Super-connected Teenagers
Year 5 to 12 parents and students
Students are steeped in the Internet, social media, and all types of technological innovations. It is important for schools and teachers to keep abreast how these things interact with curriculum and to optimise learning and preparation for a life after the school years. Technology and socialmedia changed the daily experience of teenagers compared to the era before computers (BC).
What are some of the pros and cons (we all know the latter!) and the skills associated with them?
Positives:
access to knowledge and learning (digital literacy skills).
social contact without geographic boundaries (social/ethical skills).
means to escape and find privacy from adults (respect and trust).
become creators and digileaders (innintiative and empathy).
early entrepeneurship (innovation and business skills).
improved reaction times (kinetic L skills).
Negatives:
Social isolation (social skills)
Tech addiction (behavioural skills)
Cyberbullying and other online abuse (digital citizenship skills)
Reinforcement through echo chambers (digital literacy skills)
Physical and mental wellness issues (phys ed and diet skills)
Body and other self-image issues (self-love and confidence skills)
Question: There are others — can you think of one?
Casper Pieters PhD Dip Ed is an author and educator who uses adventure narratives to enliven the ICT curriculum for young people. www.casperpieters.com
