we were asked to periodically turn in essays and papers. The main difference, however, was that each week we were required to participate in online discussions relevant to our text or reading found on the Web. Some weeks we were required to simply post our own responses. Other times, part of the class was to counter the arguments made by another part. During some weeks, we were to evaluate and critique our classmates' arguments. Though it seemed effortless at the time, the exercises were a thinly veiled attempt to hold us accountable for the reading and to engage us in the material.


作为反例,网上提供的有一门拉丁美洲史。和我的哲学课程一样,要求我们阅读指定课文。和测验考试不同,他要求我们定期上交随笔和论文。然而,最大的差别在于,每周我们都要参与在线讨论,讨论我们的课文或者网上找到的阅读材料。有几周仅仅要求我们张贴自己的回复。其他时候,安排一部分人去反驳另一部分人的论点。有几周,我们要评估评论同学的论点。尽管当时看起来很容易,但这项活动隐含着一种尝试,要求我们对阅读和研究材料负责。





As technology improves and the "virtual classroom" becomes more popular, there is a tendency on the part of institutions and students to turn to online courses. They save resources and can accommodate more students. They are more flexible for busy schedules or commuters. But as these examples demonstrate, the online classroom must be created with the same care and expectations as the traditional one.


随着技术的改善,虚拟教室越来越流行,有部分教育机构和学生有转向网上课程的趋势。他们节省资源、容纳更多学生。对于课程繁忙的学生或者走读生,这种方式更灵活。但是,正如这些例子显示,建立网上课堂必须报以同传统教室一样的关怀和期待。





Students still crave interaction with their fellow students, even if they cannot see them. Otherwise, the online classroom seems cold and disconnected. To keep students engaged in the material and passionate about the subject matter, therefore, the professor must find a way for the students to interact with one another. Discussion forums are a natural solution and can be facilitated by posing questions for students to respond to or as simply a "free for all" for student discussion. The professor must be an active participant and facilitator, however, or students will diminish the exercises' importance. Another solution is virtual group work. Asking students to collaborate on projects or assignments forces them to meet and exchange ideas with their peers and fulfills their need for group interaction without actually meeting in a classroom.


学生仍然渴望与同学互动,即便相互看不见。如果做不到这一点,就会认为网络教室很冷清,不会去上。因此,要让学生对材料保持兴趣,对研究主题充满热情,教授必须找出办法让学生彼此互动。论坛是个很自然的解决方案,方便提出问题、回答问题,或者仅仅作为一个面向全体学生开放的讨论场所。然而,教授必须积极参与、服务,否则学生会逐渐失去对这项活动的重视。另一项解决方案是虚拟团队工作。要求学生合作项目、功课,强制他们与伙伴碰头交流思想,满足他们对小组互动的需求,不管事实上不是发生在教室里。





Students also want diversity in both content and content media, a desire that should not be stifled by the assumed one-dimensionality of online coursework. While most online courses create a class Web site for posting assignments and logging in to take tests, these sites could be used as portals for multimedia exploration. One of the great benefits of the Web is its use of multiple media formats: users can stream video, listen to audio, and peruse photographic archives. It is important, therefore, to incorporate a variety of formats into the online classroom to keep content fresh and to appeal to the sensory habits of a variety of learners.


学生也希望内容和内容媒介多样化,希望不会被在线课程资源的一维假设局限住思维。虽然大多数在线课程为了张贴作业、登录考试而创建课程网站,这些网站可以用作探究多媒体的门户网站。网站的最大好处之一就是可以使用多种媒体格式:用户可以播放流媒体、收听音频、浏览照片文档。因此,在网络课堂使用多种格式,这很重要,因为能保持内容的新鲜,满足各种学习者的认知习惯。





The Web-based course, unlike the traditional classroom, is also at an advantage visually. Net Gen learners are more likely to respond to visual images than a form of straight text. From childhood, we are bombarded by images on television, on billboards, in magazines, and on the Web. A quick survey of newspaper evolution reveals the increased reliance on images–rather than text–to tell the story over time, and Net Gen learners have evolved alongside this phenomenon. To teach the Net Generation, therefore, requires the use of visual images in conjunction with text, a feat easily accomplished through animation and diagrams on the Web.


基于网络的课程,不像传统课堂,具有视觉优势。网络世代学习者更愿意回应视觉化的图像而非普通文本。打小时候起,我们就受到电视、广告牌、杂志、网络的视觉轰炸。有关报纸演变的快速调查显示,随着时间的过去,要讲述一个故事,对图像的依赖程度较文字有增加。网络世代学习者与这种现象同时演变。因此,要教网络世代就要在使用文本的同时,使用直观图像。通过网络上的动画和图表很容易做到这个。





It's a common misconception that students take online courses to avoid the rigor and workload of a traditional classroom. In many cases, that's simply not true. When students choose an online classroom, they still want to be challenged. They still want exploration. And they still want creativity. Net Gen learners are not likely to excel in an environment where they are simply handed material and expected to recite it. Instead, most log on to online courses because they despise this traditional format of lecture and regurgitate. Instead, they feel they learn better in an environment where they can teach themselves. With that in mind, the online professor must find ways to offer students a method of exploration and research within the curriculum. Students might be asked, for example, to abandon the course Web page to search an archive or journal for information on their own. They might be asked to weave current events within the context of the taught material. Or they might employ their own technical savvy to construct research Web pages or blogs.


认为学生参与网络课程是为了避免传统课堂的严格和繁重工作量,这是普遍的误解。在很多情况下,这完全不是事实。当学生选择在线课堂,他们仍然希望挑战、希望探索、希望创造。网络世代学习者不可能在一个仅仅是要求接受材料、背诵材料的环境中表现多优秀。相反,大多数登录网络课程的学生,是因为他们鄙视传统的讲座形式,他们觉得恶心。相反,他们觉得,在一个可以让他们自己教自己的环境中,能学得更好。考虑到这一点,网上教授必须设法在课程中给学生提供探索和研究的方法。比如,可能会要求学生,放弃课程网页,为他们自己的信息搜索文档或期刊。可能会要求他们把重大时事和所教材料结合起来。或者要求他们运用自己的技术能力建立研究网页或日志。





The simple rule is engagement–moving students beyond being mere participants in the class to become active learners and discoverers.


规则很简单,融入——让学生超越仅仅作为课堂的参与者,成为积极的学习者和探索者。


E-Life: The Net Gen on Campus


电子生活:校园里的网络世代


"Do you have a check? You could pay in a check."


“你有一张支票?你可以支付支票。”





I scratched my head as I stood at the counter. Check… Check… I vaguely remembered seeing an unused checkbook tossed carelessly in the trunk of my car that morning. But even if I could locate it, I couldn't be sure it was in the right sequence. Or that I could even remember how to use the darn thing.


我站在柜台前抓抓后脑勺。支票……支票……我依稀记得今天早上在后车厢里看到一本未使用的支票本随意丢在那里。但是即使我能找到它,我也不能保证编号是正确的。我甚至不记得怎么用这破玩意儿!





"Are you sure you can't take a debit card? Or maybe a credit card? I have Visa. Or Mastercard. Is that better?"


“你确定你没有记卡?信用卡?”我有威士卡,万事达卡,是不是更好?





She smiled sympathetically and pointed to the sign behind her: CASH AND CHECKS ONLY.


他同情的微笑着,暗示我:只能用现金或者支票。





I sighed and grabbed my application from the countertop. I needed to add money to my campus account but didn't have the energy to walk across campus to the ATM or to fish my checkbook from my trunk. Dejected, I pushed my way out the door. Just as I left, I heard familiar words from the counter.


我叹了口气,从台面抓起我的申请。我需要将钱汇入学校帐户,但是没有力气穿过校园去自动柜员机,也不愿意在后车厢搜罗支票本。我很沮丧地推门出去。就在这时,我从柜台上听到了熟悉的字眼。





"Cash? I have a debit card. Or could you take my credit card?"


“现金?我有借记卡。或者,你们可以收信用卡么?”





It should be noted, in our defense, that most Net Geners use technology to navigate even the most mundane chores in life. Thanks to online banking, we no longer balance our checkbooks. Because of ATM cards, few of us know what that memo line on checks is even for. We pay bills online. We order books online. If it were a possibility, we would probably order our pizza online. The thought of doing anything in person, therefore, is not just scary, sometimes it's downright confusing.


应当指出,在我们日常生活中,大多数网络世代很依赖技术,在最平凡的生活琐事中也是如此。幸亏有网上银行,我们不再需要平衡支票本。由于有提款卡,我们甚至很少有人知道支票上的备注栏是干什么的。我们在线付账。我们在线购书。只要有可能,我们会在线定快餐。因此,需要人亲自去现场处理事情的想法,不仅是可怕的,有时候也是彻头彻尾的糊涂。





Each new class of Net Geners will have technology to thank for removing one more obstacle from their everyday lives. My older sister, for instance, remembers sleeping outside the registrar's office to be first in line to register for courses during her sophomore year. I have only registered for courses online–in my pajamas–from the comfort of my dorm room. As technology replaces these exercises in our daily life, we expect our colleges and universities to follow suit.


网络世代的每一个新班级,都会用技术移除他们日常生活中的诸多障碍。比方说,我大姐,在他大二的时候睡在注册办公室门外,好第一个注册课程。我是在舒适的宿舍寝室——穿着睡衣——在线注册的。随着技术取代了我们日常生活中的诸多活动,我们期待高校也能跟进。





To make campus and student services more accessible and accommodating for the Net Generation, university staff and administrators must first realize the depth to which technology has revolutionized daily life for us:


为了让校园和学生服务对于网络世代更便利,更亲切,大学员工和管理人员首先必须认识到那些技术彻底改变了我们的日常生活:





  • Plastic or plastic? Cash is disappearing rapidly from our wallets, to be replaced by credit and debit cards. We use these cards for purchases in stores, to pick up tabs in restaurant, and even to swipe at drive-through restaurants. We pay our bills with them and do our shopping with them. In many cases, in fact, students will simply avoid establishments that refuse to accept them.

