Week 10-11: My Adolescent Interview

I found this interview to be very interesting.  Although the teen I interviewed is very tech savvy and relies heavily on technology and the internet, he wasn’t very involved in social media (yet).  He said he is too busy with school and sports to keep up with it as a means for communication.  He texts quite a bit and interacts with friends online while playing games, but is not interested in applications like Facebook or Instagram at this point.  Because of the sports he is involved in, he interacts with friends in person frequently. He also works a few hours a week where he interacts with others as well.  I was interested in his reply to the question regarding the Internet being a distraction.  He replies heavily on technology and constantly multitasks but recognizes this to be a distraction when he is trying to concentrate, especially on his homework.

This interview motivated me to research further the concern of distraction levels in teens related to Internet and social media use. There were many articles online, and I referenced one in particular in my Growing Up Digital discussion post. We further discussed his feelings of Internet use in the classroom and he felt that it was necessary.  He could not imagine the classroom without it.  When asked, he said he did not think the Internet could ever replace a teacher – but that it helps the teacher to better explain or demonstrate a topic.  This reflects what we all discussed in prior modules related to Internet in the classroom. I thought it was interesting coming directly from a teen. 

It seems that his definition of a traditional classroom is much different than what we typically consider a traditional classroom. I guess that is the difference between a digital immigrant and a digital native.  We can incorporate technology into our lives and appreciate all that it offers us, whereas for young students today, they cannot imagine a world (or a classroom) without it. 

Below are the questions and responses from my interview:

• How old are you? 16

• Are you male or female? Male

• What devices do you currently have in your possession? I have an iPad, a smartphone, and a laptop

• Do you prefer hardcover books or eBooks? eBooks

• Does your homework require use of the internet for research regularly? Yes – almost every day.  In addition to research, I need to access the teacher’s websites for homework information and other reference materials.

• Do you ever visit the school library or other library for research, or is all research done online? Rarely – I do most of my research online.

• What technology do you use in the classroom?  For many classes, I am able to use my laptop for note taking. I often use a thumb drive so that I have all my files with me.  In addition, many classes require the internet while in class. I am taking a web design class this year and use a school pc in class.  My classrooms also have smart boards.

• How many of your classes use the Internet in the classroom? Most of my classes use the internet.

• Do you use blogs for any of your classes? Yes, I have one class that has an ongoing blog.  The teacher posts a questions and we have to login to her page and respond to it and to other students.

• What do you primarily do when online? Play games, interact with friends, shop, conduct research, watch videos?  While online, I play games, socialize, go on eBay, look at sports stats, watch sports, research/do school work, and watch YouTube.  I text with friends often and use email but I am not too involved in social media.

• How often are you on your phone texting or on the Internet? Constantly.

• How long do you spend each day on social media? 1 hour

• Do you communicate with peers more via social media than in person? No, but I do text and play games online with them.

• Do you prefer to socialize with friends online or in person? Both – but I prefer in person.

• Do you connect with and interact with your parents via social media? Texting, yes.

• What do you typically use social media for other than socializing? I use Twitter to follow school Tweets mostly.

• Which device do you use most often for accessing social media sites/apps? My cell phone – it is always with me.

• Do you post photos or other personal information on social media sites? No

• Do you accept friend requests from people you don’t know? No – but I have played online games with random players when friends were not online.

• Are there any rules set in place by your parents to ensure that you are using social media responsibly? Yes.  We discuss this often. 

• Are you familiar with the term Cyberbullying? Have you ever experienced cyberbullying while online? I know the term – we had an assembly about it in school.  I have not experienced it myself.

• Do you share your passwords with anyone? No

• How often do you use the following social media applications: (Daily, Often, Occasionally, Never)

1. Facebook - Never

2. YouTube - Often

3. Instagram - Never

4. Twitter - Occasionally    

5. Snapchat - Never

• When preparing for a test, like the SAT, do you prefer to study and practice using a practice text or by completing online practice tests? I use both, but I prefer online practice tests.

• When conducting research on the Internet, do you find yourself facing other distractions on the web? YES! It is hard not to be distracted.  While looking something up, you see a link to something else. Also, you still get texts, email, news alerts – I try not to, but it is impossible not to get distracted.