Hi em,
please don't underestimate the older generations, it's a bit insulting to ask us to help you then to say "Us students ....are much more creative than the older generation. Clearly because we have a computer but also there is so much that was never taught back then." - What was never taught back then?, I for one had a thoroughly comprehensive education covering almost every topic that was available to us at that time! yes we didn't have the techonology but as Jem says we were taught to work things out for ourselves and to memorise, our research was all in legwork and libraries, and some of the greatest creativity took place in past times when art and technology was all manual. Quick fixes have often replaced rational thinking and memory, now we can look everything up as the click of a button. It's wonderful in so many ways, but also sad that so much info is gained only by on-line methodology - rather than for example talking to oldies like me who can remember people taking the assisted passages to Australia in the 1950s, to help boost the Australian workforce and economy.
I do wish you well with your research. How are your fellow students approaching this piece of work?