Response to Higher Education, Blended Learning and the Generations

The authors of this article introduce the concept that "blended learning is transforming higher education by altering the metaphors" used to describe the institution. The metaphor focused on is "knowledge is power". It's an age old expression and we've all heard it, I personally however have never thought to apply it to the way people approach teaching and learning.

As the article progressed the authors introduced four different "generations" and their different approaches to life and learning. First is generation "Matures", born before 1946, lived through WW II, the Korean conflict, the Great Depression, and the New Deal. The metaphor designated to this generation by the author was "hard work is the key to success."
The next generation is the Baby Boomers, born from 1946 to 1964, lived through the Cuban Missile crisis, the Kenedy assassination, the assassination of Martin Luther King. The metaphor given to them was "Buy it not, pay later. Everything is going to work out once I get my degree."
Generation X came next, born from 1965 to 1980. They lived through Watergate, anti-war protests, and massive layoffs. The metaphor given to them was "I have no idea what's happening after graduation." In this sense the university became another place to doddle in until you went out into the "real world".
The final generation known as the Millennial, sometimes as generation Y or generation why?, is born from the years 1981 to 1994. The author characterizes this generation as people who challenge any tradition, institution, value, or person they choose, and who are in many cases confused about the scandal and dishonesty in the government and business world. The metaphor given to this generation, applying to the university, is "I'm piecing together a program from four departments."
Because of the differences in the "nature" these generations grew up in the author proposed each generation takes a different approach to learning and to their view of the university. As a resolution to these different approaches to the university the authors analysed Blended classrooms ( a hybrid classroom that involves some online class time and some in face-to-face class time).
According to this study the more recent the generation the more the liked the blended classroom. the authors hypothesized that this was because it allowed for the generation to take more control of the classroom setting, which they have grown used to because of the internet and such instant gratifications. One potential downside is that is requires some of the skills, self control and commitment that the generation is supposedly lacking.
Over all this study helped me to have a more concrete understanding of differences that could take place between generations, and perhaps because one of the environments I would be study in (Huron County) is in my mind a lovely example of time selection (they make changes in the community structure very slowly and only after many years). I disliked some of the vagueness with which the authors referred to statistics (a few, or a bit more than). If you're going to quote a statistic quote it. This vagueness makes it sound like the authors are trying to fabricate information. I'm sure they're not it's just something to look out for. Sometimes it's not what you really said or did but how others perceived it.
 In fact this very problem is what the authors point out as a flaw with the current education structure. Students perceive the teacher and their role one way while the teacher fails to understand this miscommunication. An idea that the authors presented about this was the comparison of a dysfunction relationship of husband and wife and the teacher-student relationship, derived from misunderstanding and miscommunication.
Overall the study used a survey method (which I'm not a fan of) to collect it's data. It introduced some good theory about learning and the generations and has reminded me of the importance of the language used by my informants and during the interviews.