Net Generation? How is this generation different from the past?

The Net Generation can be best described as this current technological era. The 21st, century has become immersed in all things tech, and some have forgotten about the basic practices and requirements that individuals need to have to become lifelong successful learners. These digital students are used to waking up in the morning, checking their email, blog, myspace, facebook, doing their homework in front of the television with their ipods on and learning. This new age of learners learn from and by a computer and do not solely rely on teacher instruction. In the past, teachers did all of the instruction. They did not have the access to resources like today, and the normal school day consisted of doing homework in silence, no television before all homework is done, reading for a certain amount of time and going to bed early-without falling asleep, or staying awake, to the TV. Not only have times changed, but they have changed tremendously. Reading and writing have become secondary and almost been put on the back burner to learning. Teachers are still teaching to the standards, because they have to, but they are finding themselves getting away with doing more things with the help from technology. Even those who are using technology to their (and the students) advantage, teachers have to teach themselves and learn about the information highway in order to keep up with their students. Teachers, new and old, have to develop different instruction strategies to incorporate the use of technology because this is how the children of today are living and learning. There is no changing them, and there will be no change in the future. So what can teachers do to make sure they do not fall behind? It is not what they CAN do but more of what they HAVE to do...which is learn about technology! If this does not happen, more teachers are going to be finding themselves receiving the "F" rather than his/her students!