I ran across an interesting question on a LM_NET today. Here is part of it.
….The [Newsweek] article focuses heavily on a recent book by Mark Bauerlein, an English professor at Emory University, entitled “The Dumbest Generation: How the Digital Age Stupefies Young Americans and Jeopardizes Our Future (Or, Don’t Trust Anyone Under 30)”
So what is the opinion of the online school media community? Is this generation dumber in comparison to others? What’s the cause? Can it be traced to television, computers, video games, the Internet, the new communication technologies? What, if anything, can be done
about it?Ed Nizalowski, SMS
I just read the book. There is much I agree with and many things that I do not. It is a book that I plan to read again.
There is a lot of talk out in blogland about the book and, judging from some of the comments, many folks have NOT read the whole book. I have read the Newsweek article as well as the book. I am not entirely sure that the writers of the Newsweek article have actually read the book in its entirety. The magazine writers cast blame for the educational deficiencies of young people on the parents, teachers and baby boomers – implying that Mark Bauerlein is solely – or even mostly – placing the blame upon the NetGens. He most definitely is not. He casts big time blame on teachers (and librarians) for abdicating their role as cultural guardians and warriors. He casts blame upon parents who allow their children to come home and immerse themselves in “screen time” as opposed to spending time reading, doing homework and interacting with parents and other adults. Bauerlein’s primary thesis is that the social aspect of net use is keeping kids in an extended period of adolescence. The social side of life has ever been the favored domain of adolescence. But in the past there were large chunks of time that were spent away from other teenagers, allowing more space for them to read, think and communicate with more mature minds. There is a lot of truth in what he says.
This book will probably equally infuriate teachers, librarians, parents AND NetGeners. Interestingly, a few days ago I found the most thoughtful responses on the school newspaper of Emory College. Mr. Bauerlein in a professor there. The article and comments appeared to be primarily student written the last time I had a look.
You will find more of my thoughts in the last paragraph of this blog post. Who Are You & Why Should We Believe What You Say
Mark Bauerlein sees a return to a more scholarly, traditional approach to education as the answer. For another point of view on the efficacy of “traditional” education, I found Doug Johnson’s post today to be very interesting. The Impetus for Educational Change
Hi Jacquie,
I’ve read neither the book nor article, so I should not be commenting. But it seems to me that prolonged adolescence has its roots in affluence. Many of can and choose to support our children beyond high school, into college and increasingly graduate school. We accept “boomerang” children with open arms. We’ve become “helicopter” parents to older and older “children.”
I suspect this is a purposely overblown issue that sells lots of books and magazines…
Whenever I read criticisms of “today’s youth” I think of these immortal words:
[They] love luxury. They have bad manners, contempt for authority; they show disrespect for their elders, and love to chatter in place of exercise… They contradict their parents, talk before company, gobble up their food, and tyrannize their teachers.
and remember it was Socrates who spoke them 2400 years or so ago.
All the best,
Doug
I agree – it has been ever thus. The author also talks about the influence of affluence on prolonged adolescence. His ideas have struck a cord with me because of my recent interest in deep reading as opposed to the “endless hunt” for information bytes. I can’t decide if the author’s choice of title was the best, particularly since it is not young people he is “blaming”. It is certainly is getting him noticed 😉