  • 各种塑料卡片。我们的钱包里早已没有现金,取而代之的是信用卡和借记卡。我们用这些卡在商店购物,在餐馆付账,甚至在免下车餐馆也刷卡。我们用这些卡付账、购物。事实上,在很多情况下,学生们会干脆躲开拒绝信用卡和借记卡的机构。


  • For customer service, press Ctrl+Alt+Delete. Thanks to the marathon waiting times for customer service hotlines and the lack of tasteful elevator music, the Net Gen would much rather log on than call to fix problems or seek advice. Surfing Internet help lines for assistance solves two of our problems: speed and accessibility. It's much faster to find the solution in an online troubleshooter, oftentimes, than to wait for an operator to read from a textbook. It's also more likely that online help can be found any day, at any time. There are no closing times online and no hours of operation.

  • 完全无视客户服务。感谢漫长的客户服务热线等待时间和无聊的电梯音乐,网络世代在解决问题或寻求帮助的时候,宁愿上网也不愿拨打客户服务。上网求助可以解决我们两个问题:速度和方便。多数情况下,从网上高手那儿找到解决办法,要快过等待电话接线员翻阅手册。更因为在线帮助没有时间限制,没有下班时间,没有等待时间


  • Dear Dr. Jones. It's not that we can't use the telephone or find an office, it's that it's just so much more difficult. Using e-mail to set up meetings, ask simple questions, or send in excuses for absences has become so commonplace in the modern classroom that few students turn to anything else. E-mail is less personal and less frightening. You don't have to worry about saying the wrong thing or getting flustered. You can carefully craft your message and spell-check the result. It's much easier to take risks and push the envelope without hearing disapproval or confronting anger. For that reason, the Net Gen will turn to e-mail for everything from job inquiries and applications to meetings with administrators. (As a former college editor, I was shocked to learn that my reporters had even resorted to conducting interviews entirely over e-mail.)

  • 琼斯博士【按:夺宝奇兵,印第安纳·琼斯】。这并不是说我们不用电话、不去找办公室,而是因为它实在太困难。使用电子邮件来安排会议、提出简单的问题、解释缺课原因,在如今的课堂变得极其平凡,极少有学生或使用其它方式。电子邮件不够面对面,但也不让人害怕。你不用担心说错话,手忙脚乱。你可以静心草拟你的文字,最后还可以检查拼写。这样做更容易承担风险、挑战极限,而不需要听到拒绝、承受面对面的怒火。出于这个原因,网络世代会致力于使用电子邮件做任何事情,从求职到申请与管理人员的会谈。(当大学校刊编辑的时候,曾震惊于手下记者甚至经常完全通过电子邮件进行采访。)

  • ATTN: School's Closed. When breaking news hits, students in the Net Generation are more likely to log on to a news Web site for the latest information than to turn on CNN. When we get dressed in the morning, we check WeatherBug or the local television's Web site for the day's weather prediction rather than wait for a forecast on the morning news. When we need information, we expect it immediately and seek it ourselves.

  • 收件人:学校已经关闭。出现突发新闻的时候,网络世代学生更喜欢登陆新闻网站,查看最新信息,而不是打开电视看CNN。我们早上起床的时候,我们检查WeatherBug或者本地电视台网站了解一天的天气预报,而不是等待早间新闻的天气播报。我们需要信息的时候,我们希望信息立刻就来,还是我们自己找到的。


Implications


影响


We aren't expecting, when we enter college, that campus will be the technological equivalent of a science-fiction movie. What we hope, however, is that student services will evolve alongside our own society to reflect the changes we have undergone as passengers on the Information Superhighway.


我们不会奢望,我们进大学的时候,校园里满是科幻电影里的技术。但是我们希望,学生服务能够跟上我们这个世界的步伐,以体现我们作为信息高速公路乘客所经历的变化。


  • Cashless on campus. It is unlikely on today's campus that a random wallet search of a hall of freshmen would reveal more than $100 in cash. Instead, these students would say they only carry their debit, credit, or ATM card. By refusing to accommodate these students, universities place them in a perilous position, stripped of resources when they might need to pick up supplies, run a few copies, or purchase a meal on campus. A number of universities have caught on to the reality of a "cashless campus," installing ATM machines, allowing student ID cards to double as debit cards, or offering secure online transactions with credit cards. But some universities still fail to realize the needs of enrolling Net Geners. In the future, more campus services such as student ticket sales, printing kiosks, and campus eateries should accommodate debit or credit cards.

  • 无现金校园。在现在的校园似乎不大可能实现,随便在哪个新生宿舍翻看一个钱包,都能翻出至少一百块现金。相反,这些学生会说,他们只带得有信用卡、借记卡和提款卡。由于拒绝接纳这些学生,大学将其置于危险境地,但他们需要在校园内获取支持、复制副本、购买食物的时候,他们的资源会遭到剥夺。一些大学已经完全理解“无现金校园”的现实意义,安装了自动柜员机,使用学生身份证充当借记卡,提供安全的信用卡在线交易平台。但是有些大学仍然没有认识到新来的网络世代学生的需求。在未来,更多校园提供的服务,诸如学生售票、打印亭、校园餐馆等都应该支持借记卡和信用卡。

  • Immediate communication. Because we have learned to seek and expect information at the touch of a button, it is simplest to disseminate information in a similar fashion. When inclement weather strikes, for instance, a mass e-mail will reach students before a ticker on the bottom of the local network news. Students will check their e-mail before class before they will check their voicemail or a classroom door for notes posted there. School systems, therefore, must evolve to place less emphasis on phone lines or verbal communication and more on using e-mail and Web sites for the rapid distribution of news, warnings, and alerts.

  • 实时沟通。由于我们已经学会通过按按钮来寻找和期盼信息,这是类似方式当中最简单的传播信息方法。比如,当恶劣天气袭击时,本地新闻底部的横条上面会提示学生有大量邮件。上课前,学生先检查邮件而不是去检查语音信箱或者教室大门看贴得有什么通知。因此,学校系统必须改革,不要再重点发展电话线路或者语音通讯系统,而更应该使用电子邮件和网站来快速发布新闻、警告和预警。


  • Constant access. Whether it be news, shopping, or paying bills, technological advances have made it possible for the Net Gen to access services anytime, anywhere. They have grown accustomed to doing business after midnight or shopping after two o'clock in the morning. Late classes and schedules bulging with club activities, jobs, and study sessions often mean working late into the night. As a result, they have come to demand 24-hour access to university services such as health care, dining, Internet troubleshooting, and libraries. Whether in person or on the Web, current student habits demand a new evaluation of hours of operation and staff accessibility.

  • 持续访问。无论是新闻、购物还是付账,日新月异的技术使得网络世代能够随时随地访问这些服务。他们已经习惯于午夜做事情,半夜两点钟购物。晚上日程表挤满了俱乐部活动、工作、学习任务,常常意味着需要工作到深夜。因此,他们极为需要大学安排医疗保健、餐饮、互联网故障排除和图书馆的二十四小时服务。无论是亲临现场还是在网上,现在的学生习惯需要对工作时间和员工态度做出新的评估。

  • Face time. The Internet has enabled faculty, students, and administrators alike to communicate with more people on a daily basis while only having to physically see a few. As an administrator once lamented, "I can help 30 students each day over e-mail exchanges, but I rarely get the opportunity to meet them." While some might assume the Net Gen loathes face-to-face interaction, the opposite is true. The constant glow of a computer screen and the cacophony of clicking keys has only left the Net Generation longing for more face-to-face interaction with faculty and administrators. Despite the ease of online communications, therefore, faculty and administrators must continue to make a concerted and sincere effort to offer real face time to students and to arrange meetings so that genuine, real-time discussions, which are often stifled online or over inbox communication, can occur.

  • 面谈时间。互联网已经让教师学生和管理人员,均可在日常基础上与更多的人沟通,尽管可能只会亲眼见到其中很少一部分。正如某管理人员曾经感叹道:“通过电子邮件,我每天能帮助三十个学生,但是我几乎没有机会见到他们。”虽然有些人可能会认为网络世代讨厌面对面互动,情况正好相反。不断闪动的计算机屏幕,点击按键的乏味声音,只能令网络世代渴望更多与教师和管理人员的面对面互动。因此,尽管在线通讯十分便捷,但教师和管理人员必须作出协调,共同努力为学生提供面谈时间,安排会晤,以便真实的、实时的讨论。这些常常能减少在线交流和邮箱交流的发生。

Outlook for the Future


展望未来


I arrived home in December to meet a sullen, unresponsive teenage boy: my brother. As I watched him plant himself in front of the computer each night and rush between chores to "check his buddy list," I couldn't help but pull rank.


十二月份我回到家,遇到一个闷闷不乐、反应迟钝的少年:我的弟弟。我看着他每晚都定在计算机前面,在查看朋友名单和做家务之间来回忙碌切换,我不会帮他,我要摆架子。





"You know, in my day, we used to actually call our friends over winter break. And we had to actually have our friends over to play games, we couldn't just do it on the Internet," I said.


我说:“你知道,今天一天,我都在和朋友打电话商量寒假的事情。我和朋友们一起打游戏,我们不会只是上网而已。”





He rolled his eyes. "Right, right, I know," he said. "And your cell phones only made phone calls."


他翻翻白眼:“对,对,我知道。你的电话也只能拿来打电话。”





Suddenly, I felt quite old. The truth is, I haven't called a friend just to chat since my freshman year in college. But the technology that revolutionized my college experience has transformed my younger brother's middle and high school experience. The technology that captivated my imagination as a teenager is a "fossil" in his eyes.


一瞬间,我觉得自己老了。真相是,从大一以来我就没有打电话和朋友聊天。改变我大学体验的技术,改变了我弟弟的中学体验。抓住我想像力的技术,已经被青少年视作“古董”。





The next generation of learners, therefore, will only raise more questions on college campuses. Their lives will be more reliant on technology, their attention spans that much shorter. They will have little concept of checkbooks and scant recollection of landline telephones. Their needs and their values will require a reevaluation of the concepts noted here and a fresh look at the needs and expectations of our nation's college freshmen. By then, the Net Generation will be relics of the first generation of Internet youth, when the Web was still new, page loading still slow, and telephones still in use.


