Do You Speak Digital?

Understanding today’s teens is a lot of work—but it’s worth it

By Michele Gorman -- School Library Journal, 10/1/2006

As an undergraduate, I lived in Sweden for a year. Since I was studying education, I spent most of my time in a very practical environment—the local public school’s classrooms. There was just one problem: I didn’t speak much Swedish. I knew that if I wanted to genuinely connect with the kids, I had better start learning their language. I quickly signed up for formal language instruction, which gave me a solid introduction to Swedish vocabulary. But the most valuable learning occurred when I was standing in front of a roomful of students, fumbling my way through my limited Swedish lexicon, searching for just the right word or phrase to contribute to a conversation or explain an idea. In other words, this was language acquisition by fire.

I’m occasionally reminded of that experience when I’m standing in my library, surrounded by a group of teens, trying to figure out what they’re talking about. As you know, today’s teens speak a whole new language—the digital dialect of computers, video games, and the Internet. These digital natives have never once lived in a world that doesn’t include the Internet, digital photos, social networking sites, MP3 playlists, and streaming video. They’re a plugged-in generation for whom the World Wide Web is not an alternative reality—it’s a 24/7 extension of their lives. Not surprisingly, their childhood experiences are a lot different than ours (at least those of us who are over 27 years old).

Recognizing that enormous difference is the first step in learning to speak their language. The next crucial step requires taking a plunge: play in their world, pay attention to what teens are saying, and research the hottest technologies. After that, it’s time to put what you’ve learned to use. For starters, that means incorporating new technology and digital language into your daily work life. But be patient with yourself. Learning a new language takes time and practice. And before you’re proficient, you’ll need to apply what you’ve learned in real-life situations.

But if you immerse yourself in teen’s lives, you’ll reap the rewards when you’re interacting with them in your library. To get you started, here’s a quiz to see how well you understand today’s teens.

Match Them Up, If You Can

1. Spawn

2. Avatar

3. Skin

4. YouTube

5. Blog

6. Mod

7. IM

8. Wiki

9. PSP

10. Mashup

A. To chat online in “real time” with people on your buddy list.

B. Customized, graphical appearances that can be applied to certain software applications and Web sites to suit the personal preferences of the user.

C. An interactive online hybrid that uses content from more than one source to create a completely new service.

D. A collaborative Web site that allows users to add and edit content.

E. An online diary or a personal log of thoughts presented chronologically and published on a Web page.

F. A handheld, networkable game console from Sony.

G. Create new features (such as weapons, characters, levels, and story lines) or unique locations for a computer game.

H. A computer representation of a user in an online world that has usually been designed or customized by the person it represents.

I. A popular social Web site where users can upload, view, and share video clips.

J. An online rebirth; creation of a new entity when playing a computer game or video game.

Answer Key: 1= J; 2=H; 3=B; 4=I; 5=E; 6=G; 7=A; 8=D; 9=F; 10=C