Digital Immigrants, teaching Digital Natives…
If you are in #kidmin or #stumin now, you are a digital immigrant, trying to teach digital natives. Kids learn new technology faster than you. Things you had to read in a downloaded manual or on a help page — such as how to interact with gesture based technology — they just know by observation.
“You merely adopted the dark. I was born in it.” — Bane in The Dark Knight Rises
It can be intimidating when the kids and students you minister to know technology better than you do. Here are a few facts to keep in mind as you minister to this next generation.
Technology always changes education — usually for the better.
Relax. Technology always changes education — usually for the better. If you doubt that, just reflect on the massive educational improvements made possible by a few technological advances from history: scrolls, books, newspapers and publishing. Each was a technology-based change agent for the very nature of education itself. And at each one of those steps there were detractors who thought the new technology was destroying — not improving — education.
Kids have earlier and better access to powerful technology than ever before.
Kids have earlier and better access to powerful technology than ever before.
Kids have plenty of time to consume digital content, and they use it.
Kids have plenty of time to consume digital content, and they use it. Kids are spending hours online or consuming digital content. Through multitasking, they consume more media than the actual time they spend using devices.
*This data is from 2008–2009 and there is every reason to assume these numbers are higher now.
The positive side to this is that if you can deliver digital content to families and children, their kids do have the time to consume it. If you get it to them in a seamless, powerful way that fits into their daily rhythms, the possibilities are greatly improved.
Concern is warranted….
There ARE reasons to be concerned about kids spending too much time online and about addictive behavior related to technology usage. Many times the problem behaviors leading to addiction and wasting time online are actually promoted by Moms and Dads. But let’s not pretend that this hasn’t happened before.
During the television boom, parents turned to television programming as a technological babysitter. Then, they turned around and blamed television for bad grades and poor social interaction. The same thing is happening now with the parents of digital natives.
First, parents are using their phones as a pacifier to keep their kids occupied and non-interactive (quiet). Then when kids are a bit older and parents want interaction they blame the technology for damaging kids’ social skills.
Our concern should not drive us to ban or avoid technology, but rather to evaluate its benefits and risks critically and realistically. Negative effects can be minimized and a proper balance found with proper parental involvement and guidance.
Panic should be avoided…
Much of what kids are experiencing online is very positive.
There are amazing educational sites where kids are learning everything from basic arithmetic and language skills to advanced math and science topics.
Another area of technology that has advanced is parental control software and hardware that can aid parents in finding and enforcing rules and limits on technology not just for their children, but for themselves as well.
We were proud to assist with the publication of Parent Chat by Matt Mckee which details for families a relationship-based solution to integrating technology. Matt also introduces in the book a hardware solution that can greatly help parents — Circle with Disney.
Digital Natives are the next generation
There are many positives for churches and ministry professionals focused on the next generation. The next generation is completely integrated into the digital world, transitioning from their online lives to the “real-world” seamlessly.
It is up to us to find digital solutions to make sure that the Gospel is equally present in real life (IRL) and in their digital lives.
What are you doing/learning/testing?
How are you attempting to take advantage of (instead of running from) the digital realities of the world your volunteers, parents, and kids live in?
What strategies are you trying?
What has worked?
What hasn’t?
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Originally published at garagebandtheatre.blogspot.com.
