What It Means to Live in a Digitally Connected World: A Tale of Two Teenagers
Meet Lara. She’s fourteen. Her phone alarm wakes her up to the tune of her favorite song from Olivia Rodrigo. After hitting snooze a few times, she jumps out of bed and checks TikTok and Instagram to find out what’s trending before getting ready for school. At the breakfast table, she looks at her calendar for the day. Phew! She barely submitted the essay that was due in English class. It was cool that Ms. Bada had them critique their ChatGPT-designed essays. A Tale of Two Teenagers It’s way more interesting than just writing about Homer’s Odyssey. Coach Gonzalez just messaged the dance team to bring their new uniforms to practice this afternoon.
A Tale of Two Teenagers Meet Maria. She’s also fourteen. It takes about half an hour to make the trek. A Tale of Two Teenagers She did her best to complete her homework last night, but it’s harder to work during the fall semester when the sun sets so early and she gets home from school just at dusk. Maria’s home has intermittent electricity, and evenings are a challenge for her as she tries to do things with limited sunlight. Since the pandemic, her school has been more into technology and computers, which is fine for her at school, but what does that mean for her when school is out? She can’t be at school all day; she needs to be around to help her family at home.
With no computer at home, inconsistent electricity, and a smartphone that she shares with her family, some days it’s a fight to use the phone to check in on assignments. She’s really into manga art and was gifted an artist’s pad by one of her favorite teachers, who has been encouraging her passion. Maria’s been looking for a means to further develop her artistic skills but is clueless about what’s out there.
A Tale of Two Teenagers
A Tale of Two Teenagers Both Lara and Maria are in their first year of high school. They both have visions of being artists. They both look for ways to hone their skills. They’re both teenage girls. Digital access creates two very different lives and opportunities for each learner. For many of us, when we read their stories, we assume that they live worlds apart. The reality is that these two stories come from conversations and interviews with educators, caregivers, and students in the United States, from the Southwest to the East Coast, with statistics that back up these personal narratives.
How do we change the narrative?