The New Slate

I remember when we took a trip to Williamsburg when I was younger and we bought these little slates at one of their gift shops, as an example of what colonial kids used to use when they went to school.  I was always a little bothered that they didn't erase completely and I was thankful for an era when we get to enjoy erasers and markerboards.

I read a few articles the other day that opened my eyes to the "slates" of the 21st century.  I'm sure that this will continue to bring some controversy to the education realm over the next few years, but it was interesting to consider.

• This article from the British publication, Telegraph, showed that in a recent study, more than a 1/3 of children surveyed owned their own cell phone by the age of 8.  3/4 of children aged seven to fifteen owned "at least" one mobile.  Clearly there are lots of implications with this statistic, one being that children are becoming financially aware at a much earlier age, offering to do extra chores for ringtones and using the internet (and their parents' credit cards) to purchase various items online.  While my first instinct is, "What in the world does an 8 year old need with a cell phone?" the closer I get to actually becoming a parent, the more I start to try and think about all aspects involved (both positive and negative) with making these kinds of decisions for your child.  
• Shortly after reading this article, I found another article that showed me exactly what an 8 year old could do with their cell phone.  Project K-Nect placed mobile cell phones in the hands of at-risk 9th grade students in 4 different schools in North Carolina.  They were given access through the phones to special math programs that were to be used in conjunction with the teacher's regular lesson plans.  Students did show some improvement in their math lessons when they took the state Algebra exam.  Again, there are many issues involved with making this decision (i.e. students texting during class, playing games on their phones, etc.), but it does provide an incredibly more cost-effective way of using technology in the classroom verses having a computer for each child.  Again, definitely something to keep thinking about in the future.

It truly is a whole new world for this next generation, and I feel really old when I think that I got my first cell phone my senior year in high school.  As Brad and I have stepped into working with the student ministry at our church, it's also good to keep up on these different trends and issues as we look at the best way to communicate with today's students.  Any thoughts on some things that have worked for you?