Reading Teenage Life Online (2001)

Perhaps this research has been updated, but my advisor pointed me towards this study and it helped me to understand the teenagers I work with, and future teachers will work with, a little better:

Lenhart, A, Rainie, L & Lewis, O. (2001). Teenage life online; the rise of the instant-messaging generation and the internet’s impact on friendships and family relationships. Washington, D.C.: Pew Internet & American Life Project; http://www.pewinternet.org/report _display.asp?r=36, retrieved 28. January, 2008.

*The internet has a pivotal role in the lives of American teenagers. About 17 million youth ages 12 through 17 use the Internet: about 73%. Teenagers use of the Internet plays a major role in their relationships with their friends, their families, and their schools. (This is up according to readings from this class)

•55% of parents believe that it is essential for today’s children to learn how to use the Internet in order to be successful and another 40% believe it is important. (It is more than half. I imagine this number has gone up in seven years)

•Many teens manage and play-with their online identities. Significant numbers also say they pretend to be different people and that they have been given false information by others. (What teenager isn't playing with their identity? Shoot! What adult isn't?)

•At times, parents and teens don’t see eye to eye about the Internet and their family. Parents and their children often do not agree about the place of the internet in their home.(Are they supposed to?)

•At times, the role of the Internet at home generates struggles

•The Internet helps at school. 11% get their primary or only access to the Internet through school.

•87% of parents believe the Internet helps their children in school. 78% of teens agree.

•94% of online teens report using the Internet to research for school. (This is key for my understanding of research in 2008)

•71% say they relied mostly on Internet sources for the last big project they did for school.

•Online material is a teaching tool outside school, too.

•Going to the a website where they can express opinions about something is at 38% (Here is where I think Blogging is most interesting. I'm not sure if there are studies yet of how Blogging is used by classroom teachers. I'm interested in how it can be a tool for having students write beyond the "teacher as assessor" model we have today. Audience awareness is key in the teaching of writing and the development of a write)

•Creating a web page is at 24% (this study doesn't differentiate between web pages and social networking sites because social networking sites came after it was released.

•Not all teenagers use the internet in the same way (Imagine that. We're all individuals)

•Mutlitasking is a way of life

•The majority of teens and parents say that teenagers know more about the Internet than the adults (and their teachers!)

•83% use the internet primarily at home and not at school (This is a key item for me. This tells me that computer use is definitely a vehicle for homework and outside of school writing ---)

•The Internet allows a distance that allows more difficult conversations to occur online with friends.

•Most feel the Internet allows uses to find their true selves

•Schools are the primary place for those who are less privileged to have access to the Internet (Teachers need to know this!)

The Pew Internet study addressed a lot more, but this is what I thought was useful for my needs. I'm curious if they've updated it and I need to check on this. I guess that is what research is all about.

Bryan