FACING NEW CHALLENGES IN TEACHING THE NET GENERATION

More than a decade ago, the NET GENERATION began making its way to the higher education system. Having been born between January 1977- January 1997, this generation has witnessed the rapid emergence and extensive influence of digital technologies and tools such as personal computers, networks, mobile devices and the Web- hence it is also referred to as: "Digital natives" and "Youtube Generation". These names actually reflect some features that characterize this generation, such as: familiarity with technology, need for innovation, collaborative relationship and autonomy in learning.
At the same time, this generation shares the characteristics found in those engaged in multitasking such as having a very short attention span- which has led to the coinage of the notorious name: "the attention-deficit-disorder generation".
Davenport and Beck's (2000) research in the field of management showed that one of the most important factors in gaining and sustaining people's attention is engaging people's emotions since "the scarcest resource in modern organizations is attention".
The Net geners' use of technology affects their literacy and habits of learning and poses great challenges to teachers.
In this paper, I will present some theoretical information regarding the Net generation and suggest ways that can enhance the learning of English amongst undergraduate students.