User:Tvenkateswaran2018/sandbox

Reviews for Igen

New York Journal of Booksl: This book is a must-read for parents, teachers, employers, and anybody trying to make sense of iGen behavior and what this bodes for the future. Twenge writes in straightforward conversational style, and the statistical data is presented in easy-to-follow graphs illustrating change over time though the format quickly gets boring. Most telling are the direct quotes from her informants as Twenge is a highly skilled and empathetic interviewer who elicits honest and often haunting responses.

However, the work is not without flaws. The pop-psych theme seems rather too slickly tailored to the mainstream market through over-generalizations. Despite disclaimers, the book still smacks somewhat of youth-bashing—the common reaction of previous generations to “What’s the matter with kids today!” Methodologically, the causal correlations suggested often seem to be observed associations wherein intervening variables have been downplayed in order to cherry-pick the data for maximum shock value rather than teasing out subtleties.

https://www.nyjournalofbooks.com/book-review/igen

Negative Criticism:

In an article in The Atlantic last fall titled “Have Smartphones Destroyed a Generation?,” Dr. Twenge argued that teens are more comfortable in their bedrooms or on smartphones or social media than at a party. While they are physically safer than past generations as a result, rates of teen depression and suicide are on the rise. “It’s not an exaggeration to describe iGen as being on the brink of the worst mental-health crisis in decades,” she wrote. “Much of this deterioration can be traced to their phones.”

But a number of social scientists and adolescent health researchers disagree with that conclusion. While teen depression and suicide rates are worrisome, there is no causal link to show those trends are the result of smartphones and social media. In fact, a literature review by Unicef researchers in December found that moderate use of digital technology tends to be beneficial for children’s mental well-being, while no use or too much use is associated with a “small negative impact.” The larger issues that affect a child’s well-being are family functioning, social dynamics at school and socio-economic conditions, the report concluded.

https://www.nytimes.com/2018/03/30/well/family/teenagers-generation-stoneman-douglas-parkland-.html

- April 8, 2018

In IGen, Jean Twenge examins the advantages, disadvantages, and consequences of technology in the lives of the current generation of teens/young adults who she aptly names, iGen.

Her evaluations are based on four databases: Monitoring the Futur e, The Youth Risk Behavior Surveillance System, The American Freshman Survey, and the General Social Survey. Each of these surveys asked iGen'ers quantiative and qualitative questions to determine if being raised synergistically with technology has made them less rebellious, more tolerant, less happy, less resilient to the challenge of adulthood, as Twenge asserts. In addition to the databases, Twenge conducted interviews with young adults across the country to collect first hand data about the challenges growing up with technology being presented to the current generation of teens and young adults.

-April 13, 2018

For Cathy: In our peer review groups we disc ussed adding a list of Jean Twenge's books after our section about iGen. Here is my draft for that list.


 * The Narcissism Epidemic: Living in the Age of Entitlement (2010) ISBN 1416575993
 * Generation Me: Why Today's Young Americans are More Confident, Assertive, Entitled - and More Miserable Than Ever Before (2014) ISBN 978-1476755564

Section about Criticisms: Cathy, What I would like to do is have this as the beginning of her criticisms page with additional criticisms that we come up with.

Her research on narcissism among millennials has been criticized by Jeffrey Arnett, who told The New York Times in 2013 that "I think she is vastly misinterpreting or over-interpreting the data, and I think it’s destructive". His criticisms of her work on narcissism include that she relies on the Narcissistic Personality Inventory (NPI), which he says is inherently flawed at measuring narcissism. Twenge has responded to this criticism by writing that the NPI "...it is employed in 77% of studies of narcissistic traits," and that it "...is also the best self-report predictor of narcissistic traits derived from clinical interviews." She also argues that "Documenting trends in young people’s self-reported traits and attitudes is empirical research, not a complaint or a stereotype."

