Look around and you will see kids and teens walking by with ear buds sticking to their ears; Or in the bus, pressing the keys of their mobile phones to send text messages; Or even see them sliding their fingers on the touch screens of their iPhones viewing on some cool pictures. These are just a few of those scenarios where you see kids and teens ‘connected’ to today’s technology.
Today’s kids are not just surrounded by today’s media and technology—they live and breathe it everyday.
Generation M is totally immersed in technology. An independent study from the Kaiser Family Foundation explored the daily media usage of over 2,000 children ages 8 to 18. The results show that children are engaged with media for an average of 6.5 hours a day. Because they multi-task, many are cramming 8.5 hours of media usage into those 6.5 hours.
Today’s kids and teens are not replacing “old” media; they are simply adding more media usage to their daily lives. Kevin Marks, software engineer and founding member of the Social Software Alliance, said it best: “My generation draws the Internet as a cloud that connect everyone; the younger generation experiences it as oxygen that supports their digital lives.”
It’s doubtful or even wishful thinking that media and technology will lessen as time passes by. I believe we will see the emergence of more technology to lure and capture every attention left with us. For sure, technology is moving at the speed of light (much faster than superman!) and carrying children along with it. The increase in world knowledge simply doubles each time around. This I think has a great advantage as well as a downside to it, especially when it comes to children’s learning.
We see the many benefits of today’s technology, making learning even more interesting and engaging. Growing up (I wouldn’t say when!), teachers from the private school where I attended used the reliable Betamax and VHS recorders to aid in the students’ learning. During those times, OHPs (or overhead projectors) were the ‘in’ thing for presentations. For the benefit of those who don’t know what OHPs are, this is an equipment that typically has a large box containing a very bright light and fan to cool it. Teachers would draw or photocopy their materials on transparency sheets, which they would place on the glass platform of the unit. The mirror above the lens of the overhead projector would then reflect the image. The use of such equipment saves teachers a lot of class time. But still, most of them would still resort to writing the lectures on the blackboards, wherein the students in the class would have to copy them in their notebooks (defined here as, ‘writing pads’ or ‘books made of paper’—surely, this isn’t the type of notebook you’re using now).
The good ol' overhead projector
Nowadays, I believe that there are a few schools which use OHPs. Once a fixture in classrooms, it is now replaced by large computer monitors, dedicated computer projection systems, and interactive whiteboards.Adding to the difference that we see these days, kids and teens are taught in their schools with the use of multimedia which includes information content processing devices like computerized and electronic devices which can also be part of a live performance. Oftentimes, multimedia also describes electronic media.
Our kids’ education and learning are not only limited to the four walls of the school. Since the advent of the internet, learning has become dependent on what information can be drawn from different website content. Kids and teens these days can easily access information via mobile phones, notebooks or through the public library’s computers which have Internet access. The information drawn from all these devices makes learning accessible anytime, anywhere.
But how about the downside? In as much as kids and teens can access any kind of information, they might come across certain content that are inappropriate for their age, or things that require the supervision and guidance of adults. The Internet is a fun and enjoyable place to visit and draw all kinds of information from (and can be a great teacher, too!) but with improper use and handling, it can lead a child or teen to destructive behaviour and unhealthy practices.
All the other tech stuff we have (and enjoy) these days, can be great tools if we know how to use them properly. Still it is us who dictate how to use such technology, and not the other way around. I could discuss at great lengths regarding media and technology responsibility (and its many uses, functions and benefits). But there is one thing that I’d like everyone to know—such technology increases our knowledge. Now it is up to us, how we can responsibly use these things to serve its purpose and contribute to the betterment of our lives, especially the lives of our children.
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