In July 2005, the Pew Internet & American Life Project came out with results of their latest survey of teenagers and their use of technology. There really wasn't anything surprising here. But it does beg discussion of questions like: How are we meeting the needs of the tech savvy student - teen or younger? How will our responses impact the future of our schools? Here are some interesting points from the report.
- Close to nine in ten teens are Internet users.
- Teens are technology rich and enveloped by a wired world.
- 45% of teens have cell phones and 33% are texting.
- Email is still a fixture in teens' lives, but instant message (IM) is preferred.
- The landline phone lives on.
- Teens share more than words over IM (instant message). They share documents and other files.
- IM and text messaging help teens stay in touch with their parents.
- Face-to-face time still beats phone and screen time for teens.
- Half of families with teens have broadband (high speed Internet access).
- Eight in ten wired teens play games online.
- Most teens use shared computers at home and growing numbers log on from libraries, school and other locations.
- The size of the wired teen population surges at the seventh grade.
- Older girls are power communicators and information seekers.
- Digital communications can lead to breaches of personal privacy.
The full report can be dowloaded from the Pew site. Certainly these trends have become more significant in the year since the study was released. Food for thought as we begin to address technology and its impact on teaching and learning.
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