Close your eyes, and let’s go back in time to the year 2003. It was, in my opinion, a much simpler time. I was in eighth grade gearing up for high school, and the summer was mine! I had a brand new cell phone, but that cell phone only made phone calls, no texting, no internet. My friends and I would wander around our town all day, and then go home on AIM (AOL Instant Messenger) and chat all night. Although we were connected to one another it was not the same as it is today.
Now, students are connected to each other 100% of the time. Which, I think, makes being a teenager far more difficult than it ever was before. Bullying is not a new concept, but when students are doing it virtually it is much harder to monitor and much easier to be done in a covert manner. According to Pew Research Center, 69% of parents and 44% of teens agree.
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That being said, there are definitely aspects of being a teenager that are easier now, and in this case 15% of parents and 12% of teens feel that way. Students have access to so much more information at their fingertips than ever before. Artificial intelligence (AI) was not even on most people’s RADAR three or four years ago, but today it is something that a large percentage of our population is very familiar with.
In another article that I read, Common Sense Media reported people’s perception of AI. At this point slightly more than half of people ages 14-22 have used AI, but only 4% of those people use it everyday (Teen and young adult perspectives on generative AI). I myself, while I do not fall into that age range, would definitely fall into the category of someone who uses AI occasionally. I think it can be a great tool to advance learning, but it should not replace learning. In the same article, 53% of people use AI to gain information, which is essentially the same as Googling a question (which is what I have always done). I think that is a great way to implement AI, because students are learning using AI as a tool rather than a replacement for learning. The same article also reported that 51% of people use AI to brainstorm! Once again, I think this is a great use of the technology! Sometimes it can be difficult to come up with multiple ideas for a project, and having the help of Artificial Intelligence makes the beginning process so much easier. I used AI this summer when I had to create a lesson plan that featured stop-motion animation. Since that is a strategy that is new to me it was wonderful to have AI available to help me come up with new and interesting ideas. In the end, it is my belief that technology has definitely made some aspects of life far more difficult than it needs to be. I am very grateful that I was a teenager in the 2000s! That being said, professionally, technology (like AI) has given me the ability to take my students places that would have been impossible just a few years ago. References Faverio, M. (2024, August 27). Why many parents and teens think it’s harder being a teen today. Pew Research Center. https://www.pewresearch.org/internet/feature/why-many-parents-and-teens-think-its-harder-being-a-teen-today/ Teen and young adult perspectives on generative AI. (n.d.). https://www.commonsensemedia.org/sites/default/files/research/report/teen-and-young-adult-perspectives-on-generative-ai.pdf |
Ashley,
ReplyDeleteThanks for some relatable information. The best part of my first phone was snake. I feel as the world shifts so do the thoughts, ideas, and values. Professor Zumpano shared a chart when discussing the difference in generations and it struck home. It was about not getting in the car with strangers back in the day, to now ordering an Uber driver. I do like how you talked about AI and how it is now such an acceptable thing, whereas I think if we slipped back a few years it might not have been. I hope to use a good balance of AI as it ages a little bit and I feel more comfortable with it. I fully (and only currently) agree that this can be a helpful tool within the classroom. Thanks for you post!
-Elizabeth
Hi Elizabeth!
DeleteI love that post about getting into cars with strangers! It's so funny when you think about Uber (or other ridesharing apps) from that perspective! Technology changes so quickly, it is crazy to think how far we've come in the last 10 or 15 years!
I had a brief moment of panic as I started to read your "life was simpler back then" anecdote. Technology is so complex in 2024, I wonder if 30 years from now we will think *TODAY* was "simple!"
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ReplyDeleteHi Ashley!
Thank you for sharing, I think you brought up a really great perspective on the uses of technology, both the positive and the negative in today’s society, compared to the year 2003. It’s interesting to reflect on the differences between now and then, twenty-one years really isn’t that long of a time in the grand scheme of life, but so, so much has happened since that time that it can feel like an entire lifetime has passed! I agree wholeheartedly things seemed a lot simpler back in 2003! I wasn’t allowed to have a cell phone until high school, but now it seems every kid has one, never mind the electronic tablets that are used in grade school assignments. It really is a different world now! I think you make a really great point about how everyone has everything available to them 247, for better or for worse. I also think you make an excellent argument about the need for balance in technology usage, especially by teens and younger children, like with ai. I agree that ai has uses as a tool, in making tasks simpler and streamlined, but I don’t think it should ever replace creative arts or writing, such as in school essays. I think you make a great argument for using ai responsibly in our modern, post-digital revolution society.
I am one of those 51% that uses AI to brainstorm! Often at my job if we are trying to come up with silly slogans to promote a program we will ask AI to generate some ideas with what theme we are promoting. It can definitely be helpful and fun, especially when we try to get AI to generate hilarious images of ridiculous ideas for our posters as well.
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