Generation Z (those born from 2000 to 2020) will be more media literate, more diverse and “defy easy classification,” according to a recent article.
“For these kids, multimedia will be as prevalent in the classroom as the chalkboard,” wrote Alison Stein Wellner in the September issue of American Demographics.
Race and varying family structures will bring more diversity to Generation Z than the diversity found in any previous generation, according to the article.
Education may be most affected by the marked differences of Generation Z, wrote Wellner.
“Faced with a crush of students of diverse experiences and ethnic origins, schools will turn to technology for the solution,” she wrote.
Educators will be armed with information, customizing lessons for each student.
“The teacher will be able to discover which subjects the child has excelled at, and which provide a clue to the child’s best learning style,” wrote Wellner.
Teachers of 2010 and beyond will “target market” education to students.
“In an environment of mass-customized classrooms, products and services that are not equally tailored to [students’] fingerprints will seem hopelessly outdated. Welcome to Generation 1-to-1,” wrote Wellner.
Customization in American culture is nothing new, said Cliff Vaughn, project coordinator for the Baptist Center for Ethics.
“But the broadening application of customization is. Digital technology fuels burgeoning consumer demand. And since technology has found a place in classrooms, it logically follows that customized education waits in the future.”
Sarah Griffith is BCE’s communications coordinator.
