Teens discuss impact of technology

Parents and educators can hear local teens discuss how technology is changing childhood in two events organized by the University of Washington's Simpson Center for the Humanities.

A free forum, "Onboard or Overbored?," will feature eight middle-school students explaining their use of everything from computers to iPods to cellphones. Participants will break into small groups moderated by the teen speakers to discuss such themes as the impact of technology on relationships, how it affects imagination and security concerns that arise.

"We're letting youth talk about their own experiences instead of telling them about their lives," said professor Katharyne Mitchell, who headed a three-year research project called Reclaiming Childhood. "I hope the discussion crosses generational lines."

At the UW, an ongoing multimedia installation called Constructing Childhood pulls together sculptures, films, essays, poetry and rap music created by local middle- and high-school students as they reflected on their childhoods.

"It's about the nature of play today: what it is and what kids wish it could be," Mitchell said.

Cheryll Hidalgo, film/video program director at the Seattle Academy of Arts and Sciences, edited the materials and organized them to play in 30-minute cycles from monitors attached to a model of a swing set. Mitchell hopes to add more teen voices to the ongoing project as visitors offer feedback.

Stephanie Dunnewind, Seattle Times staff reporter