Youth on Social Media

Building on the previous Youth Rendering that talked about Adolescent and Cell phone use, this rendering examines social media use among Adolescents. As previously discussed, a large majority of adolescents today have access to a smartphone, a device that can be a distraction or a useful tool in the classroom. However, it is important to note that because of the capabilities of a smart phone and the ever growing presence of the internet in the world today, adolescents will have access to social media programs such as Facebook, Instagram, Snapchat, Twitter, etc. In fact, a study done in 2015 finds that an average teenager spends about 27 hours online a week, and one and a half hours on social media on one day (McGillivray). Like cell phones, social media does have its pros and cons, even in educational purposes. The most obvious con would be it provides another distraction for students in the classroom, where students become disengaged from learning if they are on their phones and consuming social media, which in the long run can negatively affect the grades of the student. Furthermore, social media use can help lead to risk taking behaviour, since it gives the adolescent access to the internet and social media of other people, including those that give off negative influences and encourage risk taking such as smoking, drinking, etc. However, the same study notes that social media can also be used positively in classrooms, not only to help students study and prepare for tests, through engaging games and challenges, but also can help create a digital classroom, where the teacher can share material online for students to use (McGillivray),  with a good example of this being the York University Moodle. At the end of the day, it would come down to the educator to determine the policies of social media, and in my opinion, just like how cell phones can be put to good use in engaging the learners, so can social media, especially if it helps the adolescent discover positive influences that help minimize risks and broaden their perspectives on inclusivity, being caring and respectful of others.

Works Cited List

McGillivray, Nick. “What Are the Effects of Social Media on Youth?” TurboFuture, TurboFuture, 12 Oct. 2015, turbofuture.com/internet/effects-of-social-media-on-our-youth.

Cellular phone use by Adolescents

Adolescents on their phones during class time

This rendering of Youth culture is one that is familiar to teachers and students alike. At first glance this picture shows several of the students are on their cell phones during class time, distracting themselves from class work and learning. In our modern world today, a recent study from 2015 showed that 88% of adolescents have access to a cellphone of some type, and 73% of them have a smartphone (Lenhart).  This means that most adolescent students in class will have some kind of cell phone, and I can personally observe this in my practicum classes as well, where almost every student has a smartphone of some kind with them. While it is true that cell phones can cause distractions in class, especially if it is uncontrolled or unsupervised phone use, cell phones and new technologies have their use in the classroom, and can actually be beneficial to learning. For example, a phone (or a computer) can be a useful learning tool for in class test review, where the students can use it to participate in a game of Kahoot!, which is a program that actually requires a computer or a cellular device in order to answer questions and get points (where the questions can be made by the teacher and is related to class material). In short, while unregulated use of cell phones in the classroom can be destructive to learning, completely banning their use is also the wrong way to go. Instead, teachers and educators need to find ways to incorporate this technology into their classroom, so that instead of being a detriment, it can be a useful tool to advance meaningful learning.

Works Cited list

Lenhart, Amanda. “A Majority of American Teens Report Access to a Computer, Game Console, Smartphone and a Tablet.” Pew Research Center for Internet and Technology, Pew Research Center, 9 Apr. 2015, www.pewinternet.org/2015/04/09/a-majority-of-american-teens-report-access-to-a-computer-game-console-smartphone-and-a-tablet/.

Youth Rendering 1 - Youth Poverty

Child Workers from a Coal Mine. 19th Century

While this rendering is from the 19th century, the message of the image is pretty clear. During the 19th century, these children were forced to work in mine shafts, mining coal and other minerals for large corporations, in a futile attempt to lift themselves up from their poverty stricken lives. 

In our modern day, while children and adolescents no longer work in coal mines or in depraved conditions, the issue of adolescents growing up in impoverished situations remains. In 2008 alone, roughly 14 million children in America live in families that are living below the poverty line (Murry 114). For all the progression and advances that were made in the 20th and 21st centuries, that is an alarmingly large number of children that still remain below the poverty level. However, as Murry notes, one key difference in impoverished families in the 19th and early 20th century and the present day, is that African-American and Latino adolescents have higher odds of residing in impoverished neighborhoods than white youth do (Murry 114).While in the previous century the issues of adolescent poverty was more the concern of employers and governments, in the present day this has shifted to educators and school boards as the primary vehicle for helping students from impoverished neighborhoods succeed. 

In our modern schools, in order to combat neighborhood poverty and to combat the negative effects of it (such as lower than average marks, higher drop out rates) educators must make changes at classroom and school levels in order to be more inclusive of all students, and bridge the gap between the rich and poor, in terms of access to materials and learning (with one method being having laptops to give out to all students for in class assignments). Secondly, after school programs and events that allows students regardless of their economic status to participate is a great way to involve students from impoverished areas, since it makes them spend less time with the negative influences that come from impoverished neighborhoods. Lastly, in terms of academia, schools need to end the process of streaming students into particular academic levels of study (ie academic, applied, locally developed math) based on their race or gender, a problem which has been happening in schools since the 19th century. With work and implementation of solutions such as these, it would help reduce the levels of poverty among adolescents and youth.

Works Citied

Mcbride-Murry, V. (2011) “Neighborhood Poverty and Adolescent Development.” Journal of Research on Adolescence, 21(1), 114-128