因此,下一代学习者,在大学校园会出现更多问题。他们的生活会更加依赖胡技术,他们的注意力时间会更短。他们更加没有支票本的概念,根本想不起固话座机是什么样子。他们的需求和价值观将会重新评估这里提到的各种概念,对我们国家大学新生的期望和要求会焕然一新。届时,尽管网页仍然很新,页面加载仍然很慢,有线电话仍然在使用,但网络世代将会成为第一代互联网青年眼中的遗迹。





But I'll just read about all that on the Internet.


不过,我只会从网络上阅读这一切。


Endnotes


尾注




  1. Neil Howe and William Strauss, Millennials Rising: The Next Greatest Generation (Vintage Books: New York, 2000).


About the Author


关于作者


Carie Windham is a senior studying history at North Carolina State University. When she is not Googling her own name or instant messaging her friends, she is active in student government, the University Honors Program, and the Center for Student Leadership, Ethics, and Public Service. While at NC State, she has been a member of Phi Beta Kappa and Phi Kappa Phi and recipient of the Park Scholarship. She spends her free time volunteering at Noah's Landing, a nonprofit nature center, and plans to attend graduate school in Northern Ireland on a Mitchell Scholarship in fall 2005.


卡瑞·温德姆:就读于北卡罗莱纳州立大学历史系。在他不用谷歌搜索自己姓名、不和朋友实时通讯的时候,他积极投身于学生管理工作,一项大学荣誉项目,以及学生领导力、道德与公共服务中心。在北卡罗莱纳州立大学的时候,他是两个学生会成员,公园奖学金获得者。他的业余时间在诺亚登录做志愿者,这是一个非盈利自然中心。还计划利用米歇尔奖学金二零零五年秋天在北爱尔兰就读研究生院


http://www.educause.edu/Resources/EducatingtheNetGeneration/TheStudentsPerspective/6061


2009年8月13日星期四

翻译《04 把技术用作学习工具,而不仅仅是新鲜玩具》

Using Technology as a Learning Tool, Not Just the Cool New Thing


把技术用作学习工具,而不仅仅是新鲜玩具



Ben McNeely


本·麦柯尼利

North Carolina State University


北卡罗莱纳州立大学


© Ben McNeely


版权所有(C)本·麦柯尼利





I fully realized the digital age when I first spoke to my grandparents over the "talk" feature on AOL Instant Messenger. How cool is it, I thought, to have grandparents that not only have a computer, but know how to use it? What was more striking was that my grandfather, a man who never had much formal technical education, built not one, but two, computers from parts—motherboard, disk drives, hard drives, and so forth—with the help of my cousin. He has high-speed Internet access, sends and receives e-mail, burns CDs, and chats online using IM. He even built a computer for my grandmother, who uses it to check the obituaries daily on the Winston-Salem Journal Web site and does online jigsaw puzzles. She can no longer do real ones, as the pieces are too small for her to see and grasp.


当我第一次用AIM 和爷爷奶奶对话的时候,我完全明白了什么是数字化时代。我想,爷爷奶奶不仅有计算机,还知道怎么用,这该有多酷?爷爷太出色了,从未接触过多少正式技术教育,但是在我堂兄弟的帮助下,一块主板一块硬盘的组装了两台计算机,还不是一台。他开通了宽带,收发电子邮件,刻录光盘,使用IM 在线聊天。他甚至为奶奶组装了一台计算机,奶奶用来查看《温斯顿塞勒姆日报》网站每天的讣告,也玩在线砌图游戏。他不再玩真实的砌图游戏,因为对他而言,已经看不清也拿不住木块了。


Growing Up with Technology


与技术一起成长


In kindergarten, I was introduced to the Apple II computer. We were herded into the library and seated in front of a big-screen television. There, the librarian demonstrated the computer and its uses. She even showed us a game: The Oregon Trail—arguably the most popular computer game of our generation. It was simple, informative, and interactive. I can't tell you how many times I got my wagon stuck in the mud or how many teammates I killed off with cholera or malaria.


在幼儿园时候,我接触到Apple II 计算机。我们被带到图书馆,坐在大屏幕电视机面前。图书管理员演示计算机如何工作及如何使用。他甚至向我们展示了《俄勒冈小道》游戏——可以说是我们这一代人最受欢迎的计算机游戏。它很简单,有情节,有互动。我无法告诉你,有多少次我的货车陷入泥泞,霍乱、疟疾害死了我多少队友。





For my classmates and me, computers were just tools to get things done. Mastery of technological skills was a way to show we were advancing further than our classmates. In middle school, my family bought our first home computer. We also were hooked up to the Internet for the first time. It was a dial-up connection, slow compared to the instantaneous broadband speeds nowadays, but nonetheless, we were surfing the Net.


对于我和我的同学,计算机只是做事情的工具。掌握技术技能只是证明自己比同学强的一种方式。中学时,家里买了第一台家用计算机。我也第一次上网。当时还是拨号连接,与今天宽带的高速相比很慢,虽然如此,我还是开始上网冲浪了。





As a Boy Scout, my troop would participate in scout shows at the local mall. While other troops demonstrated traditional scouting skills, like pitching tents and lashing up towers, my troop set up a computer cluster and took digital pictures of people in the mall. Using Photoshop, we cut their images out of the pictures, placed them on backgrounds of their choosing, and gave them printouts.


作为一名童子军,我的童子军小队要参加在本地商场举行的童子军演出。其他小队展示了传统童子军技能,比如支帐篷、吊吊床,我们小队搭建了一套计算机集群,拍下商场中所有人的数码相片。利用PS,我们挖出人像,把他们放入他们选择的背景中,然后打印出来。





My brother, a senior in high school, now uses WebAssign to complete homework problems for chemistry class. A Web-based learning application developed at North Carolina State University (NCSU), WebAssign is used across disciplines as a way for teachers to assess their students and offer supplemental information outside the lecture. He even applied to college using an online application.


我弟弟,今年高三,现在使用WebAssign 来完成化学课的家庭作业。这是北卡罗莱纳州立大学(NCSU)开发的一套基于网页的学习程序,可以跨学科使用。教师可以用来评估他们的学生,可以补充课堂之外的附加信息。他甚至可以用于已经上网了的高校。





As a member of the Net Generation, I have been surrounded by advances in digital technology, almost to the point where I cannot do my work as a journalist without it. In university, I have used assessment tools such as WebAssign and WebCT in classes as supplements to lecture and textbook. But now technology is advancing at such a rate that traditional ways of teaching and learning are not pushing students and teachers to their full potential. By using IT properly in the classroom, teaching and learning are enhanced and given a new dimension. Before curricula can be created to challenge the Net Generation, though, faculty must know how Net Geners learn and interact with each other, with technology, and with life in general. Remember that word—interact.


作为一名网络世代,我一直紧跟数码技术的发展,几乎到了没有数码技术就没法干我的记者工作的地步。大学期间,我在课堂上使用WebAssign 和WebCT 等评估工具,补充讲义和课本的不足。由于现在技术的发展速度非常快,传统的教学方法已经不能发掘学生和教师的全部潜质。通过在课堂上恰当使用信息技术,教和学都能得到提高,并为教育赋予了新的内涵。话虽如此,在课程足够挑战网络世代之前,教师必须知道网络世代一般如何在与他人互动、学习、如何与技术互动、学习、如何在日常生活中互动、学习。记住这个词:互动。


How the Net Gen Learns


网络世代如何学习


Are you interested in knowing how Net Geners learn? Let me illustrate using my friends, me, and my grandfather.


你有兴趣了解网络世代是如何学习的么?让我用我的朋友、我本人以及我爷爷的故事向你解释。


Learning by Doing


做中学


Patrick Clarke, graphics editor for a student newspaper, sits down at a computer and launches Adobe InDesign. He opens a template for the news page and pulls in graphics, pictures, and text. He manipulates the blocks on the virtual newspaper page, moving back and forth between two other Adobe products, Photoshop and Illustrator. By the time the page is sent to the printer for printing, the elements on the page would have been manipulated, edited, and reedited at least a dozen times. Patrick is a creative and dynamic designer, but he is not a design major—he's in computer engineering.


帕特里克·克拉克,学生报纸的图片编辑,坐在计算机前,正在运行Adobe InDesign 。他打开一份新闻页面的模板,填入图形、像片和文字。他在虚拟的新闻页面上摆布版块,在其他两个Abode 产品Photoshop 和 Illustrator 之间来回切换。在页面送往打印之前,页面上的元素都会被摆布、编辑、修改不下十余次。帕特里克是一个富有创造性和活力的设计师,但他不是设计专业出身,他读的是计算机工程。





Chris Reynolds is a business major and wants to open a music store when he graduates. In his spare time, he is a DJ musician. He spins and mixes his own beats, using a computer, sound-editing software, turntables, and a keyboard. He teamed up with a friend to make a how-to video on spinning. They used digital video and professional editing software to create the video. Because he is a DJ, he worries about court cases involving the music industry. A recent case where the use of "sampling" was ruled illegal hit him hard, as sampling is widely used by DJs when they create their music.


克里斯·雷诺兹读的是贸易专业,打算毕业后开一家音乐商店。空闲的时候,他是一名DJ作曲家。他使用计算机、音频编辑软件、转盘、键盘制作并混音节拍。他与朋友配合,制作了一段如何转盘的入门视频。他们使用数码摄像机和专业编辑软件制作者份视频。由于他是DJ,他很关心音乐界的法律官司。最近一例案子,“使用片段”被判非法,这让他很难受,因为DJ在创作音乐的时候普遍使用别人乐曲片段。





Jake Seaton is a big arts and entertainment fan. He lives and breathes for music, movies, and anything Hollywood. He can tell you about film and music history and can quote even the most obscure lines from zombie movies (his favorite). He also is up-to-date on the latest in computer and console gaming. He chose a multidisciplinary degree in music journalism and has taken distance-education courses. In high school he won a state architecture award and has taught himself to use Photoshop and InDesign.


