Teaching iPad Kids with Brainrot - Gen Alpha Unlocked

About this Episode

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DESCRIPTION
WHAT IS BRAINROT?!
How do we teach a generation sucked down the "Brainrot" wormhole?
What are the unique social challenges facing Gen Alpha?
And what is the ONE KEY to getting through to this Generation as a teacher, pastor or educator?
Finally, we'll explore the difference between traditional teaching models and more modern approaches to learning.

//SHOWNOTES & TRANSCRIPTS
http://www.hybridministry.xyz/113

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📓SHOWNOTES
//SHOWNOTES & TRANSCRIPTS
http://www.hybridministry.xyz/113

//MEET GEN ALPHA
https://www.amazon.com/Generation-Alpha-Mark-McCrindle/dp/0733646301

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🕰️TIMECODES
00:00 What is Brainrot?
01:30 Social Challenges Facing Gen Alpha
05:13 5 Keys to Actively Listening
07:42 Traditional vs. Modern Teaching Methods
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✍️TRANSCRIPT
00:00:00:00 - 00:00:01:03
Nick Clason
In this episode,

00:00:01:08 - 00:00:06:17
Nick Clason
we're going to explore the different social challenges facing the iPad generation

00:00:06:17 - 00:00:14:08
Nick Clason
known as Generation Alpha. I'm also going to share with you the one key to getting through to this generation. And finally

00:00:14:08 - 00:00:18:16
Nick Clason
was what are the traditional teaching models versus modern methods of teaching? But

00:00:18:16 - 00:00:20:07
Nick Clason
first, what in the world

00:00:20:07 - 00:00:27:16
Nick Clason
is brain rot? I went to the world's foremost authority, which is Reddit, and you know that with this person, this user is, Sakai said.

00:00:27:16 - 00:00:29:18
Nick Clason
Brain rot is the idea that exposure to

00:00:29:18 - 00:00:33:00
Nick Clason
certain content can basically turn you into an idiot.

00:00:33:00 - 00:00:55:08
Nick Clason
Have you heard? Have you heard the term brain rot? Give me a like if you have and give me a subscribe if you haven't, because you probably need to hear some of this stuff. But according to Mccrindle and fell in the book that I am reading for some of this research on Generation Alpha, they said Gen Alpha seamlessly integrates technology and screens into their lives, and they can't imagine a world without it.

00:00:55:10 - 00:01:03:21
Nick Clason
Furthermore, they said Generation Alpha is using Texians before they could talk, and so we have yet to see the full impacts of their interactions with

00:01:03:21 - 00:01:08:23
Nick Clason
screens, which is why I believe some people say that Generation Alpha is doomed.

00:01:08:23 - 00:01:11:15
Nick Clason
They consume more and more content

00:01:11:15 - 00:01:18:24
Nick Clason
online. That is just silly and dumb and stupid. And I think that's where some people go ahead and dub it and classify it as brain rotten.

00:01:18:24 - 00:01:23:05
Nick Clason
So how can we as parents and educators, pastors and teachers who love them? How can we

00:01:23:05 - 00:01:30:24
Nick Clason
pull them up out of it? Well, to make matters worse, beyond just this brain rot thing, there are some social challenges that

00:01:30:24 - 00:01:40:05
Nick Clason
Generation Alpha is facing on a regular basis, according to parents. The top five things that Generation Alpha is facing is bullying.

00:01:40:08 - 00:02:02:22
Nick Clason
Online bullying through social networks, navigating their own mental wellbeing, social pressure to be a high achiever and then the pressure to grow up faster. The list is the same with educators, but it's in a little bit of a different order with a little bit of different percentages. Educators would say the number one thing that Generation Alpha is facing is online bullying through social networks, the pressure to grow up faster.

00:02:02:23 - 00:02:10:26
Nick Clason
Social pressure to be a high achiever, navigating their own mental wellbeing and then navigating loneliness and social isolation.

00:02:10:26 - 00:02:27:23
Nick Clason
Tony George, who's the headmaster at The King's School, says this is never before have we been so connected and yet so lonely at the same time. And so to be human is to be relational. Yet social media has now come to amplify the worst of humility the anti-social.

00:02:27:27 - 00:02:48:12
Nick Clason
Technology amplifies wellbeing issues like bullying, and we have to deal with that. Other issues facing Generation Alpha that are social challenges are things that we just have to be aware of and come to grips with. Up aging. We talked about up in the last video, which is linked right here. When we explored and introduced Generation Alpha for the first time.

00:02:48:15 - 00:02:51:16
Nick Clason
Another thing that kind of comes to the forefront, especially with

00:02:51:16 - 00:02:53:19
Nick Clason
education, is just sitting still. This

00:02:53:19 - 00:03:02:04
Nick Clason
generation is finding it harder and harder to stay still. And so in a traditional classroom setting, how do you manage something like that?

00:03:02:04 - 00:03:04:26
Nick Clason
You know my own context in student ministry.

