There is a great article in USA Today about the iGeneration of kids, those kids who have grown up with technology ever present. The people quoted in the article discuss the difference between this new generation of tech savvy kids and the Millenial Generation, some of whom are now approaching thirty. From the piece,
The difference is that these younger kids “don’t remember a time without the constant connectivity to the world that these technologies bring,” she says. “They’re growing up with expectations of always being present in a social way — always being available to peers wherever you are.”
The contrast between Millennials and this younger group was so evident to psychologist Larry Rosen of California State University-Dominguez Hills that he has declared the birth of a new generation in a new book, Rewired: Understanding the iGeneration and the Way they Learn, out next month. Rosen says the tech-dominated life experience of those born since the early 1990s is so different from the Millennials he wrote about in his 2007 book, Me, MySpace and I: Parenting the Net Generation, that they warrant the distinction of a new generation, which he has dubbed the “iGeneration.”
“The technology is the easiest way to see it, but it’s also a mind-set, and the mind-set goes with the little ‘i,’ which I’m taking to stand for ‘individualized,’ ” Rosen says. “Everything is customized and individualized to ‘me.’ My music choices are customizable to ‘me.’ What I watch on TV any instant is customizable to ‘me.’ “
This kind of thing happens with my kids and my nieces and nephews all the time — this crew ranges in age from 3 to 11. They can and navigate iPhones, Wii games, various websites, and other technologies that allow them to do or see what they want when they want. It is both great and terrifying.
The article also discusses how education will have to undergo radical changes to stay up to date with this generation as they move through the school system.
They know almost every piece of information they want is at their disposal whenever they need it,” Verhaagen says. “They’re less interested in learning facts and learning data than in knowing how to gain access to it and synthesize it and integrate it into their life. We’re talking about kids in elementary school and up and talking about much younger children who know how to get ahold of information. Their brains are developing in ways where they’re taking in astronomical amounts of information, screening out unimportant details and focusing on the parts they need.”
Further issues related to kids and technology are health and obesity. First Lady Michelle Obama recently launched a campaign to combat childhood obesity and technology usage is sure to be an issue.