杰克·希顿,艺术与娱乐的深度爱好者。他为音乐、电影和好莱坞的所有东西而活。他可以告诉你电影和音乐的历史,甚至可以引用最晦涩的僵尸电影(他的最爱)的台词。他还时刻关心计算机游戏和电子游戏的最新动态。他选择音乐新闻学这个跨学科学位,也在上远程教育课程。高中时候,他赢得了全州建筑奖,并自学Photoshop 和 InDesign 。





These are representatives of the Net Generation. They all use computers in their class work and in their hobbies. They have a wide range of interests, outside their chosen area of study. They are not locked into one thing, although all are highly motivated and pursue their interests with passion. They use the latest in technology, whether cell phones, computers, PDAs, MP3 players, or digital cameras. They expect things to work properly and work fast. They get bored if not challenged properly, but when challenged, they excel in creative and innovative ways. They learn by doing, not by reading the instruction manual or listening to lectures. These are the learners that faculty must reach.


他们都代表了网络世代。他们都在学习工作和娱乐爱好中使用计算机。他们兴趣广泛,超出学习领域。尽管每一件事情都非常刺激,吸引着他们的兴趣和激情,但是他们并不拘泥于某一件事。无论是手机、计算机、PDA、MP3 播放器、数码相机,他们都使用技术最新的。他们期待所有事情都正常而快速的工作。如果没有挑战他们会觉得很无聊。遇到挑战,他们很擅长以创新的方式解决。他们通过实践来学习,而非阅读说明书、聆听讲座。他们都是教师必须去理解的学习者。





When I first came to NCSU in 2000, I came to a public university dedicated to technology. There were numerous computer labs all over campus, and professors actively used assessment tools like WebAssign and WebCT in their classes. In an experimental psychology class, I used SAS statistical software to crunch data I collected from experiments. I used online message boards to post ideas and criticism in my opinion/editorial writing class.


2000年,我第一次来到NCSU,我发觉来到一所致力于技术的公立大学。无数计算机实验室遍布校园,教授在课堂上积极使用WebAssign 和 WebCT 等评估工具。在实验心理学课上,我使用SAS 统计软件分析我在试验中收集到的数据。我在网上公告栏上张贴编辑写作课上的思路、见解





In my technical document design class, I experienced the best use of technology in a class: hands-on, experimental, and interactive. This course covered the fundamental designs of technical documents: instruction manuals, memos, resumes, and so forth. Taught in a computer lab, the class sat one student to a computer. We learned to use Adobe Pagemaker, the most popular desktop publishing program at the time. With basic exercises from the instructor and trial-and-error assignments with broad guidelines, I learned not only how to use the program but also design fundamentals—by doing the actual design, not by reading it out of a book.


在我的技术文档设计课上,我体验到技术在课堂上的最佳运用:动手、试验、互动。该课程涵盖了技术文档的基本设计:说明书、备忘录、履历等等。该课程在计算机实验室授课,安排一人一机。我们学习使用Adobe Pagemaker,时下最流行的桌面排版软件。从课堂上的基本练习,到在宽泛指导下的课外不断摸索,而不是从书中读来。





This is how the Net Generation learns: by doing. Many of my peers have emerged as the leaders of my generation. They will go on to become the leaders of our nation in many different roles—politicians, business executives, artisans, scientists, and journalists. Much like how we learn by doing, we lead by doing; that is, by practicing the art and science of our chosen paths.


这就是网络世代的学习方式:做中学。我的许多伙伴已经成为我们这一代人的领袖人物。他们将继续成为国家诸多领域的领袖人物——政治家、商业主管、熟练工匠、科学家、记者。正如我们在实践中学习那样,我们也在工作中领导。这就是,实践我们所选道路的科学和技术。


Human Interaction


人际互动


Generational differences in learning techniques are apparent in how people of different ages approach technology. It has been said that we, the Net Generation, are closer to our grandparents—the Greatest Generation—in our work ethic and optimism about the future than to our parents' generation. But how we approach problems is totally different.


不同年纪的人处理技术的方式,体现了两代人不同的学习技巧。有人说,我们网络世代,在职业道德和对未来的乐观上,远比我们的父辈更像我们的祖辈——伟大的一代。但是我们处理问题的方式完全不同。





My grandfather is a tinkerer—he figures out how things work by trial and error. He is very mechanically inclined and has spent his life working on many kinds of machinery. But when it comes to computers, he approaches it one thing at a time, step by step.


我的祖父是一名修补匠,他找出事物运作机制的方法是反复尝试。他非常喜欢机械,他全身心的投入到各种机械上。涉及到计算机的时候,他一次处理一个问题,循序渐进。





Every time I come home from college, he has a new problem for me to fix on his computer. He will fiddle and fiddle with a program until he is befuddled. Usually it is because he missed a step somewhere. If I show him and write down steps, he takes the information I've given him and works it out for himself. Even though the computer's parts are more complex than a carburetor or gear drives, the skills my grandfather used to put it together came from decades of tinkering with machines. He still uses a step-by-step thinking process used in mechanical arts to figure out software and basic functions like e-mail and Internet browsing.


我每次从大学回家,他的计算机上总有新问题需要我解决。他会一直拨弄问题,直到完全糊涂。通常是因为他在某处少执行一步。我给他演示一遍,把步骤写下来,他就能够以葫芦画瓢自己做出来。尽管计算机零部件远比化油器或者齿轮传动更复杂,但我祖父组装计算机的技能,却来自数十年修补机器的经验。坚持使用机械时代的循序渐进流程找出软件的基本功能,比如电子邮件、上网浏览。





Similarly, Patrick sits down with a new piece of design software and tinkers with its features. "Usually, if it is from a software company I know, I can figure out a new program easily," he said. He has fundamental knowledge about how certain software should work. By tinkering, he can figure out shortcuts and pick up the gist of the program quickly.


同样,帕特里克开始使用一款新的设计软件,胡乱尝试各种功能。他说:“通常,如果我知道开发它的软件公司,我会更容易掌握新程序。”他掌握了某种软件工作方法的基本知识。通过尝试,他能掌握快捷键,很快从整体上掌握程序。





Even though Patrick uses step-by-step problem-solving skills, he also is pulling information from his own memory, experience, and base knowledge to master the new program. Patrick has had almost two decades of experience working with computers—almost to the point that it is second nature. My grandfather, on the other hand, has only had about five years of computer experience. Because they have been wired since grade school, Net Geners are likely to grasp technological concepts faster.


尽管帕特里克使用循序渐进的解决问题技能,但他也从记忆经验和基本知识当中寻找信息,摸索新程序。帕特里克几乎有二十年的计算机使用经验——使用计算机几乎成了他的第二本能。另一方面,我的祖父,只有五年的计算机使用经验。由于网络世代从小学起就接触上网,他们理解技术概念会更快。





But the same "tinkering" practice applies in the classroom: doing hands-on work and working in groups, students get a better grasp of concepts the professor is trying to teach. Using technology only enhances the hands-on experience; it does not—and cannot—replace human interaction. There's that word again.


由于“摸索”方法同样可以用于课堂:小组合作,做实践工作,学生能更好的理解教授正在教授的概念。使用技术只能增强实践经验,使用技术不应该也不可能替换人际互动。又提到互动这个词了。


Interaction, not Isolation


要互动,不要孤立


Distance education is the popular option for nontraditional learners. With many traditional industries such as manufacturing and textiles going offshore, 20-year veterans of the workplace are being laid off and going back to school to learn a new trade. Distance education—through Internet and video courses—helps those who have to work a job and go to school at the same time better schedule their learning opportunities. These people are usually older, in their 30s or 40s, and are learning to use technology, like the Internet and computers, while training for a new career. In theory, the Net Generation should learn better through Internet courses because they have been surrounded by computers all their lives and know how to use the technology already.


远程教育是非传统学习者的热门选择。由于许多传统行业,诸如制造业、纺织业,都转移海外,二十年工龄的熟练工人被解雇,回到学校学习新手艺。远程教育——通过互联网和电视课程——帮助那些有工作、同时要进学校的人,更好的规划学习机会。这些人通常年纪比较大,三四十岁,在为新职业接受培训,学习互联网和计算机之类的技术。理论上,通过网络课程,网络世代应该学得更好,因为他们生活中充满了计算机,而且他们已经知道如何使用技术。





Just the opposite is true. Net Geners like the social interaction that comes with being in class with their peers. While they may use technology in their daily lives, relationships are a driving force in the learning process.


事实上正好相反。网络世代喜欢与班上的伙伴进行社会互动。虽然他们可能在日常生活中使用技术,但是他们学习过程的驱动力却是人际关系。





Jake Seaton, as a part of his multidisciplinary degree, took a video course through distance education—and didn't like it. "I needed the structure of going to class. I would go to my other classes and then come home and have another class to watch on TV," he said. "I didn't like it. At the end of the day, I wanted to be done, not have to work at a class at home."


杰克·希顿,选择了一门远程教育的电视课程,作为他跨学科学位的一部分,但是他不喜欢这门课。他说:“我需要走进教室。我在教室上一些课程,然后回家看电视上另外的课程,我不喜欢。我希望一天结束的时候什么都结束,不想在家还要上课。”





This is typical among Net Geners: learning through social interaction is important. Feedback from the professor is vital, and working in groups is the norm. Arman Assa, MBA candidate and president of PackMUG—the Mac Users Group at NCSU—said that learning technology has not advanced enough to replace the social interaction in the classroom. "Historically, communal learning has always been the most effective way for educating the student and generating thought-provoking discussion in class. I don't believe technology has reached a point where we can duplicate that effectively on a computer," Assa said. "Some instructors argue that chat rooms, message boards, and instant messaging are good substitutes, but they are by no means replacements for the exchange of tacit knowledge.


