SCREENAGERS: IMPACTS, CHALLENGES AND POSSIBILITIES IN EDUCATION

Abstract

Teenagers who are considered digital natives are called Screenagers. They are considered digital natives because, from a very young age, they have been immersed in a historical and environmental context filled with technologies, a configuration that previous generations did not have. For example, the Baby Boomers, Generation X, and Generation Y coexist with information and communication technologies, but they are not as natural with them as Generation Z. The aim of this research was to understand the challenges in the educational and teaching fields faced by this digital native generation, as well as to comprehend their potential impacts and possibilities in the teaching-learning process. Through the methodology of literature review, we searched for journals and books that encompassed the guiding theme. The results pointed to the presence of technologies in the educational context as an almost natural factor, with the screenagers themselves driving their integration even if it was not originally intended in the educational integration process. One identified and highlighted challenge is the constant need for teacher updates. For teachers, constant updating can be burdensome, partly due to the lack of reference for continual technological evolution, something basic, common, and routine for the screenager generation. Technologies also enable the use of methodologies that change the role of the teacher, shifting from the sole holder of knowledge to a mediator who can provide unique learning experiences.