Crossing The Technological Bridge, By Larissa Maxwell

21Nov11

Perhaps you’ve walked in a mall or sat on a sky train next to a young person. You hear a faint clicking sound as they rapidly text on their phone, or see the reflective glow on their faces from using a laptop or iPad. This generation has been introduced to, and embraced, online social media and personal electronic devices in a way no other age group has. 2009’s Nielsen study on “How Teens Use Media” reports that the average teen spends 3.2 hours a day watching television, uses the internet for 75 minutes, sends 96 text messages, and spends 25 minutes using a console game. And this is just the usage for one day!

It’s more than clear that this is a screen generation. Not to discount other forms of communication, but youth seem to have a familiarity, preference, and ability to easily use most media devices. Is this a negative trend? Nielsen suggests that although it is a departure from classical modes of interaction in the past, there is still a high quality of retention, communication, and relationships being formed through these different avenues of communication.

As we were creating our TCO2 (Taking Care of Ourselves, Taking Care of Others) workshops this year, we were actively thinking of how to engage the screen generation, without losing our flair for dramatic role plays and monologues.  Last year, we introduced the use of some video, and received overwhelming feedback that this was effective and well received from both students and teachers.

This year, we decided to take a risk to reach out to the screen generation. Our team of young adult facilitators wrote, directed,  starred in, and edited 12 videos- 6 for elementary and 6 for high school. These videos follow two characters, Carter and Julia, and are used to provide tangible stories of different ways sexual exploitation can happen, and the complex dynamics involved. In between the use of these short, 3-5 minute videos, our team generates discussion, uses PowerPoint, and even peppers in live role plays.

In less than two months, we have seen an incredible amount of engagement and overall class participation. It seems that the use of screen media paired with our tried and tested live dramatic model is just what the doctor ordered. Students are captivated- as a video plays, a hush falls over the room. We see visible reactions cross their faces, and the questions and comments they ask after show us that we are hitting the mark right where we need to. We are encouraged and challenged to continue to track with students, to understand where they are at, and the best ways we can communicate to them. Those who stay relevant stay prevalent.

The next time you see a youth seemingly disengaged while clicking through their phone, keep in mind that we as a community can reach them when we cross the technological bridge to their world.

Resource Referenced:

http://blog.nielsen.com/nielsenwire/reports/nielsen_howteensusemedia_june09.pdf

Filed under: Uncategorized   |  1 Comment