Is Hip-Hop and Technology Killing our Youth?

The greatest part about being an educator is that I am adjacent to the pulse of pop culture. This is something I never intended to receive, as though I have been involved in the hip-hop and music industry for over 15 years. The culture is what awakens the spirit. The children that I teach each have a desire to be like someone they listen to, tweet about and watch on YouTube. Trends change so fast in today's society that adults can't keep up with what children are doing. You have to align yourself with the culture. I choose to do so by being a curator of culture. Helping them with inspiration and ideas. Once they believe in themselves, the sky is the limit. I have learned more from my students about digital media than I have taught. Sounds funny but true. I am learning every day about the new websites, media, habits and trends of our youth. I use it to educate them and expand their thinking. When they think something is boring, I show them how to use it in a different way. One example is how we follow events in real time using Twitter posts. This is just one example of how we use the culture to our advantage. 

Many skeptics may say that the world is too connected, or you have to be careful about sharing social media with young adults. I agree. However, kids should be educated on how to use these tools properly. It's not the tools; it's how they are being used. This is how Facebook became demonized amongst the educational community. People only wanted to talk about how kids were being bullied but not about how they were connecting with other students in ways unimaginable 10 years ago. Children don't know how to use libraries anymore, but is that a bad thing? When I grew up, 8 track cassettes were going out of style, but did I miss our on the joy of music? Times change and we all have to embrace it, and learn from it. The hard part is figuring out how to grow with the change instead of fighting it.

I am really excited to see how the next generation will look at technology in our information society. There is a shift that's happening now, and the way we teach our youth about the world will affect how they teach their youth. 

Do you think hip-hop and technology is ruining the future of our youth? How do you feel about the use of social and digital media in today’s classroom? I would love to hear your thoughts! If yyou liked this article, please share! (RT on Twitter Please) Follow me @OTGriffin