(This needs a citation. We need to try and find this article)

-April 16, 2018

For Cathy: I found a critical review of the Writing Across the Curriculum writing model. In that review are advantages and disadvantages to the concept. The following is direct quotes of each as well as my attempt to paraphrase them for Wikipedia

https://www.academia.edu/10816249/A_Critical_Review_of_the_Writing_Model_Writing_Across_the_Curriculum

"Ramsay(2008) identified the following students' benefits of WAC: stuents become active learners, intellectual development is encouraged when they think, debate and research, students learn to communicate effectively in respective disciplines, it promotes and develops critical thinking and analytical thinking."

WAC Advantages:

P.A. Ramsay, in his paper Writing across the curriculum: Integrating discourse communities in the academy, found that students that participate in WAC programs become better communicators in their chosen discipline and demonstrated improved critical/analytical thinking.

(The citation for this paraphrase was a little difficult to put together since Wikipedia doesn't have a citation thing for just an article. This particular article isn't in a journal, it was just something Ramsay put together while researching schools in Jamaica)

"As is with most approaches, there are inherent disadvantages. Some disadvantages related with WAC include: fear that it will take too much time to grade papers and it will interfere with the content area of subject, difficulty in getting teachers to buy in to the approach, cost and effectiveness of training workshop and teacher's beliefs that they do not posess the ability to effectively teach writing."

"Another problem would have been students' inability to compose in their first language since in most instances their language only exists in oral form. This shortcoming is interesting since it is believed to affect students' second language writing ability.

Friedlander: "... students who have not developed good strategies for writing in their first language will not have appropriate strategies to transfer to their second language"(p. 109).

paraphrase:

 Disadvantages of WAC: 

Disadvantages of WAC include fears that the teaching style will reduce the available time to teach content material, difficuties getting teachers "on board" with the style, as well as fears that the teacher is illequipped to teach writing. Ramsay also found while working in Jamaica, that students who were unable to compose in their first language (either because of academic defficiencies or because the language did not have a written language) had difficulties composing in their second language using WAC practices. This was a sentiment echoed by Alexander Friedlander, who in his research found that students unable to write in their first language will have great difficulty writing in their second language regardless of whether their instruction has used WAC strategies.

paraphrase with group:

-April 20, 2018

April 18, we got in touch with a photographer that had taken some pictures of Twenge for the New York Times. We asked him to submit the pictures to Wikimedia Commons. Depending on if he is able to submit the picture, we may be able to add those pictures to the Jean Twenge Wikipedia page.

Fixed the paraphrasing of the advantages and disadvantages of WAC instruction. I also added citations for each of the sources. I'm still having trouble showing the citations in the Talk page. I can show them fine in the Sandbox and I assume they'll translate fine onto the actual page.

WAC Advantages:

P.A. Ramsay, in his paper Writing across the curriculum: Integrating discourse communities in the academy, found that students that participate in WAC programs become better communicators in their chosen discipline and demonstrated improved critical/analytical thinking.

Disadvantages of WAC:

Disadvantages of WAC include fears that the teaching style will reduce the available time to teach content material, difficuties getting teachers "on board" with the style, as well as fears that the teacher is illequipped to teach writing. Ramsay also found while working in Jamaica, that students who were unable to compose in their first language (either because of academic defficiencies or because the language did not have a written language) had difficulties composing in their second language using WAC practices. This was a sentiment echoed by Alexander Friedlander, who in his research found that students unable to write in their first language will have great difficulty writing in their second language regardless of whether their instruction has used WAC strategies.

iGen wiki page: Ben

Critiques

One of the critiques of the book ‘iGen’ is that Twenge states her conclusions first then goes out to gather the data, selecting the data that falls in line with her conclusions and sets aside the information that doesn’t. There is a similar critique of Twenge selecting specific data that will jolt her readers. There’s the sense that Twenge bashes iGen and falls into a similar view hinting that this generation has it wrong and has taken a step backward in societal advancement and personal resilience. The book is described as creating a grim representation of the iGen population and she’s criticized for her negative interpretation of data and interviews of teens. There is an inference that even the data presented could be read with a positive light and have a different meaning about iGen.