这在网络世代中很典型:通过社会互动进行学习,非常重要。教授的反馈至关重要,小组工作则是必不可少。阿尔曼·阿萨,在读工商管理硕士,PackMUG(NCSU 苹果用户小组)负责人,表示,教学技术还不足以取代教室中的社会互动。他说:“从历史上看,社区学习始终是教育学生、激发课堂上的发人深省的讨论的最有效方法。我不相信技术能够让我们在计算机上重复这一切,某些教师认为,聊天室、论坛、实时通讯,是很好的替代品,但这些绝不意味着可以取代隐性知识交流。”





"Does this mean that interactive technology is bad for the classroom? No. It means that it should simply augment what is already there," Assa continued. "For instance, one of my human resource classes in the MBA [program] has regular classroom discussion, but the instructor augments it with message board interaction. It was a very effective tool for helping introverts who don't talk in class to join the discussion."


阿萨继续说道:“这是否意味着互动技术不适合教室?不,这意味着它只应该对已有事物起到增强作用。举例来说,我工商管理硕士课程的一个人力资源课程,定期举行课堂讨论,教师使用公告板来增强讨论。对于那些性格内向、不愿在班级讨论中开口的人,这是一个非常有效的工具。”


Cut-and-Paste Culture


复制粘贴文化


Technology is everywhere. Net Geners cannot remember a time in their education where a computer was not used for some learning experience. Because of this "tech-savviness," traditional educational practices and ethics are coming into question. Cheating, for example, always a major academic infraction, is on the rise on college campuses—and technology is helping with cheating. Talk to students and any one of them will tell you that cheating is prevalent and part of the culture, especially in technical disciplines. That is, if you use the strict definition of cheating.


技术无处不在。网络世代记不住他们在教育中把计算机用于学习体验之外的时刻。由于这种“技术精明”,传统的教学训练和教育道德正在受到质疑。比如,在大学校园,舞弊,始终都是重大的学术违规,现在正在增多——技术正在协助舞弊。只要问问学生,任何一个都会告诉你,舞弊很盛行,是当今文化的一部分,特别是在技术学科——如果你要严格定义舞弊的话。





NCSU uses WebCT and WebAssign extensively. Since a faculty member cannot directly supervise students and only the answers are recorded in WebAssign, not how the student came up with them, students often work together on their assignments. But students must submit their own answers. In computer engineering, students must write a program and submit it as a part of learning different coding languages. Patrick says these programs are worked over with a fine-tooth comb. "The TAs and instructors run the programs line-by-line to see if any code was copied," he said. "There may be opportunity to cheat, but you will get caught." He adds that there is not much opportunity to cheat during exams.


NCSU 广泛使用WebCT 和WebAssign。由于教师不能直接监督,只能看到记录在WebAssign 的学生答案,而不是学生得到答案的过程,因此学生往往共同完成功课。但学生又必须提交自己的答案。在计算机工程课上,学生必须写一段程序,作为学习不同的编码语言功课的一部分提交。帕特里克说,这些程序要经过篦子梳一遍。他说:“教师和助教逐行运行这些程序,看是否有代码是拷贝来的。可以作弊,但会被抓住。”他补充说,在考试的时候没有多少机会舞弊。





Plagiarism is the academic infraction of choice. How can it not be, though? Information is easily available from the Internet, especially from sites like Wikipedia. Old term papers are being sold online. Because the Internet provides easy information fast, the temptation to click "copy/paste" and pull in quotes from a Web site without attribution is great. But students still get caught because faculty members can search for familiar phrases or quotes to root out plagiarism.


剽窃,是精心准备的学术违规。怎样才能消除剽窃?信息,很容易从网上找到,特别是在维基百科之类的网站上。旧的学期论文正在网上销售。由于互联网能提供方便快捷的信息,点击复制粘贴,从网站上不加署名的引用文章,诱惑非常大。但是学生仍然会被抓,因为教师能够搜索熟悉的词汇或引文,找出哪些是剽窃的。





Cheating is on the rise in universities. Is it because students aren't learning the material? Or is it because their learning and work ethic are so different from their professors that working together to solve a problem is no longer that serious an infraction? Remember that teamwork has been emphasized to Net Geners since the first day of kindergarten. Businesses are also looking for graduates who can work effectively in teams.


在高校,作弊不断增多。是因为学生没有研究素材?或者是因为他们的学习道德和职业道德,和跟他们一起解决问题的教授完全不同,以至于不再把违规当回事?记住,从上幼儿园第一天开始,网络世代就一直受到团队合作的教育。企业也在寻找能够开展有效团队工作的毕业生。





Based on the very social nature of Net Geners and the tremendous amount of information available to students these days at the touch of a button, the traditional definition of cheating is changing. How faculty assess students is changing as well. Faculty still give written exams (in English, it is still a certainty), but they must be ever more vigilant to catch the cheating student. Cell phones and text messaging have allowed students to text back and forth between each other, conferring through the airwaves on exam questions. Because of emerging technologies, faculty are having to adapt their classes and how they assess students in order to uphold academic integrity.


基于网络世代高度社会性特征,以及学生如今只要按下鼠标就能获得海量信息的现状,舞弊的传统定义正在发生改变。教师对学生的评价也正在改变。教师仍然给出书面考试(在语文课,肯定是的),但是他们必须加倍警惕,防止学生舞弊。手机和短信帮助学生彼此传送文字,通过电波商量考试题。由于新技术的出现,教师不得不调整课堂,调整他们评价学生的方式,以维护学术的正直。


Challenges for Higher Education


高等教育面临的挑战


So what do Net Geners want from learning technology? Interactivity—whether it is with a computer, a professor, or a classmate. They want it; they crave it. Traditional lectures are not fulfilling the learning potential of typical students today. Distance education and online courses don't work well with Net Geners—the social component of learning is required. As technology in the classroom progresses, more and more students are going to demand it be included. This will pose challenges, though.


那么,网络世代想从学习技术得到什么?互动——不拘是和计算机还是教授、同学。他们需要互动,他们渴望互动。传统课堂并不能开发今日典型学生的学习潜力。远程教育和在线课程在网络世代这里行不通——缺少了学习的社交部分。随着技术在课堂上的进展,越来越多学生要求课堂中使用技术。但这会对学校构成挑战。


Funding


资金


First, technology costs money. What else is new? Faculty members can receive grants for using technology in the classroom and developing new learning technologies. This is fine on the department level, but for a university to implement learning technology on a massive scale will take an act of Congress. State legislatures are listening and meeting the basic technological needs for public universities. But it takes bond referendums for state-of-the-art classrooms in order to implement technology on a university level. And bonds are paid by the taxpayers because the referendums are voted upon by the taxpayers. No vote, no bonds. So it goes, I suppose.


首先,技术很烧钱。另外,什么才是最新的?教师能够获得拨款,以帮助在教室中使用技术、开发新的学习技术。这在系部一级很好,但是对于大学试图在大范围内实施学习技术,需要以通过议案的形式。各州议会正在聆听并满足公立大学的基本技术需求。对于发行在大学级别上部署最先进技术教室的债券,还需要投票表决。由于投票是由纳税人表决的,因此债券需要纳税人支付。没有表决,没有债券。我想,如此而已


Access and Skills


机会与技能


Second, students need to be able to use the technology. In North Carolina, students must pass a computer competency test in the eighth grade before being promoted to high school. They are tested on the most fundamental computer skills: word processing, creating a spreadsheet, using Web browsers, and e-mail. Beyond that, students either pick up skills on their own, take a class outside the primary educational setting—say at a community college or library—or don't learn at all. Users—even Net Geners—will only learn so much when operating a computer. The average student will use a computer for homework, online chatting, checking e-mail, and surfing the Internet. The more advanced users will know how to write a simple Web page, update a ready-made blog site, or download music and movies—perhaps illegally—and burn CDs. But for the most part, users have no knowledge about how to set up a local area network or how to troubleshoot their own computer for minor problems.


其次,学生必须能够使用这种技术。在北卡罗来纳州,学生必须通过计算机资格测试八级才能升入高中。测试的是最基本的计算机技能:文字处理、创建电子表格、使用网页浏览器、电子邮件。除此之外,学生也可以参加正教育机构之外的班级——比如社区大学或者图书馆,学习自己需要的技能,或者什么都不学。用户——甚至网络世代——只需要学会操作计算机那么点东西。普通学生拿计算机用来做家庭作业、在线聊天、检查邮件、冲浪互联网。更高阶用户知道如何编写简单网页、更新现成的博客网站,下载音乐和电影——有可能是非法的——然后刻录光盘。但是对于大多数人,都不知道如何建立本地局域网,或者如何解决自己计算机的小问题。





On a more fundamental level, there is such a thing as a "digital divide." Technology is expensive, and the only way for some school systems to afford computer labs is if computers are donated. These computers often are refurbished and several years old. While they are useful in teaching fundamental skills, like those tested for in the North Carolina standardized computer test, they will not be able to support the latest technology. Once a computer or software is released on the market, it is usually replaced in 18 months. How can a Pentium II running Windows 95 properly prepare a high school or college student for the working world, which uses Windows XP? It can't. These computers ideally should be relatively up to date and able to provide students with not only fundamental skills but also the chance to learn intermediate and advanced skills as the "cool new thing" rolls out of the factory.


在更基本的层面上,有所谓的“数字化鸿沟”。技术是昂贵的,对于某些学校,所提供的计算机实验室,计算机都是捐赠的。这些计算机多是翻新数年前的。虽然可以用于教授基本技能,比如北卡罗来纳州标准化计算机测试所测试的技能,但是都不支持最新技术。市场上推出的计算机或者软件,通常会在十八个月后被取代。运行视窗九五的奔腾二代怎么能让高中大学生为职场做好准备——那里运行的都是视窗XP?不能。理想中,这些计算机都应该是最新的,不仅能为学生提供基本技能,也能够让他们学到中级和高级技能,例如刚出厂的“新奇玩意”。





There are students who cannot afford a personal computer in their homes and must rely on technology in their schools or local libraries. There are even students whose first real experience with technology will come when they go to college. How can they possibly survive in the high-tech college world if they don't know the basics?


有学生家里买不起个人计算机,必须依靠学校或当地图书馆的技术。甚至有学生进了大学才第一次真正体验到计算机技术。如果他们不掌握基本技能,他们怎么才能在这高科技高校世界存活下去?





