Raising the App Generation
This book talked about how today's generation navigate identity, intimacy and imagination in a digital world. I learned that:
1) the generation gap in terms of technology between now and 10 years ago is huge
2) as technology progresses it affects the way people see themselves, relate to each other and use their imagination
3) in order to better serve and educate today's generation we educators need to get updated regularly on the current apps and trends in the digital world.
This book tell the story of Howard, Katie and Molly and their generations. Their experiences depicted how the availability of technology, the type of apps and media well as the amount of dependence on them affect the way each of their generations thrived. For example, Katie did not know internet until her senior year while Molly is born right in the middle of it. This huge gap tells about how both girls have different ways of looking at things. It impacted their inner self and the way they live.
"We are the species par excellence of new experiences, new actions, and new reactions." (26) As a result of people's adaptability in today's new technology, they have a different way of viewing their identity, creating relationships and fostering imagination. "Overall, life in an app-suffused society yields not only many small features of a person’s identity but also a push toward an overall packaged sense of self — as it were, an omnibus app." (61) Today's social media has created "the packaged self" that promotes a more narcissistic attitude among the youths. This is made easy by having opportunities to volunteer or be a part of a group that aims to make a difference in their community.
As a parent of two small children, I am faced with the dilemma of how much technology I should allow my kids to use on a daily basis. Both my husband and I are pretty conservative. Our kids ages 8 and 10 have very limited access to computer at home. In their limited access however, they seem to be able to smoothly blend their online experience to their real life. My son for example, will have pages of drawings on paper of mine craft creations that he plans to do when he gets to play the app on weekends. I also noticed him playing with kids in the playground like how it is when play scratch online. He tends to give roles to each of his friends, and they make up a mission/goal, and they use words such as "spawn" or "capture" which might be from the apps they use online. Presently, there is this obvious gap between home restrictions and school restrictions. What we don't allow at home, are being fully utilized regularly in school such as use of iPad, use of learning apps, and being on the computer. It truly is a challenge balancing between raising my kids off screen while in school they are always on screen.
Being a teacher in this age when students view life a little different than I do, I wear a different hat than my parent hat. I feel the strong need to be able to continue to learn current trends. I want to be able to understand how my students operate in the real world as well as the digital world. In my TA class, I have 9th graders. The way they use their computer and the internet is really impressive. We have to play catch up in setting restrictions because students would have already found a way to bypass default settings by the time we adults realize there is no clear policy in place. They also seem to not only behave and think differently, but also communicate and use language differently as well. Thus, the need to constantly meet halfway with our learners.
Raising youths in the App generation to be responsible adults in the future is such an enormous task. We want to be able to help them navigate a world that we ourselves have not fully explored.
1) the generation gap in terms of technology between now and 10 years ago is huge
2) as technology progresses it affects the way people see themselves, relate to each other and use their imagination
3) in order to better serve and educate today's generation we educators need to get updated regularly on the current apps and trends in the digital world.
This book tell the story of Howard, Katie and Molly and their generations. Their experiences depicted how the availability of technology, the type of apps and media well as the amount of dependence on them affect the way each of their generations thrived. For example, Katie did not know internet until her senior year while Molly is born right in the middle of it. This huge gap tells about how both girls have different ways of looking at things. It impacted their inner self and the way they live.
"We are the species par excellence of new experiences, new actions, and new reactions." (26) As a result of people's adaptability in today's new technology, they have a different way of viewing their identity, creating relationships and fostering imagination. "Overall, life in an app-suffused society yields not only many small features of a person’s identity but also a push toward an overall packaged sense of self — as it were, an omnibus app." (61) Today's social media has created "the packaged self" that promotes a more narcissistic attitude among the youths. This is made easy by having opportunities to volunteer or be a part of a group that aims to make a difference in their community.
As a parent of two small children, I am faced with the dilemma of how much technology I should allow my kids to use on a daily basis. Both my husband and I are pretty conservative. Our kids ages 8 and 10 have very limited access to computer at home. In their limited access however, they seem to be able to smoothly blend their online experience to their real life. My son for example, will have pages of drawings on paper of mine craft creations that he plans to do when he gets to play the app on weekends. I also noticed him playing with kids in the playground like how it is when play scratch online. He tends to give roles to each of his friends, and they make up a mission/goal, and they use words such as "spawn" or "capture" which might be from the apps they use online. Presently, there is this obvious gap between home restrictions and school restrictions. What we don't allow at home, are being fully utilized regularly in school such as use of iPad, use of learning apps, and being on the computer. It truly is a challenge balancing between raising my kids off screen while in school they are always on screen.
Being a teacher in this age when students view life a little different than I do, I wear a different hat than my parent hat. I feel the strong need to be able to continue to learn current trends. I want to be able to understand how my students operate in the real world as well as the digital world. In my TA class, I have 9th graders. The way they use their computer and the internet is really impressive. We have to play catch up in setting restrictions because students would have already found a way to bypass default settings by the time we adults realize there is no clear policy in place. They also seem to not only behave and think differently, but also communicate and use language differently as well. Thus, the need to constantly meet halfway with our learners.
Raising youths in the App generation to be responsible adults in the future is such an enormous task. We want to be able to help them navigate a world that we ourselves have not fully explored.
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