“To what degree are we preparing a diverse community of young people for the world that they’re likely to inhabit?”

– Craig Watkins, University of Texas, Austin

Social and mobile media and their related technological devices are used in different ways, to different degrees, across varied youth communities: there is no singular answer regarding how to use social and mobile media for formal or informal learning.

In our interviews and discussions, we found the following major themes:

• Social media is used in different ways, to different degrees, across youth communities. There is no single “how to” regarding using social media for formal or informal learning.
• Technology is changing rapidly. How can educators balance their energy and time between learning core digital literacies and mastering current technology platforms?
• Libraries and schools are using social and mobile media to engage with youth. In what ways can adults co-design social media initiatives with youth to ensure that the social media tools make sense within the local context?
• The divide between school and community is increasingly blurry. What are effective strategies to engage parent and families, libraries and communities, in digital literacy and technological training programs?