[OT] A tale of App Store rejection

[Terry Judd]

On 22/01/2013, at 03:37 AM, Richard Gaskin wrote:

> Terry Judd wrote:
> 
> > On 21/01/2013, at 01:34 PM, Richard Gaskin wrote:
> >
> >> But now the younger generation is smarter and far more tech-savvy
> >> than their parents, and all that hand-holding is just not cool
> >> with them.  They know what they're doing, and they like software
> >> that respects what they know.
> >
> > Hey Richard - I hope you're haven't bought into the whole
> > Prensky/Tapscott/digital natives/net generation BS ;) The current
> > crop 'youngsters' might be extremely prolific users of technology
> > but their typical pattern of use seems to be quite superficial.
> 
> I wasn't familiar with Prensky until your mention here, but after reading a bit about him I wouldn't be as quick to dismiss some of the notions he proposes.
> 
> This is just something I see.  Sure, all anecdotal evidence is suspect, but I see some cognitive shifts happening which seem to merit attention for those who design software systems, and perhaps other products as well.

Sure - I was being a bit flippant, but while Prensky's 'digital natives' construct has be widely embraced it hasn't held up to scrutiny on a number of key points. For example...
# uniformity of use and experience, widespread adoption of new technologies: overall use may be higher, but usage patterns are as diverse and variable among younger people as the rest of us. The vast majority adopt only a small number of key technologies and use these in a relatively simplistic way.
# enhanced ability to multitask, which confers a cognitive and productive advantage: multitasking turns out to be a mostly bad thing (unless you're combining a series of mundane tasks). Multitasked tasks typically take longer to complete, produce more errors and results in poorer outcomes. Multitasking and learning most definitely don't mix (multitasking inhibits memory encoding).

The neuroplasticity thing is certainly interesting but I don't think all the evidence is in just yet.
> 
> For better or worse, we collectively have very nimble minds, ever hungry and profoundly adaptive.
> 
> 
> No matter how much innovation has dazzled us in the last two decades, it's all just beginning.  We would do well to prepare to have our minds blown by what's coming in the next few years.

My mind has been blowing on a regular basis for as long as I can remember ;) Thankfully the education sector is usually a few years behind the mainstream when it comes to technology adoption, which give me time to catch my breath (and Livecode to catch up) before I need to jump in again.

Terry...

> 
> --
> Richard Gaskin
> Fourth World
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> 

Dr Terry Judd
Senior Lecturer in Medical Education
Medical Eduction Unit
Faculty of Medicine, Dentistry & Health Sciences
The University of Melbourne