Cyberkids: Youth Identities and Communities in an On-line World (Routledgefalmer) [Library Binding]

In this book, Holloway and Valentine discuss some of the important ramifications of the newly coined "information age." They delve into pertinent topics such as the development of an "informational society," the disparity between the sexes and between nations when it comes to ICT (information and communication technologies), the idea of the "digital divide," and the ways that schools and homes institute technologies. A general conclusion from all of their research is that the use of ICT usually has a beneficial outcome for the users involved.

The idea of an "information society" is something that is relatively new. In our current society, we can obtain information at lightning quick speeds and often times, we don't understand the impact that that has. As Holloway and Valentine state, this impact is even less understood by the youth that are involved in getting this information. In other words, they don't know how good they've got it. Their argument takes on different meaning when the discuss the "information society" in the UK. There, government programs have stepped in to integrate technology into schools more widely than we would see in our own country. In their minds, the UK has been more successful at closing the gap of have and have-nots when it comes to technology.

Holloway and Valentine also go on to discuss the impact that increased use of ITC has had on the sexes. Their findings state that while boys are typically seen as being the ones who benefit most from and use ITC most, girls are beginning to edge their way into the equation. They theorize that there are a variety of factors for this, including preset institutional cultures, preconceived notions of gender roles, ethnic and socio-economic backgrounds and past experiences with technologies. Whereas most observers would say that there are 2 groups in technology; the haves and have notes, or the polar ends of the "digital divide," Holloway and Valentine come up with four interesting categories to group "techies." The techno boys, the lads, the luddettes (a throwback to recently industrialized England) and the computer-competent girls all emerge as different groups worth looking at when discussing the differences in gender in technology.

Holloway and Valentine also tackle the topic of technology use in the schools versus use in the homes. Their findings suggest that a basis for literacy in technology starts at home. Families that institute technology use at home typically have kids who understand technology in the schools that much better. However, the technologies used in the home don't always translate into academic use. This is where the schools are necessary to foster a different kind of technology use in kids. Certainly, there are inherent problems in the use of technology at home and in school. Holloway and Valentine come back to the idea of the "digital divide" meaning that families of a higher socio-economic class will have better outcomes with technology than those of a lower socio-economic class for the sheer reason of exposure. However, they do mention that this is closing as more and more technologies are becoming available and cheaper.

While Holloway and Valentine do discuss some major issues associated with youth and their technology use, they do fall short on discussing a relative plan of action for keeping the trend of kids using technology in a more meaningful way. They also only touch upon the differences between adults and children in their views of technology. This could have been discusses in more depth because as adults, it is often difficult to conceptualize the mindset of a child especially when it comes to technology; something that our kids and students are well versed in. All in all, this book will give you a sense what the current trends in technology are and what issues arise when integrating technology into the everyday lives of youth. The topics discussed are scholarly in manner and there is clear evidence to support the authors' findings.