Sun MicroSystems, The Institute for the Future and BoingBoing teamed up to create The Digital Open, an online expo for teens 17 and younger.  This play list features some of the winners.  What is really great here is that most of these ideas bring together technology with the real world.  Most of the time “tech” and “innovation” are associated with a new way of doing something online.  These kids are bringing fresh ideas that are grounded in the real world — making something, creating a game, or coming up with ideas that save money or convey ideas.

What is also striking is how thoughtful and articulate they are.  We see plenty of depictions of kids as being mindlessly tapped into digital worlds like social media and video games.  But here they are expressing ideas that bring together those worlds in a seamless way.  As we struggle to figure out social media, marketing, and communicating technology and ideas, we (adults) could take a lesson from the very simple, direct way that they express ideas verbally, with excitement, a sense of fun, and an expansive vision.  Oh, and I don’t think there’s a single powerpoint slide…

By the way, this is a playlist embedded so make sure you scroll through all the videos.

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