Thanks for playing along!As expected, people in the room from entire spectrum of experience. How many of you have never touched a facebook or MySpace?How many have an account of some sort of account, but use it rarely?How many check it at least 2 or three times a day? More??Feel free to toss out questions.
Every time I do a workshop, start with 2 questionsWhy are you here?What are you hoping to learn?
Here’s a roadmap for what I had in mind:Why is this so important? How are kids today different than previous generations?Crash course in the basics of OSN?How does OSN play into adolescent development?Strategies for Parents
Computers & Internet have had greatest impact on generation of anything in last 30 years.Many said Columbine shootings, or September 11th would be the events for the kids I work with, these events are a part of history. Computers & internet aren’t just a part of history for young peoplethey allow young people to MAKE HISTORY in ways that were never imagined by the people who created them.Internet has shaped the way theySee themselvesExpress themselvesCommunicateLearnSpend free timeQuite literally has changed the way teenagers process information
Mastering does not mean becoming tech wizI Mastered cooking meat w/ fireDon’t burn down the house, but still sometimes burn the steaks.
Today’s young person is a product of an “online world”Pew Foundation has a division that studies the internet and its impacts. Findings (2007)What does it say about the difference between boys and girls that girls blog more and post more photos than boys?More than ½ teens posted pic of self to net. Teens statistically better at protecting them than adults.
The 16.7 hrs online does NOT include time at school.For the first time in HISTORY kids are spending more time online than watching TV!Teenagers today watch less TV than their parents did when they were teens
The future of the internet lies not on the pc, but in the cell phone
Used to be we went looking for the news – now the news finds usUsed to be we went looking for products – now the products find us
Many people have started talking about the “Net Generation”Dan Tapscott – “Grown Up Digital” – Points out that Net Generation kids...Teenagers expect web 2.0Web 1.0 – I publish, you consumeWeb 2.0 – we all contribute Note about Multi-tasking – Teen doing homeworkTv onIPod onCell phoneMagazine5 different im windowsWe don’t REALLY multi-taskSwitch rapidly between small tasks (Triage)
January 2008 – PBS’s Frontline aired “Growing Up Online.”Tell me if you can relate to this clip…
If we’re not careful it can be easy to think of all of this as negative.In reality, the news is not all bad!
Regardless of whether it scares or excites us – there are basically three possible reactions.First 2 might be comforting – neither will be effective.If you ignore it they will learn about/use it other places w/out the benefit of your guidanceIf you Fight it (not in my house) – They will get it other places (friends houses, school, etc…) & you won’t be involved.If you do manage to keep them sheltered, by the time their 18 you’ve raised a kid who Doesn’t understand the way MOST people interactIs NOT prepared to protect himself in an online world.By choosing to Master it we can help to form students.Master DOES NOT equal becoming tech wiz…EQUALS getting a basic understanding.
Granville Stanley Hall 1904Prior to 20th Century, Little/No TRANSITION from childhood to adulthood.As Society became more Urban the lines grayed. Transition stretched. Adolescence.Granville Stanely Hall identified 3 Tasks of Adolescence.Identity – who am I as a person: standing outside ourselves looking back at ourselves to determine what makes us uniqueAutonomy – how am I separate, autonomous from my family and friends? Affinity – where does this unique, autonomous me fit in?The 12 year old suddenly starts to care about his appearance (identity), no clothes his mom buys are ever “cool enough” (autonomy) because she never buys jeans with the holes in the right places like all of his friends wear (affinity)OSN sites seem tailor made for adolescents to work through these struggles by creating a self image, defining their uniqueness, and then seeking out people who share the same struggles.One of most important roles of CYM – help students navigate Adolescence.
Youth Culture is a relatively recent phenomenonYouth Culture developed as a reaction to or rebellion against the “norm” (autonomy)(50’s – Elvis, 60’s – CCR, 70’s – KC&Sunshine Band, 80’s – Twisted Sister, 90’s – Nirvana, Today – Lil John)Advertisers realize teens = $$$$Companies begin marketing to teensYouth Culture begins to exist on Two LevelsSurface = pop culture shared by teens & adults alike Pepsi, Nike, IpodsUnderground = adults aren’t aware, aren’t welcome Binge Drinking, Self Mutilation, AnorexiaWhile we might not be welcome, we have a duty to be informed, and to claim our place on that stairway.OSN is one of the stairs.
Craig Ferguson Clip
In an effort to protect adolescents we’ve built a protective cocoon around them that is too hard for them to crack throughBook comes from both research and clinical experienceClinical experience shows that the way to turn this around is through giving teens opportunities to take risks and make decisions that have real-world implicationsTutoring younger studentsVolunteering with agencies that meet real-world needsTaking jobs where they get significant interactions with adults
In my experience computers are right in the middle of the generation gap.Many parents I talk to feel like they’re so far behind that they’ll never catch up. Its important to encourage them.The earlier parents start being proactive about how their children use computers & the internet, the easier it will be to create healthy habits. If you wait until junior year and start by pulling the computer out of the kid’s bedroom there’s going to be a lot more drama.
65% of teens polled said that they would be willing to give up a week night activty if it meant having more time to share a meal with their family!!!
We are called to be missionaries.Missionaries do 4 things:They START with TRUTH – God is the source – beginning and end goal – the recognize that everything else is just details.Study the cultureRespect the cultureNever compromise TRUTHPRAYER – for Missionary Heart