Millenials and Me

In my new quest to achieve ultimate multitasking efficiency this semester, I've decided to write today's blog about a speaker at the dinner I attended for my other job. The speaker, whose name I don't remember at the moment, is a consultant for K-12 schools and the occasional college. His speech, which he delivered to a room of roughly 400 faculty and staff dressed like high-powered business execs, was entitled "Teaching to the Millenials." Or something like that.

The speaker asked the audience (and I'm paraphrasing) "where were you on this day in 1982." I whispered to my tablemates, much to their mirth, that I was less than a month old. The next youngest person at the table said that in 1982 she was a junior in high school. In fact, I was one of perhaps five Millenials (born between 1982 and 2002) sitting amongst 400+ Boomers and Gen Xers clad in executive business suits. And I was being placed in the same generational group as today's 4-year-olds. That's good.

On the upside, my fellow Millenials are, apparently, the next great American generation, full of technological prowess, energy and ideals, and are more interested in enjoying their jobs than in being paid well for them. The speaker told us that not only is this group of idealists even larger than the Boomer generation, but Millenials are also potentially more influential, providing they can overcome their incredibly short attention spans (look! a bunny!)

While I think it may be a little premature to start labeling today's preschoolers as America's next heroes (that's a lot of pressure to put on a kid who can't yet tie his own shoes), I did catch the speaker's two main points.

First, having been raised with computers and cell phones and various other forms of technology, Millenials are extraordinarily good (or think they're extraordinarily good) at multitasking. Thus, in class (and the library), even if Millenials are otherwise engaged and aren't staring at their teacher (or friendly librarian), part of them may still be absorbing information. Millenials do particularly well through learning activities, in which they can apply what they've learned.

The speaker's second point was that K-12 schools generally have been slow to learn and apply this information to their teaching practices. The speaker argued that this leads to students who are ill-prepared for college because information has not been presented to them in a way they can easily understand and process.

Soooo...how can I bring this back 'round to Club UGL?

Millenials (i.e. 3/4 of Club UGL attendees) know how to play with technology but aren't all that skilled in doing productive stuff with it. When they ask for help, they expect a quick answer and seem to be more interested in the ends rather than the means (witness the students who ask for directions and begin walking away when you speak).

Boomers and Gen Xers are more patient learners (and I am speaking in generalities here), but their patience is tried when they have to glean information from technology they don't understand.

These learning differences present problems for librarians charged with the task of teaching Millenials and non-Millenials how to use library resources to find information. When working with patrons one-on-one, it isn't too difficult to switch your teaching style to meet the patrons' needs. However, how do you teach library skills to a mixed group?

I've watched one drop-in workshop at Club UGL and was a "student" in another. In both, technologically-adept Millenials sat next to computer illiterate non-millenials. And at my other job I've watched many BI sessions (and gave a few of my own today) with a similar mix of students. What's the best way to teach library skills in this situation? Do you teach to the lowest common denominator and risk having the Millenials zone out on you? Do you aim high and tell non-Millenials to watch their neighbors? Or do you teach to the middle, hoping that the Millenials don't get too bored while you explain how to double-click a mouse button, and hoping that the non-Millenials can keep up? You can tell the bored or confused to ask for help later, but I'm sure many won't. Each group has a right and a need to learn, so where do you draw the balance when working with both?