Open today’s newspaper (or check out a popular online news source) and undoubtedly one will find headlines bemoaning teens’ use of technology: cyberbullying, excessive/obsessive internet use, digital plagiarism. With all of the negative hype surrounding Generation M, are the digital immigrants casting young natives in a role of distracted, destructive, irresponsible users of technology?
Members of the millennial generation are energized by technological advances they have experienced in their lifetime. They are finding creative and imaginative uses for technology to express themselves and their ideas and to collaborate with peers. Certainly there are instances of teens misusing technology and these should be taken seriously. But these stories are in fact exceptions. Many of us were fortunate to attend the National Coalition of Girls’ Schools annual conference hosted by the Louise McGhee School in New Orleans this past June. A key theme that emerged from the dialogue was the crucial role that technology will play in helping to solve complex global problems. How confused our students must be receiving mixed messages: technology will help you solve the energy crisis, world hunger and major epidemics, but you must use it in moderation and only once you have completed your academic work.
How do we help today’s students channel their innate digital skills and enthusiasm for social good? At Springside School in Philadelphia, the girls are leading the way by using their digital skills in service to others. Nearly six years ago, a group of tech-savvy students came together and organized themselves as Student Technology Leaders. Their mission was to provide tech support and information for their peers and their teachers. This group has evolved over the years, but they remain committed to advocating for the role of technology in their own education. The girls freely give of their lunch periods, study halls, and free time to receive training, talk with a teacher about a lesson that might be reinvented using technology, or help a classmate learn a new program. This past year, NCGS put out a call for help building a website for a girls’ school in Africa. We mentioned this need to our students who eagerly embraced the opportunity to lend their support. The girls cheerfully devoted hours of their free time to design and build the website. During our meetings, they began asking what more they could to apply their digital skills “for good.” In the spring they held an iHELP fundraiser, an open event for people in our community to receive free one-on-one tech support. Community members who came learned how to set up a Skype call, how to set their Facebook privacy settings, how to format an Excel document, and much more. The girls collected donations and with their earnings donated seven laptops to the One Laptop per Child program that provides rugged low cost laptops to the world’s poorest children. They are expanding their efforts this coming year with a proposal to bring emerging technologies to our campus and share with students across Philadelphia.
When students can see a direct and positive impact of their work, they are inspired and motivated to do more. Instead of vilifying their love of all things digital, we should be celebrating the profound potential of these students. By channeling their tech savvy skills in a positive direction and nurturing them to develop innovative and creative thinking, we can partner with students today to bring about positive change for the future.