00:03:04:26 - 00:03:16:19
Nick Clason
One of the things that I do to sort of overcome the sitting still conundrum is we try to integrate, turn and talks where I'll teach for a little bit, and then I'll let them turn and have an opportunity to talk.

00:03:16:21 - 00:03:17:08
Nick Clason
I use this

00:03:17:08 - 00:03:25:15
Nick Clason
feature on demand side gig presentation model that has different poll features so that they can use their phone. They can seamlessly,

00:03:25:15 - 00:03:30:13
Nick Clason
as we said earlier, seamlessly integrate into the technology that's in front of them

00:03:30:13 - 00:03:46:05
Nick Clason
and try to create moments of interaction amongst them, amongst myself as the communicator and the presenter. I try to break up my teaching methods so that I'm not like teaching for like a half an hour straight, but I'll teach for a little bit, and then we'll put a break in the middle and do some other stuff, and I'll teach

00:03:46:05 - 00:03:47:10
Nick Clason
a little bit more.

00:03:47:13 - 00:03:52:15
Nick Clason
We also like to put paper down on the tables that they're sitting at, so that they can doodle

00:03:52:15 - 00:03:57:24
Nick Clason
on it, or even just take notes to keep paying attention to what's going on in the

00:03:57:24 - 00:04:02:03
Nick Clason
room. Other things that they face online bullying,

00:04:02:03 - 00:04:13:05
Nick Clason
children, developing with technology is another thing that they face. Like, for example, kids who say, hey, Alexa, play like that's just a normal part of their vernacular, and we don't know what the implications are yet

00:04:13:05 - 00:04:17:23
Nick Clason
for kids who have been raised with this as a normal fabric and part of their life.

00:04:17:24 - 00:04:18:00
Nick Clason
I know

00:04:18:00 - 00:04:30:06
Nick Clason
I installed my very first Alexa when my, now eight year old, who is in Generation Alpha, was a baby, and so he's only ever had an Alexa device in his house.

00:04:30:06 - 00:04:42:06
Nick Clason
And YouTube is becoming the preferred source and piece of entertainment with Generation Alpha, with, people like PewDiePie. Dude. Perfect. MrBeast, Ryan's World, and the odd is out.

00:04:42:09 - 00:04:42:13
Nick Clason
And

00:04:42:13 - 00:04:49:11
Nick Clason
finally, how do we keep these kids safe? Parents especially are concerned about safety of Generation Alpha, especially with

00:04:49:11 - 00:04:57:10
Nick Clason
the rise of shows like Murder Next Door. And so how do we keep our children and Generation Alpha safe? Well, I'm glad that you asked,

00:04:57:10 - 00:05:09:23
Nick Clason
because I now do think that with those social challenges sort of in view, how do we with those social challenges with the idea of brain rot, what is the key to getting through to this generation?

00:05:10:00 - 00:05:18:14
Nick Clason
Let's check it out. one of the keys, I believe, to getting through to Generation Alpha is to be an active listener.

00:05:18:14 - 00:05:34:03
Nick Clason
Once again, from the book Generation Alphabet. Mccrindle and Phil, they give kind of five steps to active listening. And I want to share them with you because I thought that they're fantastic because we all the generation Alpha was grown up with, cell phones and technology.

00:05:34:04 - 00:05:44:13
Nick Clason
We all are victims to the cell phone, world. And we all are victims to screens. And so they're keys to kind of this active listening is, number one

00:05:44:13 - 00:05:47:08
Nick Clason
to squarely face the listener. When

00:05:47:08 - 00:05:48:29
Nick Clason
you squarely face the listener, you

00:05:48:29 - 00:05:52:04
Nick Clason
can demonstrate full attention and interest.

00:05:52:04 - 00:05:54:25
Nick Clason
Number two, open body language. So

00:05:54:25 - 00:05:57:27
Nick Clason
put down your screen, uncross your arms.

00:05:57:27 - 00:06:02:21
Nick Clason
And that indicates and communicates interest and attention.

00:06:02:21 - 00:06:06:29
Nick Clason
If you lean forward, lean towards them. Then that will help give

00:06:06:29 - 00:06:17:01
Nick Clason
the speaker, the idea that you are interested as opposed to leaning back, which, kind of helps demonstrate that you may be less interested in what they have to say.

00:06:17:01 - 00:06:21:09
Nick Clason
Finally, eye contact offer focus on the speaker, and we look them squarely

00:06:21:09 - 00:06:23:06
Nick Clason
in the eye and give them our full attention.

00:06:23:11 - 00:06:28:26
Nick Clason
That also communicates that they have value and that what they say matters and is interesting. And then finally

00:06:28:26 - 00:06:46:25
Nick Clason
give responsive gestures like nods and ahas and other affirming feedback. The speaker will share more as we, as a listener, display our empathy and our ability to engage with them. Now, here's the thing. You all know that you've all heard that that's just the key to active listening.

