EdTech Avenue

This is an actual text conversation between a 14-yr-old teenager and his uncle, while the teen was visiting his grandparents out of town:

Teen: Can you tell me the score of the twins game?

Uncle: 5 to 4 cleveland is up in the 6th

Uncle: sorry now it is 6 to 5 minnesota

Teen: Sweet! Thanx my grandparents dont have a computer or cable

Uncle: I will try to get you a final

Teen: Ok thank you

How do these grandparents form a meaningful connection with their grandchildren?  This teen’s other set of grandparents have a computer with instant messaging and use email regularly.  While I do believe that children should find ways (probably with their parents’ help) to bond with their grandparents regardless of how little technology is used, in situations like this there seem to be barriers that will be tough to overcome.

Those grandparents with a computer and email (and satellite TV) are my parents.  They already connect with my four-month-old son with the technology that mostly we provide - a stream of video they can watch when we set up a time to do so, and a web cam that will soon be located on their end to have two-way audio/video connections between their home and ours.  This doesn’t even include the fact that they can view photos and blog posts almost immediately of their quickly-growing grandson.

Even my son’s grandparents who use dial-up internet access check our blog and respond to email regularly.  Technology isn’t required to maintain that bond, but especially for family that is far away, it sure helps.  Their interests lie away from technology, and when we visit there, we are fairly “disconnected.”  But the important thing is they realize that that same technology can connect them to us and their grandson, and they use it for that reason.

We might even consider Grandparent Games, a site that Wes Fryer blogged about a couple of months ago.  He is using it to keep that connection growing between his kids and their grandparents.

How else can we connect this techno-savvy generation with their grandparents?  Is there other common ground?  I think each side needs to come a little closer to the middle.  There is great value in the bonding activities that don’t include technology - a trip to the zoo, a board game, a shared book, etc. - however, I think each side needs to understand better how the other perceives today’s world.  Personally, I will keep moving as far to the middle as I need to, or beyond, to keep the bond strong between my son and all his grandparents!