Mar 27 2009
“Digital Natives”
This week, I attended a conference called “Shrinking the Technology Gap Among Administrators, Technology Coordinators, and Students”. Two Messalonskee High School students shared some of their thoughts about The Youth of Tomorrow. They and the afternoon presenters offered resources to help parents and teachers understand that our students were born into and are being raised in this increasingly digital world. Today’s children are much more comfortable when it comes to learning technology than many adults. So how can we help guide them in their journey into their future?
To help us understand this changing world check out these recommended book resources: Born Digital, A Whole New Mind, and Raising a Digital Child.
Both groups of presenters stressed that social networking sites (Facebook etc.) are an important part of older students’ lives. We need to begin early to help our children understand family beliefs and learn to make good choices in order to be safe with current and future technologies – from unknown predators as well as cyberbullying by friends. Check out Safekids.com for suggestions in guiding conversations.
