How Net Generation Students Work

Date: 2015-10-07; view: 1450.

UNIT 1

Underline the correct answer from the words in bold.

a) If the budget is cut/will be cut, we will loose/loose a great deal of profit.

b) If John chooses/will choose the venue, the party is/will be spoiled.

c) If we will ensure/ensure the loyalty of our customers, the sales go/will go up.

d) The host of the evening isn`t/won`t be satisfied if wecome/are coming without our financial manager.

e) The New Year party is/will beruined if you will drink/drink too much alcohol.

f) The time and place of the meeting are/will be fixed as soon as your secretary contacts/will contact us.

g) When the dinner is/will be over we will go/go to the football game.

h) The benefits will disappear/disappear as soon as Jake will retire/retires.

i) If our representative won`t/don`t visit major sport and cultural events our company looses/will loose its public face.

j) Our firm will sponsor/sponsors the concert if you make/will make an agreement with us.

LIVING IN A DIGITAL AGE

TASK 1

You are going to read an article about net generation. Decide which statement is true, false or not given.

1. As the Net Generation Survey found, 75 percent of students instant message while doing schoolwork.

2. The trend towards collaborative work is an inherent feature of Net Generation.

3. The blogs of Net Generation can't be referred to their online diaries causing emotional honesty in their online communications.

4. Net generation students expect open and personal connection with their professors.

5. Net Generation students are confident that evolving technology can cope with the challenges that affect the world.

6. Net generation students are keen on dealing with vital global environmental issue.

7. The majority of college professors tend to think that students are failing at small group discussions.

8. Students and professors are pushing for the online course components to include more of the multimedia Web experience the Net Generation is accustomed to.

9. Net Generation workers are indifferent to the expression of approval for their achievements.

10. For many of them, work will never be the center of their lives, and they search out employers who understand the importance of maintaining a healthy work-play balance.

Net Generation students are infamous for their multitasking skills and short attention spans. Growing up online, they're trained to quickly and simultaneously consume and process information from multiple media sources -- and to ignore anything "boring" or otherwise uninspiring.

The Net Generation quickly shifts attention from one project to the next, always putting a high priority on speed. Sometimes that speed comes at a cost. Educators and researchers have found that the Net Generation lacks depth in its research and critical skills.

Research shows that Net Generation college students are strong visual learners and weaker textual learners. One study examined a library class at California State University - Hayward, where students frequently ignored lengthy text directions for homework assignments. When the assignments were rewritten using images first, student scores increased.

More than anything, Net Generation students are excellent collaborators. They're natural at networking and love to work in teams. For the Net Generation, collaboration can occur in the same classroom or with team members across the world. They're comfortable starting and maintaining online relationships and becoming "good friends" with people they've never met in person.

The Net Generation is constantly connected. Not just to the Internet, but to each other. The powerful combination of cell phones, text messaging, instant messaging and e-mail means that Net Generation students are always mid-conversation with one or more friends either online, in person or both at the same time.

Social networking is a fancy word for a Net Generation way of life. The Net Generation Survey found that 69 percent of college students surveyed had a Facebook account.

Net Generation students are open and emotionally honest in their online communications. For many, their blogs are literally online diaries, where no topic is taboo. With the popularity of YouTube, more and more students are posting vlogs, or video blogs, that cut out the middle man by talking straight to the viewer.

In contrast with cynical Generation X, the Net Generation is optimistic, positive and driven to succeed. High achievers, they crave rewards and accolades for their hard work. They're aware of the many significant problems affecting the world, but they're confident that through youthful innovation and ever-improving technology, these problems will be solved.

Net Generation students are no stranger to community service. Volunteer projects have been a part of their academic and extracurricular life since kindergarten. Because of this, they value work that has meaning and improves the lives of others. Net Generation college students are strongly motivated by academic projects that have a real-world component, particularly those that address a major issue like the environment, homelessness or poverty.

College campuses were some of the earliest adopters of ubiquitous high-speed wireless networks. That's because students expect to be connected anywhere and everywhere. To that end, many colleges are trying to make other essential student services available online around-the-clock. These services include adding money to meal accounts, making doctor's appointments at the student health center and renewing library books online.