Colleges need to teach students computer skills beyond fundamentals. Skills such as digital document archiving, Web page design using Dreamweaver or Flash, setting up wireless networks, and using a firewall are quickly becoming the norm, where in the past they were considered advanced knowledge. Even basic upkeep and troubleshooting is still left up to tech-support hotlines, often located halfway around the world. These are the skills students need to know to be competitive. Many colleges offer introductory courses in computer science that are available as electives in many disciplines. Updating the intro course curricula—or even the state standardized tests—will go a long way in fostering computer skills.


高校必须教会学生更高级的计算机技能。归档数码文档、使用Dreamweaver 或 Flash 设计网页,设置无线网络,使用防火墙,这些技能正在变成基本技能,过去这些都被认为是先进技术。世界上有一半的人,甚至连基本的维护和解决问题都需要技术热线来做。这些技能都是想要具有竞争力的学生需要知道的。许多高校提供计算机科学的入门课程,在许多专业都是选修课程。更新这些入门课程——甚至州级标准化测试——的内容,将会极大促进对计算机技能的培养。





While usability has gotten better as operating systems have progressed, you still hear comments like "I can't use a Mac, I use Windows," or "I only know how to word process on my computer, I can't use MS Word on a Mac." Even though the Net Generation learns quickly, the old adage "You can't teach an old dog new tricks" still applies. The inability to move between platforms—and the lack of accelerated fundamental skills—is a major hindrance to learning technology. The workforce is so competitive that the difference in knowing how to set up a simple network and basic computer troubleshooting over knowing just document preparation could mean a job down the road. It will be a challenge to overcome, but it isn't impossible.


虽然随着操作系统的发展,可用性越来越好,但是你依然会听到这样一些评论:“我不会使用苹果,我用的是视窗”或者“我只知道怎么在我计算机上处理文字,我不会用苹果机上的MS Word。”即便网络世代学得很快,但是老话“朽木不可雕”仍然在理。不能在平台之间移动——以及缺少速成的基本技能——是学习技术的主要障碍。


Interaction


互动


Third, technology must be relevant and interactive to the coursework. A faculty member who uses PowerPoint in a lecture is not using technology interactively. Students need a practical use for technology, whether to manipulate data or to explore the inner recesses of the human body without cutting up cadavers. Students need to communicate quickly with each other, but in a centralized manner. That is why message boards are great. Members-only message boards allow students and faculty to communicate with each other. Plus, faculty members can use the course lockers during lectures and provide information outside lecture for students to explore at their own pace.


第三,技术必须与课业挂钩并互动。教师在演讲的时候使用演示文稿,算不上交互的使用技术。学生需要用技术来实践,不管是处理数据还是在不解剖尸体的情况下探究人体内部。学生需要彼此快速沟通,但前提是集中管理。这就是留言板是个好东西的原因。需要注册成员的留言板可以让学生何老师彼此交流。另外,教师可以在讲课期间使用课程专用柜【按:网络硬盘】,提供课程之外的信息,帮助学生按照自己的步子探究。


Relevance


关联


Fourth, technology must be used for a practical purpose—that is, taking the fundamentals and technology learned over a semester and applying it to a final project, where creativity and uniqueness is required and rewarded. In my technical document design class, we had to create a useful technical document: write the text and design a technical document using Pagemaker. My group designed an instruction booklet for a video game. Chris Reynolds used his sound-editing software to help a friend with a music project. They wrote a short piece of music, recorded and edited it, and burned it to a CD for the professor to evaluate. Chris was excited because it gave him a chance to "play" with his software. While he doesn't use his music software in his business courses, he is learning skills that could be marketable after college. Plus, his friend got an "A" on the project.


第四,技术必须用于具体目的,即,运用学了一整学期的原理和技术,应用到期末设计,这里要求并奖励创造与独特。在我的技术文档设计课程中,我们需要创建一份有用的技术文档:写下文字,用Pagemaker 设计技术文档。我们小组为电子游戏设计了说明手册。克里斯·雷诺兹利用音频剪辑软件帮助朋友的音乐设计。他们制作了一小段音乐,录下来,然后编辑,最后刻录到光盘,交给教授评估。克里斯很兴奋,因为有了一个机会让他可以“玩”他的软件。虽然在他的商务课程中不能使用音乐软件,但是他学到了毕业后可以赚钱的技能。另外,他的朋友的设计得到了“优”





Using technology for some practical purpose, and not for the sake of using technology, must be the clear objective. "Students are often the guinea pigs in 'IT-enabled' classes as faculty test out whether the latest innovations actually help learning," Assa said. "Some faculty, in an effort to use the latest buzzword or receive the next big grant, are testing technology simply for the sake of technology, rather than using technology as a tool for learning, such as paper and pencils. When people focus too much on technology, they lose sight of the true purpose of technology, which is to facilitate learning in the classroom."


为某些具体目的使用技术,不是为了技术而用技术,这个目标必须清楚。阿萨说:“在使用信息技术的课堂上,学生常常成为小白鼠,因为教师要试出最新革新是否真的有助于学习。某些教师,为了追求使用最新术语,或者追求下一笔捐赠,仅仅为了技术去使用技术,而不是把技术作为学习的工具,比如笔和纸那样。人们过多关注技术,就会忽视技术的真正目的,而这目的才是推动课堂学习的动力。”


The Next Generation


下一代


Turn on the TV on Saturday mornings and watch cartoons for an hour. Count how many commercials there are for interactive toys for toddlers and young children. Even babies have "learning centers," with flashing colored lights and music. Whether or not the "Mozart Effect"—the theory that musical stimulation increases IQ scores—exists, parents have latched onto the idea that it does, and toy makers are obliging and capitalizing on their belief.


星期六早上打开电视,看一个小时的动画片。数数有多少针对低龄幼儿的互动玩具广告。甚至婴儿都有带着五光十色的彩色灯光和音乐的“学习中心”。不管“莫扎特效应”——该理论认为音乐此技能增加智商——是否存在,家长们接受了这种思想有效的观点,和蔼可亲的玩具制造商从中大赚特赚。





These new learners are exposed to technology—even on a rudimentary scale—from nearly the womb onward. My mother's kindergarten class uses the computer for learning games that reinforce counting and spelling skills. A quarter of the population has a computer at home, and many more have access to a computer—and the number continues to grow every year.


这些新的学习者从胎儿时期就开始接触到技术——甚至是最起码的规模。我母亲的幼儿园,使用计算机来学习游戏,增强数数和拼写技能。四分之一人口家里拥有计算机,更多人接触过计算机,这一数字每年都在增长。





The next generation of learners will meet and surpass the Net Generation's expectations of educational standards. Those standards will only be met if faculty and administrators today establish the infrastructure of learning technology in the classroom. And not just using PowerPoint in the lecture hall, but understanding how technology can be used to reach the most people in an effective way. It will take great effort on both sides—students and faculty alike—to learn and use technology effectively. But the benefits will be well worth the effort.


下一代学习者会达到并超越网络世代对教育标准的期望。要达到这些标准,只有等如今的教师和管理人员建立起教室中学习技术的架构。不只是在演讲大厅使用演示文稿,还要明白技术是如何有效影响绝大多数人的。这需要两边——学生和教师——努力学习和有效使用技术。回报一定会超过付出的。


About the Author


关于作者


Ben McNeely is the managing editor of Technician, the student newspaper at North Carolina State University. A senior in English, Ben hosts a talk show on WKNC-FM and also contributes to the yearbook and to the online magazine Americana. As an officer in PackMUG, the Macintosh Users Group at NC State, he was instrumental in bringing Steve Wozniak, cofounder of Apple Computer, to campus as a speaker. McNeely, an aspiring journalist and Eagle Scout, is interested in technology's impact on today's society and its implications for the future.


本·麦柯尼利,是北卡罗莱纳州立大学学生报纸《技术员》的总编。文学系大四学生,本主持WKNC-FM 的一档谈话节目,参与年鉴编辑,参与在线杂志《美洲文献》的工作。作为PackMUG ——北卡州苹果用户小组的工作人员,他协助邀请苹果电脑公司创始人史蒂夫•沃兹尼亚克,来校园演讲。麦柯尼利,有抱负的记者,最高级童子军,对技术对今日社会及未来的影响很感兴趣。


http://www.educause.edu/Resources/EducatingtheNetGeneration/UsingTechnologyasaLearningTool/6060


2009年8月12日星期三

翻译《03 网络世代对技术和学习的期待》

Technology and Learning Expectations of the Net Generation


网络世代对技术和学习的期待



Gregory R. Roberts


格利高里·罗伯茨

University of Pittsburgh–Johnstown


匹兹堡-约翰斯敦大学


© Gregory R. Roberts


版权所有(R)格利高里·罗伯茨


Introduction


前言


I am a member of the Net Generation. The Internet and related technologies have had a major influence on my generation's culture and development. Many, if not most, Net Generation students have never known a world without computers, the World Wide Web, highly interactive video games, and cellular phones. For a significant number, instant messaging has surpassed the telephone and electronic mail as the primary form of communication. It is not unusual for Net Geners to multitask using all three communication methods at once, while still surfing the Web and watching television.


我是一名网络世代。互联网及相关技术对我们这一代人的文化和发展有着重大影响。多数,即便不是绝大多数,网络世代学生从未想过世界上可以没有计算机,万维网、高度互动的电子游戏、手机。对于相当数量的人,实时通讯,已经超过电话和电子邮件,成为首要交流形式。网络世代同时使用这三种交流方式,并不罕见,而且还同时上网和看电视。





Higher education often talks about the Net Generation's expectations for the use of technology in their learning environments. However, few efforts have been made to directly engage students in a dialogue about how they would like to see faculty and their institutions use technology to help students learn more effectively. Through a series of interviews, polls, focus groups, and casual conversations with other students, I gained a general understanding of the Net Generation's views on technology and learning.1


高等教育常常谈及网络世代对在其学习环境中使用技术的期待。然而,少数人努力直接与学生对话,讨论他们如何看待教师和教育机构利用技术帮助学生学的更有效。通过一系列访谈、调查、小组讨论、与其他学生闲聊,就网络世代对技术和学习的看法,我获得了普遍认识。


Technology Expectations of the Net Generation


网络世代的技术期待


To better understand what the Net Generation expects from technology in support of learning, we must first understand how the Net Generation defines technology. In one-on-one interviews, I asked my fellow students at colleges and universities across the country to complete the sentence, To me, technology is ____________.2 The following responses reflect the wide range one would expect from such a broad group; they also provide some common threads that hint at a shared perspective.


