Restless - check. Short attention span, indifferent - check. If you’re bewildered, don’t be. It’s just that you’re dealing with students of the new millennium. If you want to reach them, you’ll have to update your teaching strategies. 

Generation Y, Who?

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Gen Y students are from the "Net" or "Millennium" generation, born between 1980 and 1999. They are also called Generation Y-ers. Here’s how to spot them:
1. They Are Techno-savvy
They didn’t just grow up with technology. They’re intimate with technology and they’re good at it!
2. They Have Short Attention Spans
Imagine getting what you need all with a click of the mouse. In just one second.  Now, do you understand why Gen Y-ers get impatient easily?
3. They Consume and Filter Information Quickly
Gen Y students are confronted and inundated with information from various sources at every turn. If they don't think the information you present applies, they immediately switch off.
4. They Multitask Well
Because Gen Y-ers grew up with technology, they’re adept at multitasking. They can chat online, do homework, watch TV and listen to music all at the same time. 
5. They Want It. Now.
Gen Y-ers grew up in a competitive and materialistic society with both parents working. Most have only known good economic times and until recently, never experienced an economic downturn. They’ve all the material goodies on hand - cell phones, iPod, money in their pockets, clothes, computers. Anything they want, they expect to get. Fast.