Spotlight on Digital Media And Learning

2.10.10 | USA Today has a story on the new iGeneration—today’s teens and middle-schoolers who are growing up with technology and using it in all parts of their lives. 

Psychologist Larry Rosen of California State University-Dominguez Hills discusses this always-on generation in his new book, “Rewired: Understanding the iGeneration and the Way They Learn,” due out next month.

“The technology is the easiest way to see it, but it’s also a mind-set, and the mind-set goes with the little ‘i,’ which I’m taking to stand for ‘individualized,’” Rosen says. “Everything is customized and individualized to ‘me.’ My music choices are customizable to ‘me.’ What I watch on TV any instant is customizable to ‘me.’”

Some distinct iGeneration traits that Rosen has identified include:

• Early introduction to technology

• Adeptness at multitasking

• Desire for immediacy

• Ability to use technology to create a vast array of “content”

Plus: The annual Teens in Tech conference took place on Saturday at Google offices in San Francisco. This video, created by Read, Write, Web (where you’ll find more conference pics and information), features some of the attendees discussing what they see as the future of technology and their role in it all.

“I think starting young is always the best way to go just because you grow up with it,” said one young participant. “Everything from making a movie to a website is just getting simpler as it goes.”

Teens In Tech Conference 2010 from ReadWriteWeb on Vimeo.