On other occasions, students have surfed the Net during class and found Web sites that supplement the discussion – though Jones also jokes that he’s never had his students’ undivided attention thanks to the laptops, cell phones and other gizmos they carry.

“There is a real power there, a kind of technological power. But also I think there’s a kind of intellectual power that can be harnessed. They are so curious about using these technologies. And I’d really like to be able to regularly marshal that curiosity,” Jones says, noting that students – not necessarily universities – are the ones who often drive the use of technology on campus.

He also thinks that young workers will continue to push technological advances in the corporate world, partly because they are able to handle “multiple conversations and juggle better than the previous generations.” He says the Internet – and other forms of communication – play very much into this generation’s wish for flexibility at home, work and during down time. —Martha Irvine —Generation Raised With Internet Grows Up (AP/My Way)