A Day in the Life of Tech-Savvy Teens

Today, I woke up and realized I had to be to school early. I am a multimedia student and we have set up a school-wide morning announcement program. Every morning, students tune in to get their daily news and upcoming events. Instead of just whiling the time away listening to boring announcements, every classroom turns on their television sets and tunes in to our channel. The abundance of technological resources in the multimedia room is amazing. We have all kinds of different editing software and equipment.

One of my teachers gave us a project to do, so we go to the computer lab. Every student has his or her own personalized folder and ID. When the student logs on with the ID and password, only that student can access what is in the folder. My group and I get our project done and I go to lunch. After lunch, I have my Multimedia IV class. I use our technology to make copies of sporting events and school functions and burn them to DVD. I also help out any teachers who need help with their computers or with any technological equipment. My whole day revolves around technology. I can't get away from it. Even when I go to bed at night, I know the alarm clock that I set ensures that I get up the next morning.
-High school student

Every morning, my cell phone alarm wakes me up to start off my day. I go straight to the computer to check the weather, my email, and the news clips of the day. When I go to school, the students report the morning announcements over the television station from our multimedia room. I use the computer throughout the day, whether it be for writing a paper or researching a subject for class. I'm always using it for something. There are endless web sites that the teachers create for us to complete tasks for their classes. We use Noodletools to create Works Cited pages and avoid any form of plagiarism. I can use the ART Collection from INFOhio to find a picture for art class very easily. If anyone has a question about anything, he or she will go to the computer to find the answer.
-High school student

It's 2:43. School's out, but the work is not done because, of course, there's homework. Absent minded as ever, I forgot my Spanish dictionary; luckily, a quick internet search grants me access to an online dictionary and now my poor teacher won't have to shout ― "¿Por que?" while staring at my unfinished homework. Then, there's the presentation I need to do for Chemistry. I hate public speaking, so it's a good thing I can just pop a blank CD into the computer and create a PowerPoint instead.

Oh no! I should really get the Works Cited for my term paper done―a task that would be near-impossible without Noodletools, available to me through the school library. Come to think of it, I should probably finish writing my term paper! I'd be sunk if I couldn't get the information I need quickly, via the internet.
-High school student

A day rarely goes by when I don't use a computer. Many people associate computers with games and only see them as entertainment. What they don't realize is how much information is available on the internet for almost every subject.

Dictionaries, encyclopedias and resource books are all wonderful sources of information but the information is hidden within hundreds of pages. The internet, on the other hand, allows you to have all the information you need with the touch of a button. For example, this year I had to write an argumentative term paper. Without the resources that I found in my school library, I would have been lost. However, these resources were not books, they were online. Websites like INFOhio, Opposing Viewpoints, and Noodletools saved my life and helped me get a good grade.
-High school student

A day in my life starts off similar to any other modern day teenager's: my alarm clock sounds at 6:30 a.m., waking me and every other sleeping being around. I finally get up, several minutes later, and take a shower. I brush my teeth with my electric toothbrush, and hasten to get dressed in the crisp, clean clothes that my mother washed last night. I eat a quick, easy, microwavable breakfast and rush out to the car, calling 'shotgun' so my little brother doesn't get dibs on the front seat. As we drive to school, my favorite song comes on the radio. My brother, who hates the song and my singing, puts on his head phones and turns up his CD player as he plays "Spiderman 2" on his Game Boy Advance.

Technology really does play an important and large role in people's lives, especially teens. To begin, technology is the main source of entertainment of the modern day teen. Music is one of my obsessions, and you will never catch me without my favorite tunes, whether it's CD's or the more modern MP3's. Listening to music while writing is one of my favorite pastimes and I think music has helped me create some of my most creative stories.

The internet is also the hangout for teens. Rather than meeting friends after school or hogging the telephone lines at home, teens can chat up a storm using instant messaging and email. In fact, one of the first things I do after school is check my email. Then finally, there's the thing almost every teenage girl and talkative boys can't live without―the cellular phone. When the cellular phone was first invented, it was for business; now it's totally recreational, with jewels, accessories, cameras, personalized background, and popular ring tones, you'd think cell phones couldn't get anymore improved. But when you mix teens with tech, you'll never now what you'll get.
-Middle school student

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