This is Part 2 of a two-part feature. Read Part 1 here.
The second plenary session of Day Two of the Ako Para Sa Bata: Cyberprotection of Children conference was conducted by Fr. Fidel Orendain, SDB, and his topic was “Challenges of Cyberculture on Education and on the Filipino Family.”
The main challenges that young people face with their online behavior, according to Fr. Orendain, involve the natural desire for sexual experimentation and the high potential for cyberbullying. Sexual experimentation refers to young people’s curiosity regarding new forms of sexual activity in tandem with the Internet’s provision of new means of meeting partners. Children who use social networking sites have an approximately 50% chance of coming across or participating in sexually-oriented interaction.
As for cyberbullying, Fr. Orendain referred to The Narcissism Epidemic: Living in the Age of Entitlement by Jean Twenge and Keith Campbell. The nature of cyberbullying is an extension of today’s narcissism, he said, as it continues to rise among youth at an alarming rate. It is a manifestation of a collective cultural trait, he explained, that emphasizes an inflated sense of self, and thinking that one is special and unique, and entitled to better treatment than others. He pointed out that this epidemic in our culture builds on spending an inordinate amount of time on making oneself look and feel good.
Narcissism hinges on the inclination for immediate gratification and comfort, which in turn leads to a disinterest in deep relationships because of the lack of time and energy that is willing to be invested in them. The tendency, when one does not get what is desired, is to resorts to aggression and dishonesty. These are aspects that are aggravated by the high-speed indulgence that ICT provides today, and are points that should be considered when dealing with young people.
At that point, Fr. Orendain shifted gears and underscored the value of supporting young people rather than demonizing ICT. He highlighted the value of family as the most fundamental unit of society, and how it can be leveraged to counteract the dangers of ICT prevalence in young people. Communication is important, he discussed, as well as the togetherness, memories, values and support: things that a healthy family dynamic is automatically well-equipped to provide to the youth.
Now that technology has become a central feature of families’ daily lives, it doesn’t have to mean a breakdown of interaction like how it is often portrayed in media. Technology has also enabled new forms of family connectedness, such as instantaneous long-distance communication. It has also enabled shared experiences that can involve the family dynamic, such as playing games together. While it is true that today’s parents worry about the use of new devices and the adoption of new cultural traits by their children, that behavior can be guided and enhanced by their supervision.
Fr. Orendain also talked briefly about the interplay of ICT and cyberculture with education. Schools continue to play catch-up, he said, with educators themselves sometimes failing to stay abreast of the changes that their students are already living with. Since new media is reshaping curricula and redefining everything, he pointed out, we must transform the teaching and learning process as well.
A phonetic that Fr. Orendain uses to identify the qualities today’s educators must pursue was called EPIC: education needs to be Experiential, Participative, Image-Driven, and Connective. Adults need to be more knowledgeable regarding the capacity and the use of current technology, and their methods of using it should involve greater interaction that is both multimedia-supported and interlinked in multiple ways to a variety of concepts. This kind of networked learning is key, as it emulates the same development of ICT that young people are naturally already engaged in.
To close his plenary session, Fr. Orendain mentioned a few key lessons. He emphasized that ICT and its attendant elements are tools and extensions of the human experience, and that evolution is something young people will always be a part of. It is up to us, he said, to assist the young to define their lives, and the role of technology in them.
We can help young people live balanced lives, and we need not let technology become a barrier to either their relationships or their learning.
This is Part 2 of a two-part feature. Read Part 1 here.
Learn more about APSB2015 on its website and Facebook page. For details on the topics discussed in the conference, check out this program.
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