Generation Tech

Today's teens view technology not only as a part of life, but as a way of life

By Debra Lau Whelan -- School Library Journal, 3/1/2004

Imagine not knowing whoMuggles are or how the Dewey decimal system works? Well, it's akin to being left in the dark about kids' technology needs. That's why the U.S. Department of Education (DOE) is in the process of gathering student opinion as it prepares for the upcoming release of its national educational technology plan. The hope is that this unprecedented move will help educators make more informed purchasing decisions and devise more effective teaching strategies. And it makes perfect sense—marketers have been studying kids' demographics for years, so it's about time that educators started taking advantage of students' attitudes and interests to boost learning.

So far, the insights gleaned from select academic and market researchers reveal a detailed composite of today's tweens and teens, spanning their relationship with technology to their spending habits and their views toward family and education. What are the key findings? That this generation views technology as not only a part of life, but a way of life. Since today's kids have vastly different needs than their parents, school districts must be equipped with an "education system that is ready for this generation of students," says John Bailey, the DOE's recently departed director of the office of educational technology. In short, the more informed we are, the more schools can provide students with the best possible learning environment.

The DOE, in collaboration with the nonprofit educational organization NetDay.org, recently conducted its own study of 210,000 K–12 students from 3,000 schools nationwide. The survey reveals that 97 percent of students in grades 7–12 strongly believe that technology is important to their education and 83 percent say that the loss of Internet access would have a negative effect on their schoolwork. That information alone can help school districts determine how much of their budgets should go toward software upgrades and new computers. And that's only the beginning. Julie Evans, NetDay.org 's chief executive officer, says these insights will spark dialogue at the local school level among teens and their principal, teachers, and librarians to change how technology is used in education. The Plano Independent School District in Texas, for example, plans to introduce a bond issue to pay for new equipment by using student opinion as supporting evidence of ongoing tech needs. And students in Tennessee have created an advisory council that makes recommendations to the school board about the district's technology requirements. When asked how technology can improve learning, teens in the study offered a range of specific recommendations from buying more computers and better software to offering wireless technology throughout the school.

The accompanying stats highlight some important facts you should know about our nation's youth. Some will enlighten you, while others will confirm what you've suspected. But most importantly, they will help you become better educators by providing a more accurate profile of the kids sitting in your libraries and classrooms.