7 Most General Characteristics Of The 21st Century Student

Millennials, the current generation of students, were born between 1980 and 2000. Although

Millennials

some Millennials have dropped out of or graduated from academia and entered the workforce, most are still in our school systems. On average, Millennials spend 6.5 hours each day saturated in print, electronic, digital, broadcast and news media. They listen to and record music; view, create and publish Internet content; play video games; watch television; talk on mobile phones and instant message every day.

Generally, these young people share the following characteristics:

1- They like to be in control.

 Millennials do not want to be bound by traditional schedules, and they do not necessarily want to sit in a classroom to learn or in an office to work. Instead, they prefer to use technology to study at any time of the day or night, telecommute from anywhere in the world and define “balance” in their own individual ways.

2-They like choice.

In project-based environments, Millennials use technology to complete tasks in new and creative ways. Their need for alternative methods to complete tasks presents challenges when using traditional measurements to define productivity.

3-They are group-oriented and social.

Relentlessly exposed to the world via the media, Millennials constantly network socially. In person, they travel in packs, shopping and playing together. Online, they seek opportunities to identify with other individuals on a smaller scale, joining communities

and associating with peers around the world. They are highly

collaborative; sharing what they learn with others actually helps them

create their own personal identities.

4-They are inclusive.

 Millennials have been taught to be tolerant of all races, religions and sexual orientations. They are not limited by the information available at their local library or by linear searches in encyclopedias on topics. Instead, they use the Internet to search for information worldwide and use hypertext links to divert from original searches and

learn about new subjects.

5-They are practiced users of digital technology.

The Millennial generation is the first to be surrounded by digital media. ICT has always

been part of their lives, and because of this access, Millennials naturally gravitate to it. They expect it to support their learning and do what they need it to do. Indeed, Millennials can perform more functions with mobile phones, handheld devices and other wireless equipment than they can with traditional computers. In addition to using the calendaring functions of these devices to prioritize and schedule their lives, they often prefer computer-mediated communication and have developed their own language, which consists of acronyms like “LOL” (“Laughing out loud”), “ATM” (“At the moment”), “BTW” (“By the way”) and other Internet slang. Today’s technology allows Millennials to voice their opinions in ways that were not available in the past.

They think differently. Technology itself is not amazing to Millennials. As former generations first try to understand how a new technology works, this generation does not marvel at it; Millennials simply accept technology, adapt to it and use it. For example, when researching a topic, a Millennial simply “Googles” it. What Google™ is and how it works does not concern Millennials; they use the tool to find the information

they need.

6-They are more likely to take risks.

 The dot-com boom of the late 1990s resulted when early Millennials shared a common mentality: “If this doesn’t work out, we’ll try again.” Some found wealth as a result; others tried and tried again. Their parents do not think this way and are not as likely to take repeated and similar risks.

7-They value time off because they view life as uncertain. Millennials watched events like the 1999 shooting massacre at Columbine High School and the terrorist attacks on September 11, 2001, live on television. As a result of these tragedies, they view life differently. They observe their parents working hard in anticipation of earning a certain status or achievement level before taking a break. In response, Millennials want

their own time—and when it is free—to be dictated according to their own terms.

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