This is an assignment for an AP Language class. I have somes sources that I found that may be useful from Semantic Scholar and other sources. A have a rough outline that I will also provide but does not have to be followed. I did not finish the outline and might need more content as well as a conclusion which is why I recommended not following it exactly, but it will be listed below as a starting point along with some ideas for sources (these sources do not have to be used but I found them useful in my personal research.)
https://elearningindustry.com/leading-educational-change-in-a-digital-age
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Research Question
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How has iGen (Gen Z)’s relationship with technology influenced their educational experiences, and what are the implications for teachers’ academic approaches in the digital age?
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Introduction
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Introduce the emergence of Gen Z and their connection to digital technology.
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Explain the importance of the topic, how the rise of technology has changed the way new generations view, and interact with society, and specifically education. Quickly summarize some of the talking points such as the effects of technology on students’ behavior.
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Present the thesis: Gen Z’s educational experiences are greatly shaped by their unique relationship with technology. This relationship influences a wide range of educational factors, such as their learning styles and preferences, and necessitates adaptive academic approaches by educators. This allows for a wide range of topics to be discussed in the paper and will allow me to narrow in on certain subjects that I find interesting or have more content to write about.
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Section 1: Learning Styles and Preferences in Digital Classrooms
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In this section, I will write about how digital platforms and tools have become important in learning environments.
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Analyze cases where digital tools have affected multitasking abilities among Gen Z.
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Explore the role of interactive and multimedia content in enhancing learning for Gen Z. People are increasingly appealing to “interactive, individualized learning environments.” Show how technology used in the classroom has allowed this appeal to become more common.
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Section 2: Challenges and Negative Impacts
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Transition to some of the negative effects of technology on the young generations.
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Digital divide: there is a great gap between individuals who have easy Internet access and those who do not. This is because of a variety of reasons, such as certain areas not having the infrastructure for high-speed internet and certain economic demographics not being able to afford the necessary technology. The students and/or teachers may not be as skilled with technology, making the use of it inefficient.
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Discuss the possible solutions to this problem, such as schools providing technology such as laptops to their students. However, include why this doesn’t solve the problem entirely, as there is still the problem of widespread home internet access and digital literacy.
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Psychological and Social Implications of Excessive Technology Use: Explain the sources such as Andreassen’s paper on the relationship between addictive use of social media and video games and symptoms of psychiatric disorders. Explain how excessive use of technology, which could be encouraged by the increased use of digital tools in education, can lead to technological addiction, mental disorders, lack of attention span, etc.
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Section 3: Pedagogical Adaptations
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Discuss how educators are adapting curricular and instructional strategies to meet the needs of Gen Z. Consider how traditional educational practices are being reevaluated and sometimes even reconstructed to fit with new technological standards.
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Use sources that list examples of different levels of education utilizing technology.
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Make sure to list both the positive and negative effects of the changes.