Teaching Entrepreneurship to a Digital Generation

TEACHING ENTREPRENEURSHIP TO A DIGITAL GENERATIONRick Coplin Tech Columbus

Crystal Olig Oxiem Marketing Technology

tweet @rickcoplin / @sparklegemPhoto: Creative Commons License, Stuck in Customs

The Digital Generation

generation Y… millennials … digital natives … echo boomers …

iGen…Tweens…Me Generation … generation Z

Characteristics and Demographics

• 38% have tattoos

• 75% have a social profile

• 50% favor gay marriage

• 64% believe in God

• 37% are unemployed or out of the labor force

• 41% have a full time job

• 1/3 are receiving financial help from their families

• 13% of 22- to 29-year-olds have moved in with parents after living on their own

Study of the 50 million millennials 18 and older by the Pew Research Center as reported in Newsweek 3/5/10

Characteristics and Demographics

“This is a reflexively optimistic cadre of graduates, feeling, if

anything, existentially freed up by this era of radical change.

They’re nervous about the job market but figure it’ll sort itself out.

They describe their parents with shocking regularity as their “best

friends.” They’ve lived online for so long it’s a default setting, one

they believe lends them a more global-minded perspective than

that of their elders. Their tone overall was more bemused than

outraged ”

– “Class of 09,” New York magazine, Emily Nussbaum ,June

15-22, 2009

A Digital Generation’s Language

ZOMGWoot

ROFLCOPTERTomoz

Redonkulous

--Source: MarketingMag.com, The Gen Y Translator

Who Are the Digital Generations?

• Echo boomers• Millennials• Children of Baby Boomers• Generation Y – Young adults to college kids• Generation Z, Generation Me – Tweens• Generation Alpha(?), iGen – Elementary

Attention Span, Multitasking & Connections

Pay Attention!• Non-linear thinking• No “right way” to do research• Short bites of information• Immersive experiences that

build• Scanning and filtering

behaviors

Phones, TV, Computer, More• Simultaneous device usage• The Octopus• Cash & carry

The World is Smaller• Freedom from geographic

location• Less fear of failure• Global economy• Breadth of network

http://spacecollective.org/

Social Learning and Self-Teaching

http://learning-2.nuvvo.com/lesson/1528-gen-y-and-digital-learning-styles

• Students can construct own learning path

• Use discussion to discover community threads, on and offline

• Education can be conformed to the learner

• Instant feedback loop using social media

• Peer support systems• Work through cognitive roadblocks

“In the 21st Century classroom, the student

wants to control the how, what, and when a task is completed.

Social media and other web-based

technologies are well suited to provide

avenues for students to engage in a social, collaborative, and

active dialogue in the online learning

environment with their peers and

instructor.”

Information Immediacy and Filtering

Social Learning and Self-Directed Paths

• Play• Performance• Appropriation• Multitasking• Distributed

Cognition

Confronting the Challenges of Participatory Culture: Media Education for the 21stCentury. Henry Jenkins, Director of the Comparative Media Studies Program at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology

• Collective Intelligence• Transmedia

Navigation• Networking• Negotiation

Educating New Entrepreneurs in a Digital World

new paradigm… new social tools…

new applications… new devices…

Shift Happens

• Did You Know?!

New Paradigm

• What does it all mean?– Shift is– Internet is redefining our society– Unprecedented global visibility– Jobs & technology skills are transforming– Language needs follow wealth, immediacy– Change, ambiguity rule– The list goes on

• Uncertainty = Opportunity

Generational Differences

Teachers StudentsPresent information Explore for information

Deliberate release DiscoveryFocused tasks Multiple tasks/methodsTextual/static data Multimedia/dynamicLearn ExperienceOne-dimensional HyperlinkedAbsorb InteractLogical, sequential Less structured

Adapted from Craig Bettles presentation Capturing the Imagination of the Digital Native,

New Paradigm: Mindset

Managerial vs. Entrepreneurial

Order Purpose

Efficiency CreativityControl LeadEvaluation ResultsAdministration ResponsibilitySupervise ExpectPower TeamConform ChoicesCertainty Opportunity

New Paradigm

• Entrepreneurs– Have ideas and do something about it– Are non-conformers– Assess, mitigate and tolerate risk– Are easily bored– Daydream– Take shortcuts– Challenge– View “No” as permission– Are not students – they figure out the game

Opportunity

Entrepreneurial Traits

• Attainment• Tenacity• Leadership• Sales• Introspection• Networking• Failure recovery• Customer focused

• Teamwork• Curiosity• Stubbornness• Optimism• Interdependence• Flexibility• Problem solvers• Enjoy Challenge

What do our kids think?

• 77% think starting their own business is possible

• 59% know someone who started a business

• 40% want to start their own business

• 37% want to invent something new

• 25% entrepreneurship is a desirable career option

Source: Kauffman/Harris Interactive 2007 online poll of 8 to 21 year olds

Teaching Foundation

• Explore– Interests– Talent– Innovation

• Encourage– Questioning– Discovery– Passion– Self sufficiency– Imagination– Initiative, perseverance

• 3:15 – Problem & Patience

How and Why

Teaching Skills

• Problem solving• Leading• Profits• Public speaking• Asking questions well• Learning from mistakes• Sales

• Buying• Seeking help• Flexibility• Personality• Risk assessment• Limits• Learning

Tools for Teaching

• YouTube• Facebook• Twitter• LinkedIn• Google Docs• Evernote

• iPads• Mobile & Smart Phones• FlipCam

Sample Resources

www.joanganzcooneycenter.org

http://www.kauffman.org/Education

http://www.nfte.com/http://www.nfib.com/yef

http://www.lemonadeday.org/

Case Studies

classrooms… businesses… on the street … in the home …

Ohio Hi-Point Career Center, Bellfontaine

Sesame Street

• Oscar the Grouch and the gang have over a quarter million followers on Twitter

• Elmo's doing Q&A's on Youtube

• Most of the main characters have their own Facebook page (Bert and Ernie's latest post is a video of them singing with Will. i. am.).

"Last year Telly dressed up as cookie for Halloween. Me Chased him 6 blocks till me realized it was just a costume!."

Discussion

get together… brainstorm… organize… present…