Dumbest Generation ?

After reading the Emory University English Professor's "8 Reasons Why We Are The Dumbest Generation", I asked myself whether or not I believed those reasons, and I'm sad to say I find them to be true. I agree that we are relying on technology to help with simple tasks, and spending time focused on things of lesser importance. In the following paragraphs I'll give 3 examples to support why I feel that we aren't as smart as we could be.

1. They don't read books -- and don't want to, either

I think this one is most important. Students tend to gravitate towards magazines instead of substancial reading books, unless required to do so in school. Books they get in school are to be read for understanding; however students take the easy way out by reading sparknotes and other sites that break down the book so they don't actually have to read it. By reading only the cliff notes, there's no depth of understanding about the book.

2. They don't store the information

Mark Bauerlein says that "Digital natives, however, go to the Internet not to store knowledge in their minds, but to retrieve material and pass it along. The Internet is just a delivery system.''


I agree with what he said because students use the Internet, like cliffnotes, and don't absorb the information in the sites, but use it to finish homework for the next day. Students also don't use the Internet to learn more but rather use it for entertainment purposes. Where some students use the internet for what it was designed for, others do not take advantage of the benefits the Internet has to offer.

3. Because their teachers don't tell them so

"Their parents don't check their bedrooms at midnight to halt the instant messaging..."Kids are drowning in teen stuff delivered 24/7 by the tools, and adult realities can't penetrate," Bauerlein says.
This statement is beyond true. Kids of all ages would rather focus on socializing or other teenage activities than learning or doing homework. Parents don't help the cause by not checking to make sure their kids are doing their homework or studying. Teachers can only do so much to educate a student; it takes a student who's will to learn for the teaching to be effective.

In conclusion, I agree with the statement that our generation is the dumbest, and that we don't use the Internet to our advantage. If students realized this, they would be better off in the world and reach their full potential. Teens are the future, but they need to embrace the information out their instead of finding the easy ways out.