00:06:46:25 - 00:07:17:16
Nick Clason
But with screens as a hurdle in a lot of our lives, we need to practice putting those things down and practice active listening with Generation Alpha. And I believe that we will help them get off of their devices if we can show them and share with them a way to interact as human beings. 2018 The National Institute of Health reported that children who spend more than two hours on screens demonstrated lower language and thinking skills,

00:07:17:16 - 00:07:30:19
Nick Clason
and so it's important that we all help model four generation Alpha, who's grown up with screens, who's only ever known a model for them, what it's like to have healthy relationship with other human beings, and also how to get

00:07:30:19 - 00:07:59:12
Nick Clason
away from screens and really experience and unlock the fullness of life. So if we're teachers, pastors, educators, I'm a youth pastor. Like, how do we teach Generation Alpha more than 4 in 5, but 83% or more in seven and ten? About 71% of educators believe that schools today are doing much better at engaging students with their very different learning styles,

00:07:59:12 - 00:08:12:16
Nick Clason
but teach students today are experiencing a teacher facilitated, interactive, learning centric environment, and classroom layouts are now designed to help sort of reflect this.

00:08:12:16 - 00:08:40:00
Nick Clason
And so what are some of the keys and the differences between traditional teaching models and and more? classic and now new like learning styles. It's kind of like the difference between self-directed and some of the individualized styles of learning. And so unlike a traditional classroom setting, you may be more verbal and just talk more, but I think a more modern style of learning for Generation Alpha is they're more visual.

00:08:40:06 - 00:08:43:00
Nick Clason
So how can you bring about visual aid? How can you bring about

00:08:43:00 - 00:08:51:24
Nick Clason
object lessons and things that are going to allow them to see it with their eyes and let that come to life in a little bit of a different way? Traditional

00:08:51:24 - 00:08:58:28
Nick Clason
models might be, hey, sit and be quiet and listen. But now more modern methods of learning are try it and see.

00:08:59:02 - 00:09:19:02
Nick Clason
And, you know, I think that's a challenge for a lot of us in churches and in student ministry, because how do we help kids try and see what is there in the Bible? You know, last week I tried something. It was an experiment. I don't even know if I liked it yet or not, but I had students look up verses to help me describe the character of God.

00:09:19:02 - 00:09:20:07
Nick Clason
And then when they looked them

00:09:20:07 - 00:09:46:09
Nick Clason
up, they told them to me. And from the stage and from the platform, I had my TV or my my, computer, airplane, Bible gateway.com. And I looked at verse up live time and then it would show on the screen, and then everyone could read it together. That was just an example of me trying to let them kind of try to look up in the Bible for themselves and then see what they looked up and kind of add to the teaching method.

00:09:46:15 - 00:10:11:27
Nick Clason
Traditional. Other traditional methods of learning might be an authoritarian method of learning with the teacher who's in charge and who's the boss. But now more modern methods of learning are a participant per participatory right, letting generation Alpha actually participate in their learning and in the teaching style. Traditional models might be more curriculum centered, where now they're more learner

00:10:11:27 - 00:10:19:04
Nick Clason
centric and trying to get through to them and give them, what they need in order to learn, traditional might

00:10:19:04 - 00:10:24:13
Nick Clason
be more closed book exams, but we live in an open book world,

00:10:24:13 - 00:10:24:19
Nick Clason
right?

00:10:24:23 - 00:10:31:25
Nick Clason
You're never going to be faced to in a situation where you don't have access to find the answer to something, especially with a cell

00:10:31:25 - 00:10:38:28
Nick Clason
phone in your pocket. So how do we as educators, as teachers, as pastors, how do we navigate that for

00:10:38:28 - 00:10:42:05
Nick Clason
Generation Alpha in a way that makes sense?

00:10:42:05 - 00:10:46:23
Nick Clason
Traditional would be books and paper. But now we have glass and we have devices.

00:10:46:23 - 00:10:56:10
Nick Clason
We have cell phones. We have ways to look things up. Traditional would be theoretical thinking, but now there's more practical skills that need to be taught and conveyed and

00:10:56:10 - 00:11:07:26
Nick Clason
and given to the next generation. As we said in the last episode, that several of the jobs that they're going to be taking are going to be different than than jobs that even exist now.

00:11:08:00 - 00:11:09:13
Nick Clason
And finally, direct

00:11:09:13 - 00:11:13:21
Nick Clason
instruction versus inquiry based learning. So,

00:11:13:21 - 00:11:44:14
Nick Clason
so with all of this different kind of conflicting information, what do you think our approach to education as pastors and educators should be with Generation Alpha? What even further more should be should our approach with cell phones be should we embrace them and find a way to let generation Alpha use them, or should we push them away because they disrupt the traditional ways of teaching and educating?

00:11:44:14 - 00:12:01:12
Nick Clason
How do we navigate that? As youth pastors? How do we navigate that as parents? What do you do if you have a generation alpha kid, do you lean into a phone? Do you embrace it or do you hold off giving it to them? Well, I'm glad you asked because I want to explore that in the very next episode, which is linked right here on screen.

00:12:01:19 - 00:12:16:13
Nick Clason
So feel free to tap that. And I would love to talk to you even more about my findings in that, don't forget that we are making digital discipleship easy, possible, and accessible. So as always, stay hybrid.