13 is sometimes smarter than 30

Sam is a 13 year old girl who's interest in technology is recognizable to everyone around her. It is especially interesting that her knowledge has mostly come from what she has taught herself. She uses technology to interact with friends, play games, do school work, help others, and many other tasks. If Sam has a problem, she solves it with technology! She is very advanced for her age but seems to understand that she can use her knowledge for things she finds interesting as well as for things that are often viewed as work. Sam's digital portrait reminded me most of myself even though my understanding of the digital world is no where near her's!



In my own life, mostly at work, I have found that because I have been younger than those around me, I have often had more experience with certain types of technology. I know that it is often hard for people to ask others for help, especially if that person is inferior to them in age, but as a society and especially as teachers we need to realize that people never stop learning. We also need to realize that everyone has something to learn and everyone has something to teach. I also have found that some types of technologies can be overwhelming at first but it is important to always try new things. I also connected with what the college boy that Sam was helping said about wishing he had her knowledge at 13 years old. The more children understand and have experience in, the more likely they are to succeed.

In my own classroom I plan to allow students to do assignments and work that encourage them to think outside of the box and use whatever technologies possible. I think that this will allow my students as well as myself to learn not only about the topics being covered but it will also give us all new ideas about educational mediums. I know that when I was in class, the projects that were well thought out and creative from my classmates were the ones that I not only remember but drew ideas from later in life. I want to help my students be passionate about what they are learning and express themselves at the same time.