Back When I Was A Kid...

Back when I was a kid is the statement we swore we would never say.  I am at the point where, at 31 years old, I see the huge difference from when I was a kid and kids today.  Undoubtedly, most of the change is with technology.  My mothers greatest goal was to get us to watch less television by limiting our viewing hours and always honoring the 'no TV for a week' campaign.  Now, television is not even the issue.  Kids are wired (well more like wireless) everywhere and it is portable and traveling with them everywhere.  Internet, gaming, texting,  portable music, the list goes on and on.

For today's youth, being wired is a way of life.  The average teen sends more than 50 texts a day; younger children spend over 10 hours a week playing video games; and the amount of time all kids spend online daily has tripled in the past 10 years. - PARADE MAGAZINE (October 9, 2011)

Being passionate about educational technology I don't necessarily see this as a bad thing as long as it enhances their lives and experiences.  I tell the technologyphobes at my school all the time that technology should not change what you teach but enhance it.  It should touch all the different learning styles and spark the students curiosity.