Written Summation

T h e w o r l d t h a t w e n o w l i v e i n i s s u r r o u n d e d b y t e c h n o l o g y.
Whether it is iPads, iPods, smart phones, tablets etc. It seems as
though most people we know are the owners of at least one of
these devices. Many observers describe digital technology as a
k e y d r i v e r o f s o c i e t a l d e v e l o p m e n t a r o u n d t h e w o r l d ( S e l w yn ,
2 0 1 3 , p . 1 ) . Tod a y s a d o l e s c e n t s , i n p a r t i c u l a r, h a v e g r o w n u p i n a
world surrounded with digital technolog y (Gallo, 2013). The people
of this generation have been classified as digital natives. The
reason for this is due to their dependence and usage of the
internet and digital technology (Gallo, 2013).

Figure 1. (Retrieved from

h t t p s : / / c o m m o n s . w i k i m e d i a . o r g / w i k i / F i l e : H e r o _ i p a d _ f a m i l y_ 2 0 1 5 _ 2
x.jpg)

The majority of the sites accessed by these adolescents are

associated with social media and the communication between one
a n o t h e r ( G a l l o , 2 0 1 3 ) . Tee n s k e e p i n t o u c h w i t h e a c h o t h e r
t h r o u g h d i f f e r e n t a v e n u e s s u c h a s t e x t m e s s a g i n g , Twi t t e r,
F a c e b o o k , I n s t a g r a m , S n a p C h a t , Tu m b l r, W h a t s A p p , a n d K i k
(Gallo, 2013). The internet is no longer limited to the home
c o m p u t e r. T h e i n t e r n e t c a n n o w b e c a r r i e d a r o u n d i n s t u d e n t s
pockets on mobile internet devices like mobile phones (Howell,
2012, p.57).
F i g u r e 2 . ( R e t r i e v e d f r o m h t t p s : / / p i x a b a y.c o m / e n / s o c i a l - m e d i a -
media-social-facebook-419944/)

As common as the digital world has become for young people, it

does remain unexplored for many parents and teachers. This
leaves a large gap of knowledge and experience for those
unfamiliar with the digital world (Gallo, 2013). The digital world
does also come with some negatives. One major concern is the
communication with strangers, and the sharing of photos (Gallo,
2013).

F i g u r e 3 . ( R e t r i e v e d f r o m h t t p s : / / p i x a b a y.c o m / e n / d i g i t a l - r o a d - s i g n -
security-close-579553/)

The social networks that we have, enable us to manage more

connections than we would be able to cope with offline
(Kjellstrom, 2013). The downside to this is that we are always on
( K j e l l s t r o m , 2 0 1 3 ) . At s o m e p o i n t , w e a r e a l l g u i l t y o f t h i s , w h e t h e r
it is falling asleep while on our smart phones or checking a social
media page while someone is attempting to have a conversation
with us.

F i g u r e 4 . ( R e t r i e v e d f r o m h t t p s : / / p i x a b a y.c o m / e n / d i g i t i z a t i o n -
p h o n e - h a n d s - n e t w o r k i n g - 2 118 5 3 1 / )
 References

Gallo, L. (2013). Living in a digital world. Retrieved from

h t t p s : / / n o w.u i o w a . e d u / 2 0 1 3 / 0 6 / l i v i n g - d i g i t a l - w o r l d

H o w e l l , J . ( 2 0 1 2 ) . Tea c h i n g W i t h I C T: D i g i t a l P e d a g o g i e s f o r
C o l l a b o r a t i o n a n d C r e a t i v i t y , S o u t h M e l b o u r n e , Au s t r a l i a :
Oxford University Press

https://search.creativecommons.org/

K j e l l s t r o m , A. ( 2 0 1 3 ) . W h a t d o e s i t m e a n t o b e c o n n e c t e d i n
todays digital world? Were better connected, but more alone
t h a n e v e r. R e t r i e v e d f r o m h t t p s : / / m e d i u m . c o m / n e w -
m e d i a / w h a t - d o e s - i t - m e a n - t o - b e - c o n n e c t e d - i n - t o d a ys - d i g i t a l -
world-49e12c1a8fa5

Selwyn, N. (2013). Education in a Digital World: Global

P e r s p e c t i v e s o n Tec h n o l o g y a n d E d u c a t i o n , N e w Yor k , U S A :
Routledge