为了更好地理解网络世代是如何期待技术支持学习,我们必须首先了解网络世代是如何定义技术的。在一对一的访谈中,我要求全国各地的大学同学填完这句话,对我而言,技术是__________。以下回答反映了人们广泛的期待,人们提供了常见线索暗示着相同的期待。





To me, technology is…


对我而言,技术是:





  • "Reformatting my computer system and installing cutting-edge software that allows me to do what I want, when I want, without restrictions, viruses, and the rules of Bill Gates." —Jody Butler, Junior, Idaho State University

  • “重新格式化我的计算机系统,安装更先进的软件,做我想做,没有限制,没有病毒,也没有比尔盖茨的规矩。”——爱达荷州州立大学,大三学生,乔迪·巴特勒

  • "The ability to adapt and configure an already established program to [something that] benefits me daily, be it customizing WeatherBug to state the weather in my particular region or formatting my cell phone pad to recognize commonly used phrases in text messaging." —Christopher Bourges, Senior, Duke University

  • “修改配置已经建立起来的每天能给我带来好处的计划的能力。可以是定制桌面天气,获取本地天气,还可以是编排手机软件,识别出短信常用词汇。”——杜克大学,大四学生,克里斯托弗·布尔日

  • "Any software and hardware alike that gives me the power to do what I need to do faster than ancient methods of conducting things, such as e-mailing versus writing, messaging three people versus buying a three-way calling package, digital research versus traveling to a well-stocked library, et cetera." —Lindsey Alexovich, Senior, American University

  • “任何可以让我有能力比传统方法做得更快的硬软件,比如电子邮件比于平信,三方短信比于购买三方通话服务,数码研究比于去大图书馆,等等。”——美国大学,大四学生,林赛·亚历克索维奇

These comments reflect two consistent themes that appeared across the range of responses I received from students regarding their views on technology:


在我收集到的学生谈及他们对技术的看法当中,这些意见反映了两个普遍存在的一致主题:





  • The definition of technology is not confined to computers or the Internet. Technology is viewed as any electronically based application or piece of equipment that meets a need for access to information or communication.

  • 技术的定义不局限于计算机和互联网。技术被认为是可以满足获取信息进行交流的任何电子应用或设备。


  • Customization is central to the definition of technology for Net Geners. Technology is something that adapts to their needs, not something that requires them to change.

  • 对于网络世代而言,界定技术的关键是个性化。技术能够适应他们的需求,而不是要求他们做出改变。


The first theme is reinforced by the results of a poll conducted with 25 students at The Pennsylvania State University, where students were asked to indicate whether they considered a set of applications or hardware to be technology. Overall, the average response to whether Web browsing, instant messaging, and the Internet constitute technology was neutral.3 For Net Geners, technologies that are still considered transformative by their parents' and grandparents' standards (for example, instant messaging) are a basic part of their everyday lives; they are only considered technology in the broadest sense of the term. In light of what these students did not consider technology, their definition of what constitutes technology is fascinating, and it emerged as a third major theme: For the Net Generation, technology is "what's new," and the time between new and old can be quite brief when viewed from a perspective other than the Net Generation's.


在针对宾夕法尼亚州立大学二十五名学生进行的调查结果,强化了第一个主题。要求这些学生指出一组应用或硬件是否是技术。总的来说,一般认为无论网页浏览、实时聊天,还是以互联网为基础的技术,都不是技术。对网络世代而言,那些被父祖辈认为是变革的技术(比如实时聊天),都只是他们日常生活的组成部分。他们只从广义上考虑技术。鉴于这些学生并没有考虑技术是什么,他们对技术组成的定义很有趣,并成为第三大主题:对于网络世代,技术是“有什么新功能”,而且从网络世代以外的观点看去,新旧之间的时间差别可能相当短。





"Everything new and different is automatically technology because it's usually branded as 'hard to understand,'" explained Lauren St. John, a senior at the University of Pittsburgh–Johnstown. "For example, [take] voice over the Internet. This seems like a new concept, but really we've been using this for years. Anyone with a mike on their computer would just press the 'talk' icon on instant messenger and there you have it—voice over the Internet."4


匹兹堡-约翰斯敦大学的大四学生劳伦圣约翰解释道:“之所以一切自动化技术都是新的、与众不同的,是因为总是被打上‘难以理解’的标识。比如,通过互联网传输音频。这似乎是新概念,但我们真的已经用了好些年了。任何人的计算机上只要有麦,就可以按下实时聊天工具的‘交谈’按钮,然后就可以了——在线传输音频。”





Together, these three themes pose interesting questions for colleges and universities:


总之,这三个主题向高校提出了有趣的问题:





  • How will institutions define and develop technology-enabled learning when students view technology as encompassing a wide range of mobile options beyond the traditional classroom?

  • 当学生吧技术视作超越传统课堂的、广泛的机动选择时,教育机构如何定义并开发运用技术的学习?


  • Do student expectations regarding technology and customization constitute a barrier to effective teaching and learning with technology?

  • 学生对技术和个性化的期待,是否妨碍了利用技术的有效教育、学习?


  • What does it mean when students consider an institution's "advanced technology" as "so yesterday?"

  • 当学生认为某教育机构“技术先进”或者“太落伍了”,意味着什么?


To address these questions, we have to look at the learning expectations of the Net Generation.


要解决这些问题,我们必须找到网络世代的学习期待。


Learning Expectations of the Net Generation


网络世代的学习期待


The Net Generation's learning expectations begin with the expertise and passion of the faculty member. The following student comments represent the general perspective of students interviewed for this process:5


网络世代对学习的期望开始于教师的专业学识和热情。以下学生意见代表了在这活动中受访学生的一般看法:





  • "To me, my success in the classroom depends on the teacher. If the teacher is prepared and knowledgeable about their particular field, I know I can expect to learn from their knowledge as well as know what is expected of me." —Joseph Gerocs, Junior, San Diego State University

  • “对我而言,我在课堂上的成功取决于教师。如果教师在他们的专门领域准备充分、功底扎实,我相信我能学到知识,也能知道我的目标有多高。”——州立圣迭戈大学,大三学生,约瑟夫·基罗克斯

  • "I love when I come back from a class where my professor's knowledge of a particular field is astonishing." —Samuel Bass, Junior, Southwest Missouri State University

  • “我很喜欢下课的感觉,我的教授在专门领域的知识令人吃惊。”——西南密苏里州立大学,大三学生,塞缪尔·贝斯

  • "It's great when the professor is passionate about the field. They are usually knowledgeable about their field. In turn, that knowledge and passion rubs off on me, and that's my ideal class environment!" —Thomas McMillian, Senior, Texas Tech University

  • “教授对自己的领域充满热情,这真是太好了。他们通常了解自己的领域。反过来,这种知识与热情感染了我,这是我理想的课堂环境!”——得克萨斯理工大学,大四学生,托马斯·麦克米兰

These students still view expert faculty members who are committed to teaching as the key ingredient for learning success. However, the data collected for this project also suggest that Net Generation students have high expectations for faculty members' technology knowledge and skill. For example 25 students at the University of Pittsburgh–Johnstown were asked to rate the following three items in terms of their importance to successful learning (scale of 1 as least important to 10 as most important):


这些学生仍然相信,致力于教学的专家教授是学习成功的关键要素。然而,该项目收集的数据也表明,网络世代学生高度期待教师的技术知识和技能。比如,要求匹兹堡-约翰斯敦大学的二十五名学生评价(分数从最不重要的1到最重要的10)以下三项在其成功学习中的重要性:





  1. The professor's experience and expertise.

  2. 教授的经验和专业知识。


  3. The professor's ability to customize the class using the current technology available (for example, Courseweb, BlackBoard, and so forth).

  4. 教授使用当前可用技术(比如Courseweb, BlackBoard 等)设置课堂的能力。


  5. The professor's ability to professionally convey lecture points using contemporary software (for example, PowerPoint).

  6. 教授使用通用软件(比如,PowerPoint)表达讲义要点的能力。



Consistent with the anecdotal results identified above, the highest average score (8 out of 10) went to Option 1; the students view faculty expertise as paramount. However, the average scores for Options 2 (7.64) and 3 (7.68) were barely below that of Option 1. For this group of students, less than a half point separated the importance of the faculty member's general academic expertise from the importance of the ability to use technology effectively to communicate that expertise (Option 3) and customize the learning experience for students (Option 2).6


以上调查的结果与传闻相符,选项一得到平均最高分(8分以上);学生相信教授的专业知识至关重要。然而,选项二的平均分(7.64)和选项三(7.68)略低于选项一。对于这组学生,不到一半能够区分出,教师的一般学术知识的重要性,与有效使用技术表达专业知识的能力的重要性,以及为学生设置学习体验的能力的重要性。





Student expectations regarding technology customization in the classroom are closely linked to faculty knowledge and skill. The Net Generation's views on technology in the classroom include the expectation that professors will use technology to better communicate expert knowledge. Additional feedback indicates that Net Generation students may consider a balanced use of technology in the learning environment essential. For example, members of another group of 25 University of Pittsburgh–Johnstown students were asked to rate their preference for the level of interactivity in the learning environment, with various forms of technology understood as key enablers of interactivity. The options were:


学生对课堂上的技术个性化的期待是与教师的知识和技能密切关联的。网络世代对课堂技术的看法,包括期待教师使用技术更好的表达专业知识。更多的反馈表明,网络世代学生也考虑到在学习环境中,平衡使用技术至关重要。比如,要求匹兹堡-约翰斯敦大学的另一组二十五名学生评价他们对学习环境中互动程度的偏好,以各种形式的技术理解为互动主要因素。选项为:





  • 100 percent lecturing

  • 百分之百讲授


  • 75 percent lecturing and 25 percent interactive

  • 百分之七十五的讲授加上百分之二十五的互动


  • 50 percent lecturing and 50 percent interactive

  • 百分之五十的讲授加上百分之五十的互动

  • 100 percent interactive

  • 百分之百互动

The vote wasn't even close—all 25 students gave the highest rating to a balanced, 50-50 environment.7


这甚至都不像投票——所有二十五名学生全都把最高分给了平衡,五五对开环境。





The judicious use of PowerPoint emerged as a commonly cited component of faculty technology use from the student perspective. Victoria Kyes, a sophomore at Middle Tennessee State University, spoke for many members of the Net Generation when she stated, "Using PowerPoint increases a teacher's ability to convey essential information."8 Lacy Kniep, a junior at Central Washington University, highlighted that it is the appropriate use of PowerPoint that helps a faculty member improve learning. From her perspective, PowerPoint is


学生期望,教师技术合理构成部分,就是恰如其分的使用演示文稿。维多利亚·凯斯,中田纳西州立大学大二学生,代表网络世代发言,他说:“使用演示文稿提高了教师表达重要信息的能力。”莱西·内普,中央华盛顿大学大三学生,强调,适当使用演示文稿有助于教师改善学习。根据他的观点,演示文稿是:



a software package developed to provide power to a particular point. For example, if I am the professor and I want my students to understand the definition of a distribution channel, I will place various information about distribution channels on a PowerPoint slide to drive home this particular point; however, I would not place my entire course lesson on marketing techniques on every slide.9


一个软件包,用来强调具体知识点。比如,如果我是一名教授,我希望我的学生理解销售渠道的定义,我会把销售渠道的各种信息放在一张幻灯片上,好让大家理解这一知识点。然而,我并不会把我整堂营销学的课都放在幻灯片上。



Thus, student views regarding faculty use of PowerPoint help illustrate the Net Generation's desire for the use of technology to support learning, as long as faculty members have the technological—and pedagogical—knowledge and skill necessary to use it appropriately.


因此,学生对于教师使用演示文稿的看法,有助于说明网络世代对于使用技术支持学习的渴望,以及教师拥有适当使用技术——和教学法——的必要知识、技能。





It is interesting to note that the student focus on PowerPoint may signal that the Net Generation still holds relatively modest expectations for what constitutes leading-edge technology in the learning space. For example, none of the students surveyed regarding the important contributors to successful learning pushed back on the identification of BlackBoard as "current technology" and PowerPoint as "contemporary software";10 however, many people—Net Generation and non-Net Generation alike—might consider those applications as well-established features of the current higher education landscape. It may be that Net Generation students have seen so few examples of advanced technologies applied to learning that those options do not come to mind when they think about teaching and learning with technology. The window of opportunity for colleges and universities to avoid the negative impact of increased expectations may be narrowing, however, as expressed by Nivedita Bangerjee, a junior at the University of Pittsburgh:


值得注意的是,学生关注演示文稿,可能意味着,网络世代对在学习场所使用先进技术,仍然抱有相对温和的期望。比如,在调查有关成功学习重要因素的时候,没有学生质疑BlackBoard 是“最新技术”,演示文稿是“通用软件”这种设定。然而,许多人——网络世代和非网络世代——都会认为这些应用的功能对于当前高等教育而言都是固定的。也许是因为网络世代学生看到高级技术应用到学习当中的例子太少,当他们思考教学技术的时候想不起这些选择。高校避免日益高涨的期望产生负面影响的机会之门正在关闭,然而,正如匹兹堡大学大三学生尼维迪塔·邦娇逸所说:



I love when my profs take us through virtual 3-D programs to help explain a particular topic. As a visual learner in my major [biology], learning through seeing is very useful. With all the programs available in today's age, I think all professors should use technology in the classroom. It will only help drive home key points.11


教授带着我们利用虚拟三维程序解释具体课题,我很喜欢。作为一名生理上的视觉学习者,通过观看进行学习,非常有用。利用现今能用的所有程序,我想所有教授都应该在课堂中使用技术。这样做只能帮助理解重点,不会有副作用。



Conclusion


结论


The views expressed by the Net Generation students interviewed and surveyed for this chapter suggest that the Net Generation defines technology broadly. It is not just computers and the Internet, but whatever digital devices or applications that help a student meet his or her needs. A key component of the Net Generation's definition of technology is customization, or the ability to adapt technology to meet individual needs, rather than vice versa.


本文中访谈和调查的网络世代学生表达的观点,表明了网络世代对技术的定义很宽泛。不仅包括计算机和网络,还包括能够满足学生需求的所有数码设备和应用。网络世代对于技术的定义,关键在于个性化,或者调整技术满足个人需求的能力,而不是相反。





Given the technology expectations of Net Geners, it is no surprise that they may also have significant expectations regarding the use of technology to support learning. However, those expectations appear tied to faculty members and their ability to use technology correctly. In this study, PowerPoint registered as the most common example of faculty use of technology. Students praised PowerPoint's ability to help faculty members convey specific information when used appropriately. On the other hand, they expressed significant frustration with faculty members who simply transferred their lecture notes to PowerPoint slides and expected quality learning to occur.


鉴于网络世代对技术的期望,毫无疑问他们也非常期待运用技术支持学习。然而,这些期待似乎受制于教师及其正确使用技术的能力。在这项研究中,演示文稿是教师使用技术最常见的例子。学生称赞适当运用演示文稿技能可以帮助教师传递具体信息。另一方面,他们对于教师把讲义简单转换成幻灯片,就期待出现高质量学习的做法,表示极度失望。





The feedback from this select set of Net Generation students does contain some good news. It indicates that the Net Generation's general expectations regarding leading-edge technology have not fully impacted its expectations about the use of technology to support learning. This may signal a failure in the responsiveness of colleges and universities in terms of keeping pace with the rapidly changing technological landscape. However, it may also indicate that the opportunity to catch up with the Net Generation has not been lost. Higher education must continue to engage the Net Generation in a dialogue regarding its expectations about technology and learning to assess how wide the window of opportunity may still be, as well as how quickly it may be closing.


所选网络世代学生的反馈确实含有一些好消息。表明了网络世代对先进技术的普遍期望,并未完全影响他们对运用技术支持学习的期望。这可能预示了高校在跟进技术的快速变化方面过于强烈。然而,也可能表明,还有机会赶上网络世代。高等教育必须继续就网络世代对于技术和学习,与网络世代进行对话,以确定还有多少机会,以及机会多快会消失。


Endnotes


尾注




  1. This research initiative relied on one-on-one interviews (in person and by phone), focus groups, and random polling using the University of Pittsburgh–Johnstown network in late 2004.

  2. 本研究依赖于2004年下半年进行的一对一访谈(面谈及电话),小组讨论、利用匹兹堡-约翰斯敦大学网络进行的随机调查。


  3. This information resulted from two focus groups at the University of Pittsburgh–Johnstown, one in late September 2004 and the other in mid-October 2004.

  4. 此条信息来自于匹兹堡-约翰斯敦大学的两个讨论小组,其一发生在2004年九月末,其一发生在2004年十月中旬。


  5. From a focus group held in late September 2004 at the University of Pittsburgh–Johnstown.

  6. 来自于2004年九月末匹兹堡-约翰斯敦大学的一次小组讨论.



  7. These quotations came from telephone interviews on October 8, 2004.

  8. 这些填空题来自于2004年十月八日的电话访谈。



  9. Data from random polling conducted October 8, 2004, using the University of Pittsburgh–Johnstown network; 25 students responded.

  10. 数据来自于2004年十月八日进行的随机调查,利用了匹兹堡-约翰斯敦大学网络,25名学生做出回答。


  11. Data from random polling conducted November 5, 2004, using the University of Pittsburgh–Johnstown network; 25 students responded.

  12. 数据来自于2004年十一月五日进行的随机调查,利用了匹兹堡-约翰斯敦大学网络,25名学生做出回答。


  13. Data from random polling conducted October 8, 2004, using the University of Pittsburgh–Johnstown network; 25 students responded.

  14. 数据来自于2004年十月八日进行的随机调查,利用了匹兹堡-约翰斯敦大学网络,25名学生做出回答。


  15. From a telephone interview with Victoria Keys on October 1, 2004.

  16. 来自于2004年十月一日对维多利亚·柯伊斯的电话访谈。


  17. From a telephone interview with Lacy Kniep on October 1, 2004.

  18. 来自于2004年十月一日对莱西·内普的电话访谈。


  19. From one-on-one interviews on October 11, 2004.

  20. 来自于2004年十月十一日的一对一访谈。


  21. From a one-on-one interview with Nivedita Bangerjee on September 24, 2004.

  22. 来自于2004年九月24日与尼维迪塔·邦娇逸的一对一访谈。


About the Author


关于作者


Gregory R. Roberts is the residence director of the Living/Learning Center, a 456-person residence hall at the University of Pittsburgh–Johnstown. He is a senior in business management who has served as president of Chi Lambda Tau Honorary Leadership Fraternity and on the executive board of the Alpha Kappa Psi Professional Business Fraternity, the Student Judicial Board, the Student Council of World Affairs, the Student Senate, and the Academic Integrity Review Board. Roberts has worked as a junior intern program coordinator in the White House Drug Policy Office, strategic team intern at the Department of Defense–Military Traffic Management Command, research intern for the House of Representatives Judiciary Committee, and policy intern for EDUCAUSE. Future plans include a master's in business administration and a doctorate in global studies.


格利高里·罗伯茨,匹兹堡-约翰斯敦大学一幢456人的宿舍楼,生活学习中心的宿管科主任。他是企业管理大四学生,曾任吃烂桃荣誉领导协会主席,并参与过阿卡普赛专业商务联谊会执行委员会,学生司法委员会,学生世界事务理事会,学生会,学术诚信审查委员会。罗伯茨曾在白宫禁毒政策办公室担任初级实习计划协调员,在美国国防部军事交通管理司令部担任战略小组实习生,众议院司法委员会研究实习生,和EDUCAUSE 的政策实习生。未来的计划包括工商管理硕士和全球性研究的博士学位。


http://www.educause.edu/Resources/EducatingtheNetGeneration/TechnologyandLearningExpectati/6056