General Session

The Networked Generation:
Kids These Days Just Aren't What They Used to Be

John Palfrey

Beyond past generational differences, Digital Natives – the generation who has never known life before Google – may prove to create the biggest generation gap of all. Digital Natives are young people whose use of technology is completely ingrained in their lives. They are unaware that their always-on, networked lives are remarkable because it is simply a way of life they have always known. Digital immigrants, on the other hand, migrated to these technologies later in life and, while most are just as connected as their youthful counterparts, they remember a time in a pre-networked society. The impacts of this generational demarcation are many. John will discuss the implications for schools and society, and how by learning as much as we can about digital natives, we can address the issues their digital practices raise, and shape our legal, educational, and social institutions in ways that support natives, while harnessing the exciting possibilities of their digital fluency.