Net Generation students expect the same availability from college administrators, staff and professors. They want to e-mail the director of the study abroad program and receive an answer quickly. Net Generation students work fast and make plans even faster. They need institutional infrastructures that can keep up with their pace.

College professors understand the traditional "lecture, read and test" method is failing to reach the Net Generation college student. Large lecture courses are regularly broken up into small group discussions. Microsoft PowerPoint presentations are popular, as are posting all presentations, lecture notes, assignments and syllabi online.

Businesses are also scrambling to understand and work alongside a new breed of employee. The focus should be on the product, not the process. Net Generation workers are still going to multitask. They'll have their iPod on, six browser windows open and three instant messaging conversations going while they're writing software code.

The free flow of ideas is essential. An entry-level employee should be able to instant message a senior executive with an idea and expect a response. Employees should be able to set up virtual teams within offices and across different locations to develop new ideas independently.­

Net Generation workers are used to the awards and accolades showered upon them as overachieving high school and college students, and the workplace should be no exception. Net Generation workers expect quick feedback from superiors and incentives for jobs well done, like extra vacation time or prizes.

TASK 2

Find Russian equivalents to the following words and word combinations from the article in TASK 1.

1. multitasking skills

2. process information

3. cut out

4. come at cost

5. driven to succeed

6. ever-improving technology

7. keep up with

8. entry-level

9. set up

10. feedback

TASK 3

Translate the following words and word combinations into English (TASK 1).

1. многозадачный режим

2. отдавать предпочтение

3. проводить опрос

4. буквально

5. быть нацеленным на успех

6. внеаудиторный

7. повсеместный

8. доступность

9. cоздавать команду

10. средства поощрения за хорошо сделанную работу

TASK 4

Read the text below and decide which word A-D best fits each place.

­The cash-dispensing mechanism has an electric eye that counts each bill as it (1)___ the dispenser. The bill count and all of the information pertaining to a particular (2)___ is recorded in a journal. The journal information is printed out periodically and a (3)___ is maintained by the machine owner for two years. Whenever a (4)___ has a dispute about a transaction, he or she can (5)___ a journal printout showing the transaction, and then (6)___ the host processor. If no one is (7)___ to provide the journal printout, the cardholder needs to (8)___ the bank or institution that issued the card and (9)___ a form that will be faxed to the host processor. It is the host processor's responsibility to (10)___ the dispute.

TASK 5

For questions 1-10 read the text below. Fill in the gaps with suitable words. The first letter is given as a prompt.

When a (1) c_ _ _ wants to do an ATM (2) t_ _ _, he or she provides the necessary information by means of the card reader and keypad. ATMs keep your personal (3) i_ _ _ number and other information safe by using encryption software. The ATM forwards this information to the host (4) p_ _ _, which routes the transaction (5) r_ _ _ to the cardholder's bank or the institution that (6) i_ _ _ the card. If the cardholder is requesting (7) c_ _ _, the host processor causes an electronic funds (8) t _ _ _ to take place from the customer's bank (9) a_ _ _ to the host processor. Once the funds are transferred to the host processor's bank account, the processor sends an approval code to the ATM authorizing the machine to (10) d_ _ _the cash.

TASK 6

Grammar. Fill in the gaps with prepositions.

The microprocessor brought the fourth generation (1) ___ computers, as thousands of integrated circuits were built (2) ___ a single silicon chip. What in the first generation filled an entire room could now fit (3) __ the palm of the hand. The Intel 4004 chip, developed (4) __ 1971, located all the components of the computer - from the central processing unit and memory (5) __ input/output controls - on a single chip.

In 1981 IBM introduced its first computer (6) __ the home user, and in 1984 Apple introduced the Macintosh. Microprocessors also moved (7) __ of the realm of desktop computers and moved (8) __ many areas of life as more and more everyday products began to use microprocessors.

As these small computers became more powerful, they could be linked together to form networks, which eventually led (9) __ the development (10) __ the Internet.