Digital Generation Theme: Creating

Today's youth are active creators and producers who use a wide range of digital tools to express themselves, interpret the world around them, and deepen their understanding of academic content. Their products include original music, animation, video, stories, graphics, presentations, and Web sites.

These tools enable young people to be creative in ways that were not possible for earlier generations. They can become actively engaged in their learning processes rather than passive recipients of knowledge passed down from adults. "Through my movies, I can show people my vision of the world," says 16-year-old Justin.

As Barry Joseph, director of the Global Kids Online Leadership Program, puts it, "To have youth be able to have that level of audience to know that their work can be heard by that many people to make a difference, and that that many people can just enjoy what they've done, is a tremendously powerful experience to move from being a consumer to being a critical creator."

Favorite Tools

• Music composition/editing (Apple's GarageBand, Audacity)
• Digital video editing (Apple's iMovie and Final Cut Pro, Microsoft's Movie Maker, Adobe's Premiere Pro)
• Graphic design (Adobe's Photoshop and Illustrator, Plasq's Comic Life)
• Multimedia production (Adobe's Flash Player, animoto)

See "Creating" in Action

» Watch how Cameron produces and edits music videos, short documentaries, school announcements, and more to help him learn at school and at home.

» Learn how Nafiza and other students at Global Kids make animated films on pressing social issues using Teen Second Life.

» See how Jalen combines his artistic talent and his interest in technology to make music videos, cartoon book reports, and original clothing designs.

Explore All Themes: Creating | Collaborating | Teaching