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Teens share their views on technology.

Article Excerpt
Abstract

This article describes the results of a survey administered to nine teens concerning the use of technology in their daily lives. Some of the themes that emerge are the power of technology to link us on a global level as well as the potential for the Internet to help us learn about ourselves and the world around us.

Introduction

Technology is an integral part of teens' lives. With so many students tapping into the power of computers and the technology they offer, some important questions emerge: In what ways are students utilizing the computer and the Internet? How does the computer fit into their conception of "literacy?" Has the advent of the computer changed the school experience? This paper explores these questions by examining results of a survey administered to 9 female teenagers between the ages of 15 & 16. The teens: Lisa, Terri, Ann, Liz, Margaret, Kim, Mary, Kim, and Molly (pseudonyms) were identified through a local public high school in the South.

Subjects

The teens included in this study are all female sophomores from white professional families with an average household income of approximately $95,000. The teens attend a local public high school of approximately 4000 students. The survey explored the teens' uses of the computer and the role of computers in the school setting.

Methodology

The survey included both closed and open ended items and focused on various aspects associated with computer usage and applications. Questions were developed based on issues that emerged after a thorough review of the literature concerning teens and their use of technology. Also addressed was how teens envisioned computer usage in the future. Answers to close ended questions were tallied, while responses to open ended items were subjected to thematic analysis.

Role of Technology in Today's World

In a report based on data gathered in the September 2001 census, it was estimated that half the nation is online and that the rate of growth of Internet use in the U.S. is currently 2 million new Internet users per month. That categorizes approximately 174 million Americans (around 66% of population) as computer users. The report goes on to state that children and teens use computers and the Internet more than any other age group-90% of children between the ages of 5 and 17 now use computers.

Various studies point to the fact that teens have already embarked on this journey to the land of technological advances. In a Pew Research Study (2002) that involved focus group interviews with 136 middle and high school students, some of the major conclusions point to things that most of us have known for some time: the majority of students are utilizing the internet for information, but students often lack the skills necessary to critically evaluate information found on the internet. This same study found that 78% of students prefer to use the Internet for research and homework. It was interesting that students pointed out that they felt their teachers needed more training on the multiple uses of the Web and how they might create assignments that would allow students to use the Web more creatively. Among the particular teens surveyed for this study, all of them reported utilizing the computer for various types of school assignments as well.

Computer usage among the nine teens...

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