Group items matching

in title, tags, annotations or url

Over half of the adult internet population is between 18 and 44 years old. But larger percentages of older generations are online now than in the past, and they are doing more activities online, according to surveys taken from 2006-2008. Contrary to the image of Generation Y as the "Net Generation," internet users in their 20s do not dominate every aspect of online life. Generation X is the most likely group to bank, shop, and look for health information online. Boomers are just as likely as Generation Y to make travel reservations online. And even Silent Generation internet users are competitive when it comes to email (although teens might point out that this is proof that email is for old people).

“Kids learn on the Internet in a self-directed way, by looking around for information they are interested in, or connecting with others who can help them. This is a big departure from how they are asked to learn in most schools, where the teacher is the expert and there is a fixed set of content to master.”

new challenges in how to manage their visibility and social relationships online

Online media, messages, and profiles that young people post can travel beyond expected audiences and are often difficult to eradicate after the fact

while informal writing is an integral part of youth culture, teenagers also overwhelmingly understand the importance of good writing: 86 percent of teens consider formal writing skills essential to future success. While today's "screenagers" may offer but cursory glances at web pages that does not mean they discount the importance of a sustained engagement with a Shakespearean drama.

in the best-case scenarios, teachers will use these changes to demonstrate to students the power of the written word and the importance of communicating clearly, and teachers will then give students new tools and strategies to improve their command of prose and persuasion.

Web pages and accompanying multimedia are now integral primary sources for chroniclers and historians of the 21st century.