PREPARE FOR THE NET GEN

Going back to one of the previous posts about the 21st century students, I would like to make references to these students who are also called Gen Y, Net Gen, the Millennials. According to the magazine English Teaching Forum: Exchanging Ideas and Experiences Vol.50, there is no indication of the exact origin of the Gen Y. It does not matter when it began, this particular group make a huge part of today's population. Thus, it is of paramount importance for English language teachers to be informed on the nature of this generation and to learn some strategies so as to involve them in the lessons.

 One of the main questions in this article is: How can teachers compete with the stimulating entertainment that their students get at home? Many surveys carried out have revealed that the major percentage of students quit school because they feel that all the lessons are boring. I believe each of us (teacher's to be) should look for ways to change this reality. Prensky recognizes the Gen Y as digital natives, ( topic dealt with in previous posts) the ones who have never known life without computers and the Internet. Therefore ELT professionals should find ways to integrate technology in the classroom in a significant way. For instance, teachers could include the use of Wikis using Webquests or implement video-based activities in the classroom, or use Blogs, it will all depend on the objectives stated for the course. However, as it has been proved most of the teachers are digital inmigrants. This means that they do not actually know how to significantly apply technology in the lessons. Thus, teachers should be guided on how to use new technologies such as PowerPoint presentations or Prezi which may make your lesson more dynamic and stimulating.

To conclude, I would like to say that all the topics dealt with in this subject will eventually help us to design materials for the classroom that will be enganging for our students that is why this subject is really useful for us to be well prepared for the GEN Y. Let's take huge advantage of this opportunity we are given.