Finally, the beginning of my blogs on the HighEdWebDev2005 track sessions that I attended. The first, and perhaps most jolting I attended was Born to be Wired; presented by Mark Greenfield, Director of Web Services from the State University of New York at Buffalo. The following is the sessions abstract.

The ongoing communications revolution combined with the coming of the Millennial generation and their love of technology will have a profound impact on college campuses. For the Millennial generation, the Internet is now the hub for all their activities which will increase the importance of university Web sites. Millennial students (and their parents) are behaving as customers who actively compare programs and services to make choices on their college education. Their expectation is a 24/7 service culture – always on, always connected - anytime, anywhere.

Part economics, part sociology, and part IT, this presentation will provide an overview of the characteristics and traits of the Millennial generation, implications for university Web developers, and a review of the communication technologies that appeal to Millennials including IM, Blogs, RSS, Podcasting and text messaging. Guidelines and recommendations for implementation will also be provided.

Overall, this presentation was as scary as it was exciting. Mark made a point to remind us all our jobs could be obsolete in a few years- the web is changing, the audience is changing, the thinking is changing- and it is painfully apparent that some administators truly ‘in charge’ of overall web presences are not only in danger of not having the proper resources (developers) to help keep sites up with the changes; but worse, they are potentially ignoring these changes and following that same track.

The new and next generations are truly the first that were born into the internet (measured by those born around 1982 and after), and expect everything we strived so hard to build already to be there, and be dynamically ready, willing and able 24/7.

We have arrievd at the end of the web we published, and entered the web we maintain. We can anticipate users aggregating their own content, and integrating it in every digital device they have. Technology is everything this generation is, and the web is ‘home base’ for all their connectivity needs. Computer’s and the internet are no longer considered ‘technology’- they are essential core components.

Email is dying, and the older methods of communication on the web are dying with it. Alternate communications such as social networks and RSS are dominating the younger generation more than many older professionals realize. Meeting the requirements of a generation using these new communications tools is essential for success. The static world we have used previously to steer our audiences in higher education are transparent, flimsy walls for the next generations… walls they will tear down, turn around, and hand back to us- saying, “Give me what I want, when I want. That’s what I’m paing for.” We must embrace the emerging technologies that stick as time goes on- maintaing a student community through technology services is becoming as essential as promoting admissions to prospective students- it all defines the income of a higher education institution.

The nature of every college function from admissions to campus life to the classroom to career counseling will change dramatically.

Neil Howe and William Strauss
From “Millennials Go to College”

These were the excellent resources provided with the presentation.

PowerPoint Presentation (PowerPoint 1.5mb)
Blog

Recommended (Related) Books

• Cairncross, Frances. The Death of Distance.
  Boston, MA: Harvard Business School Press, 2001
• Friedman, Thomas. The World is Flat. New York, NY: Farrar, Straus
  and Giroux, 2005
• Howe, Neil and Strauss, William. Millennials Go to College. 2003
• Howe, Neil and Strauss, William. Millennials Rising.
  New York, NY: Vantage Books, 2000
• Levine, Rick and others. The Cluetrain Manifesto. Cambridge,
  MA: Perseus Publishing, 2001
• Rheingold, Howard. Smart Mobs.
  Cambridge, MA: Perseus Publishing, 2002
• Trippi, Joe. The Revolution Will Not Be Televised. New
  York NY: Harper Collins Publishers, 2004
• Shapiro, Andrew. The Control Revolution. New York,
  NY: Century Foundation, 1999
• Surowiecki, James. The Wisdom of Crowds. New YOrk,
  NY: Random House, 2004

Related Web Resources

• Tom Friedman speech from MIT (video)
• Online NewsHour: Tom’s Journal: American Jobs in India (Interview with Tom Friedman on outsourcing American jobs)
• Teens and Technology (PDF - from Pew/Internet)
• The Internet at School (from Pew/Internet)
• Teen Content Creators and Consumers (from Pew/Internet)
• Educating the Net Generation (from Educause)
• The Key to Competitiveness: Understanding the Next Generation Learner (From Educause)
• The Beloit College Mindset List for the Class of 2009
• Home Alone? How Content Aggregators Change Navigation and Control of Content (by
  Joshua Porter - from Digital Web Magazine)
• Tim Berners Lee on the read/write Web
• The next big thing: The Web as your servant (from USA Today)
• The Information Age Mindset (PDF)
• The Power of Us (from BusinessWeek)

Filed under: Design, Geek, Society, Web Development