The Student Network: Oh how it's changed (TT#2)

As I sit here thinking about what has changed in the past 20+ years, I come up with the introduction of smartphones, an improved inter-web of information and the ability to connect with friends and family via social media platforms - to name a few.  Students in school today have grown up with technology and haven't witnessed the changes that have occurred.  I remember sitting in my grade 8 math class when I was 12-13 years old, and thinking how cool it was that some of my friends had flip-phones.  Now I sit here, only a mere 10 years later with my handheld smartphone, where I can access almost anything I'd ever need to know or want to do.  No I can't go fishing on it or have it teleport me to the movie theatre, but I can play fishing games and watch movies on it.

In terms of what a student network looks like today compared to 5, 10, or even 15 years ago, includes the presence of social media platforms and the connectivity between student and smartphone.  Of course, not all students centre their lives around what is posted on Instagram or who has "snapped" them on Snapchat, but the majority of students have used and continue to use these social media platforms.  I'll take you back to my middle school days, where I would come home from school, grab the phone book and call my friends' houses to organize a football game at the local Kinsmen Park.  To this day, whether they're still active or not, I can remember a handful of old house numbers I used to frequently call.  Today, students are able to figure out plans via group-chats, group facetime calls, etc.  

Retreived from https://mediasmarts.ca/sites/mediasmarts/files/publication-report/summary
/infographic-digital-canadian-families.pdf.

Take a look at the infographic on the left provided by MediaSmarts.ca.  55% of kids 10 to 13 years old currently own a smart phone.  As I said above, it was cool to have a flip-phone 10+ years ago let alone having a smart phone at that age. 

Distractions in the classroom will be a result of owning a smartphone, and I'm just as guilty as the next person for allowing it to occur.  Smartphone addiction is real and is affecting the learning of our students.  Helpguide.org  states that, "Compulsive use of these devices can interfere with work, school, and relationships."  

In order to ensure our students respect the use of smartphone technology, as teachers, we must demonstrate how to appropriately use them in our daily lives.  Whether that means putting them away while studying or having a family supper, students and our youth today, need to know how to keep a healthy relationship with their smartphones.

Getting back to what a student network will look like today; it will involve connections between social media, smartphone use, sports and extracurricular activities, family, friends, and school.  Some may be working part-time jobs in the evenings and others may not.  Today's student is busier and more knowledgeable in terms of what is going on around them and in the world as a whole.  Access to local and national news comes with the click of a button and appears in a matter of seconds.  

Lets think about the affects of Covid-19 and the impact is has had on student networks.  Those students who had part-time jobs may have been laid-off, most - if not all - extracurricular activities have been shutdown, smartphone and screen time has increased immensely, and the ability to have physical interactions with friends and family is now limited.  I have witnessed students cry - with the announcement of being sent home in the fall - and I have witnessed some struggle, while some still succeed.  Thankfully, students understand the use of technology and are able to connect with their peers in a virtual setting, but the side effects of Covid-19 and the resulting shutdowns have been detrimental to the student network.