This is my first time at this conference. It was fun. In his keynote, Lee Rainie talked about some interesting statistics and trends. Here is a high level summary:

Teens and Technology
Lee talked about the influence of internet and cell phones on the daily life of teens.

- 87% of those between ages 12 and 17 are online
- Usage of internet for shopping, getting news and playing online games has grown significantly
- Teens communicate by multiple channels simultaneously and effortlessly

The hyperconnected, actively engaged population called Generation M, already influence many new applications.

Lee pointed out some interesting trends.

- Internet of things (every thing will have an IP address soon)
- The long tail phenomenon outlined by Chris Anderson
- Growth of content creation and social tagging
- Increasing mobile access to internet

He concluded by pointing out Linda Stones concept of “Continous Partial Attention” and its implications on the future of learning.

I caught a couple of interesting sessions. One was “Thirty Search Tips in 40 minutes” by Mary Ellent Bates. She promised to put up the presentation on her website.

The other one was “Tips for Keeping Up: Expert Panel”. Gary, Genie and Steven shared many tips and techniques for staying in step with the fast-changing online information world. More about this in a future blog.

Links:

Digital Divisions

Teens and Technology

Multi-tasking becomes Continuous Partial Attention