Teens and technology share a future

NOTES

This text is adapted and paraphrased from Stefan Etienne’s blog post.Perhaps it is the years I’ve had in front of a computer, a laptop, or some

sort of device with a screen. I spend my time talking about technology, attending press events in New York City, and meeting the industry’s most interesting people. Everyone is hungry to see what comes next.

With its microchips,1 input methods, operating systems,2 and everything in between, technology of the twenty-first century is a window into a new world. This is especially true for teenagers. Are you curious about something? Then, search for it online. You may even come across the wrong answer at first.

You do more research and eventually uncover the truth. Inside, you feel a little like an adventurer. You’re finding information that you believe will make you a more complete human being. You’ve done us all a great service. You’ve turned over a small stone of information, one in a river of millions. With every stone turned, our picture of the world becomes clearer.

It’s similar to my experience with the polar vortex3 that has been plaguing New York for more than a month. Only when the sun breaks out do I realize how beautiful the snow can be. That’s what computer technology can do. Like sunshine breaking through the cold, it changes how we see things. When you filter out useless messages, tweets, and GIFs,4 you see that you—yes, you—are in control of your own information network. Best of all, you can do anything you want to do with it. There’s no excuse to be confused by that math problem or lack a source to cite in an essay. It’s all on you now.

Of course, you may be thinking, “Here comes a geek. He’s obsessed with technology, preaching about its effectiveness and adaptability. And how it’s great for everyone who is currently a teenager.”

1

2

3

4

5

ANCHOR TEXT | BLOG POST

Stefan Etienne

Teens and Technology Share a Future

1. microchips (MY kroh chihps) n. small pieces of computer technology with integrated circuits. 2. operating systems n. basic software that allow devices to run applications. 3. polar vortex (POH luhr VAWR tehks) n. extremely cold wind near the North Pole or South Pole.

When this blog post was written, cold air from the north polar vortex was affecting New York. 4. GIFs (gihfs; jihfs) n. still and animated digital images.

GRADE 6 • UNIT 3 • Accessible Leveled Text • Teens and Technology Share a Future 1

© b

y Sa

vv as

L ea

rn in

g Co

m pa

ny L

LC . A

ll Ri

gh ts

R es

er ve

d.

MPELA17_SE06_U3A_INF_Etienne.indd 1 4/27/17 11:47 AM

NOTESYou’re absolutely right. But even if you are not a geek, you are still immersed in technology. How else would you be reading this blog? How else would you understand what “LOL” means? How else would you be able to send a text message without even thinking about it?

The world is facing many problems, but young people—using the power of technology—have the chance to solve them. Technology connects us in ways no one has ever been connected before. As Henry David Thoreau5 put it long before the Internet existed, “Could a greater miracle take place than for us to look through each other’s eyes, for just an instant?” If only Thoreau had known that we would be able to look into another person’s eyes—even if they are actually just an image on a screen—thousands of miles away! What superpower could one possibly want when we have technology that lets us meet new people, invent new things, and help others?

Today’s teenagers (as of 2014) have the chance to be the most influential and informed generation we’ve ever seen. But that will only happen if we step up to the challenge and are prepared to take charge in an informed, responsible, and powerful way. (Hopefully, we will not make our problems worse.)

What is better than a will to do great things? The actual actions that will make those great things happen.

6

7

8

9

5. Henry David Thoreau (thaw ROH) nineteenth-century writer known for his love of nature and living simply.

“Teens and Technology Share a Future” by Stefan Etienne, from Huffington Post, March 6, 2014. Copyright © 2014. Used with permission of the author.

GRADE 6 • UNIT 3 • Accessible Leveled Text • Teens and Technology Share a Future 2

© b

y Sa

vv as

L ea

rn in

g Co

m pa

ny L

LC . A

ll Ri

gh ts

R es

er ve