No response yet on whether the photo has been submitted to Wikipedia Commons in order for us to use it. Petemancilla (talk) 02:12, 23 April 2018 (UTC)Petemancilla

This is my edit and additions made to the summary we were working on:

In IGen: Why Today's Super-Connected Kids Are Growing Up Less Rebellious, More Tolerant, Less Happy--and Completely Unprepared for Adulthood--and What That Means for the Rest of Us, Jean Twenge examines the advantages, disadvantages, and consequences of technology in the lives of the current generation of teens/young adults generally known as "Generation Z" who she aptly names, iGen. Twenge claims that "iGeners" are born in the mid-1990s to the mid-2000s and later. iGen is the first generation to spend their entire adolescence in the age of the smartphone. Twenge's evaluations are based on four databases: Monitoring the Future, The Youth Risk Behavior Surveillance System, The American Freshman Survey, and the General Social Survey. Each of these surveys asked students quantitative and qualitative questions to determine how being raised synergistically with technology has made them less rebellious, more tolerant, less happy, and less resilient to the challenge of adulthood, as Twenge asserts. In addition to the databases, Twenge conducted interviews with young adults across the country to collect first-hand data about the challenges growing up with technology being presented to the current generation of teens and young adults. Generational divides are said to be more prominent than ever and parents, educators, and employers have a strong desire to understand the newer generation. Social media and texting have replaced many typical activities that older generations grew up with, therefore, iGeners are spending less time interacting in person. That alone is said to lead them to experience high levels of anxiety, depression, and loneliness than seen in prior generations.

Technology, however, isn’t the only thing that distinguishes iGeners from generations prior—the way in which their time is spent says a lot. Their behaviors and attitudes toward religion, sexuality, and even politics has changed. Twenge covers said topics in different chapters of the book. Not to mention their socialization skills and wants for the future have taken a turn towards an atypical yet safe route. “iGen is also growing up more slowly than previous generations: eighteen-year-olds look and act like fifteen-year-olds used to.” Twenge says that iGeners’ growth into adulthood requires the understanding of them in order to keep up with their new developmental ways because their impact on the future will be like no other. Petemancilla (talk) 02:31, 23 April 2018 (UTC)Petemancilla

Here are my edits to the summary and the final version of the summary.

In IGen: Why Today's Super-Connected Kids Are Growing Up Less Rebellious, More Tolerant, Less Happy--and Completely Unprepared for Adulthood--and What That Means for the Rest of Us, Jean Twenge examines the advantages, disadvantages, and consequences of technology in the lives of the current generation of teens/young adults generally known as "Generation Z" who she aptly names, iGen. Twenge claims that "iGeners" are born in the mid-1990s to the mid-2000s and later. iGen is the first generation to spend their entire adolescence in the age of the smartphone.

Generational divides are said to be more prominent than ever and parents, educators, and employers have a strong desire to understand the newer generation. Social media and texting have replaced many typical activities that older generations grew up with, therefore, iGeners' are spending less time interacting in person. That is said to lead them to experience higher levels of anxiety, depression, and loneliness than seen in prior generations.

Technology, however, isn’t the only thing that distinguishes iGeners from generations prior— the way in which their time is spent contributes to changes in their behaviors and attitudes toward religion, sexuality, and politics. Twenge argues that iGeners’ socialization skills and wants for the future have taken a turn towards an atypical, yet safe route. She elaborates on these topics throughout different chapters of the book. Each of these changes factor into her overall argument: that iGeners’ are unlike any generation seen before, and earlier generations must learn to understand them in order to keep up. With their new developmental ways, their impact will be unlike any before them.

Her evaluations are based on four databases: Monitoring the Future, The Youth Risk Behavior Surveillance System, The American Freshman Survey, and the General Social Survey. Each of these surveys asked iGen'ers quantiative and qualitative questions to determine if being raised synergistically with technology has made them less rebellious, more tolerant, less happy, less resilient to the challenge of adulthood, as Twenge asserts. In addition to the databases, Twenge conducted interviews with young adults across the country to collect first hand data about the challenges growing up with technology being presented to the current generation of teens and young adults. Delfri (talk) 04:34, 23 April 2018 (UTC)Delfri