For this
assignment, I interviewed a small group of my 11th grade students.
They were incredibly eager to add their comments, perspectives, and experiences
to the conversation; in fact half way through the interview two more students
joined in because they were so interested in our discussion. The two most vocal
participants in the interview were both English Language Learners, so their use
of digital devices connected very specifically to both their language learning
experiences as well as to their experiences bridging multiple cultures. Seeing
the use of technology and digital devices through this particular lens was
interesting; the students depend on their phones for all kinds of functions and
tasks daily.
I found this
process really interesting, and the students loved that they got to share their
expertise, experience, and values on this topic. Throughout the interview,
there were two major take-away-results for me. The first was the response to the
question about how technology could better be used in school. I was shocked
that the students turned immediately to ways that access to their devices –
particularly access to social media sites – could be limited during the school
day. Without any prompting from me, they talked candidly about the ways that
they struggle to self-regulate in this area. This got me thinking about ways
that we can better teach students to learn and develop this competency. Even as
adults, we often struggle with some kind of “addiction” to our devices, but how
are we teaching young people about etiquette, self-control, time management,
etc.? It is clear to me that many young people want permission to access their phones
throughout the day, but they want boundaries that will help them to focus. I
think there is a lot of research and experimentation that could be done here.
The second
take-away was the response to the idea of technology/social media and its
impact on empathy skills. Throughout our conversation, students did seem to
find more and more agreement with the idea that social media is affecting the
way we interact with and relate to others. But students were quick to point out
that they do seek each other out for in-person communication, and they see its
significance in relationship building. I would like to explore this topic
further, and see if we can find ways to help students become more critical of
their practices without moralizing their access to and use of technology and
social media.
Interview Questions and
Results:
Estimate how many hours you spend on your
phone daily:
6-7 hours per day – in a sense, almost
constantly. In school, we need our phones for translation, and we use them
outside of school for communication and social media use.
List all the activities that cause you to
use your phone:
Translator, social media, research,
calculator functions, photo gallery, music, games, and texting.
In your opinion, what are the pros and
cons of cell phone usage by teens?
The pros of phone usage among teens,
especially ELL’s is clearly the access to translation and research functions.
Being able to share photos and memories also struck the students as important
and positive.
The cons of phone usage – the students
all agreed – related to social media drama/bullying and the general
distractions of phones that lead to wasted time.
In your opinion, what are the pros and
cons of social media usage by teens?
The pros of social media definitely
center on staying connected. Staying in touch with friends across the world, as
well as being able to promote accomplishments and events (dance performances,
original art, for example) added to benefits of social media platforms. One
student cited the ALS challenge that spread virally through social media
(Instagram and Facebook in particular) – raising awareness around the issue,
and motivating young people to get involved and contribute. Students also
talked about being able to follow artists or brands that they liked through hash
tags.
The cons, predictably, came down to cyber
bullying. Students spoke very clearly and maturely about the ways they see
teens making fun of others on social media, exposing information about others,
and engaging in behaviors that are generally inappropriate, especially for
minors. One young lady spoke passionately about how she tried to defend another
young person who was being attacked on social media, and she got dragged
through the dirt while trying to take the “high road.”
Do you use your device mostly for friendship-driven
activities (texting/communicating with friends) or interest-driven activities
(like gaming)? Explain:
The students I interviewed named
friendship-driven activities as the main use for phones and digital devices. Of
course texting and communicating with friends on social media platforms
dominated their described activities.
What social media sites do you use most
often? Explain your choice/preference.
On this question, the students schooled
me mostly about SnapChat. This is one social media platform that I don’t use,
and therefore don’t understand well. They animatedly discussed the “game”
features on this platform, and ways to earn points while enjoying the camera
filters and sharing funny anecdotes with friends. They explained snapcode to
me, but I still don’t feel like I understand it by the description alone.
Facebook and Instagram were other popular social media sites they like. One
girl said that Instagram allows her to see what her ex-boyfriends are up to.
Others agreed with this, explaining that Instagram facilitates ways to see what
your friends/significant others are up to through photographic evidence,
whereas Facebook is a more comfortable mode for sharing written content,
expressing moods and feelings, etc. My
two ELL’s from Ukraine also told me about a Russian site called VK – which is
illegal in the US – but allows them to stream movies, music, etc.
Do you use the same social media
platforms as your friends? Why/Why not?
No surprises here – friends tend to
emulate each others’ habits and preferences with social media usage.
How did you learn to use or navigate your
favorite apps and / or social media platforms?
Just as Don Tapscott describes in his
presentation, these students talk about “learning” digital media platforms and
apps as though they are truly gifted. This question baffled them, because they
feel that these skills are more or less self evident…
Which kinds of technology and / or new
media do you find most useful in school? Explain:
My ELL’s in particular rely upon Google
Translator, PupilPath (to track grades, attendance, etc. for our school),
Google Docs, Scanable, and Studyblue. They are very academically minded, and
enjoy being able to use their phones to support learning and understanding in
various subject areas.
How do you think teachers can use
technology better in the classroom?
This answer REALLY surprised me. The
students actually made suggestions for ways to block social media apps in
school. Rather than give me information about using technology in innovative
ways (aside from getting tablets for all students to use in class for note
taking, reading, writing, etc.) they wanted to discuss ways to keep their
phones from distracting them. Somehow they knew this would not be possible
without a force outside of themselves keeping them honest…
How does your use of technology or
digital media differ from your parents/ teachers/ people older than you?
Again, students’ answers mirrored the
confidence that Tapscott unpacks. They felt that “growing up digital” has more
or less made them quick studies for new technologies, apps, and digital tools.
They feel that figuring out how to navigate new media is possible with very
little thought or effort. Parents or older folks, these students felt, were
always asking for help to fix or set up apps, devices, etc. Students reported
that even after showing parents how to do certain functions, they needed the
information over and over. My anecdotal evidence certainly supports Tapscott’s
theory that our young people have a certain expertise in this area – one that
they have over older generations.
How do you think social media / access to
phones affects teens’ ability to empathize with others?
This question turned into a truly
fascinating conversation. At first, students seemed reticent to make this
connection, at least not so generally. However, once we got into the specifics
of social media communication, particularly this idea of “hiding behind
screens” when saying or sharing hurtful, aggressive comments or attacks,
students were quick to say that social media complicates youth’s ability to
engage compassionately and empathetically with each other. While they did say
that they themselves didn’t feel that social media use hampered their ability
to empathize, they did agree that communication and self-promotion through
social media has many negative impacts on relationships and respectful
communication.
