The study ICT and youth. Reflections and challenges for educational work states "can sometimes be victims of screens but very often leave empowered". It takes into account the risks of isolation and harassment involving the use of Information and Communications Technology, but stresses that young people use ICT to communicate, contact and establish relationships. So, it emphasizes the importance of education to provide skills and resources that enable them to interact with the media autonomously and with criticism.
The general director of Youth, Marta Vilalta, has released the study on "ICT and youth. Challenges for educational inclusion" conference, which was held on October 6 in Torre Barrina, L'Hospitalet de Llobregat. The aim of the publication, published by the Catalan Youth Observatory and developed by three university professors, is to guide professionals working with the youth, educators and others who carry out activities in the field of youth.
The study notes that these actors have more influence in adolescence and youth because they are free of the institutional dimension of family and school: "That's when activities of informal education charge more important. Young people are not aware of the educational load there and therefore are more susceptible to its effects. Therefore cultural animators, facilitators, social or free time workers have great power in the intervention in youth and we need to know how to exploit constructively ".
It offers a set of good practices in the use of ICT aimed at professionals working with these young people:
- Knowing the tools starring the daily lives of young people to understand the meanings, the potential and the risks that young people have to face. Knowing what to eat and try to understand why.
- Promote critical knowledge of the own digital identity. Given the risks to privacy can be raised by people close -impartides activities without coercitives- connotations about social media most used by young people. Who am on the net? Aware of the trail is left to the Internet and present and future implications.
- Promoting a social contract between youth, parents and educators. jointly define patterns of use of ICT and reviewing compliance and, if necessary, renegotiate the photo.
- Tools facilitate detection of possible problems (bullying, addictions, etc.) and respond without criminalizing the tools or focus focus on the problems. On the contrary, ICT must live as a world of opportunity and learn to calculate the risks. If prevention is not enough, we must provide spaces for advice on-line (on-line) and off-line (off-line) for young people to deal with possible problems arising from the use of ICT.
- Curing content. Helping young people to select and screen the content of the network and provide tools for them to do them. In short, constructive discern what it is not. Accompany, especially during adolescence, to have a conscious and competent young adult media.
- Show examples of success and failure of ICT use. Present enriching models that encourage participation in the construction of society and dangerous models. Provide the testimony of young people affected (cyberbullying, cyberbullying, addiction, etc.), as is already done with violence against women, it is advisable to see the consequences and how it has addressed the problem.
- Ensure diversification of consumption products and technological tools. The more variety of consumption there are more influences are relativized. First, however, we must provide young people face variety of stimuli and experiences, let them discover that beyond the screens there is also "life".
- Design activities that include multitasking ability of young alternating tasks of varying complexity. Because inevitably be present, insert the different screens in the activities of formal and informal learning.
- Enter the game as a learning tool through ICT. That is, gammificar, get all the fun elements found in games and apply them to the real world or productive activities. If you are already applying the marketing and science, why not apply to educational spaces?
- Educate media and also media. To sum up, this item includes the above and serves as a conclusion: the use of ICT as a basic tool in education is essential in the current context, but it is equally important to media education, education for coexistence optimal youth with the media. And this education should not only focus on empowerment through critical thinking or critical attitude -the most commonly, but must work other aspects such as aesthetics, production, interaction with the media, languages, etc. When you educate media should try to treat them with all its richness and complexity.