Digital Natives, Digital Immigrants

Technology has become such a big part of our lives that it's hard to imagine a world without it. But many people lived without it and are now having to learn how to incorporate it into their lives. These people are the digital immigrants of today. The younger generations who have grown up with technology at their fingertips are the digital natives.

I believe I am part of the generation that is both native and immigrant. I didn't grow up with the new technology but I was still fairly young when it "exploded" onto the scene. I remember doing projects in middle school with real books and using a pen and paper, but in high school doing a power point presentation.

Digital natives learn different than digital immigrants. They are visual and hands on learners. They don't want to be talked at, but entertained. Video games are a big part of their lives and making learning a game is one way of ensuring attention. "Digital Natives are used to receiving information really fast. They like to parallel process and multi-task. They prefer their graphics before their text rather than the opposite. They prefer random access (like hypertext). They function best when networked. They thrive on instant gratification and frequent rewards. They prefer games to “serious” work." (Prensky 2001)

Web 2.0 is a very interactive medium. This is important for digital natives, as they become bored and distracted with "old school" learning. They get to be hands on with the material and use media to present it, something they are very familiar with. It is more than reading a text book and taking notes, which is how the digital immigrants learned. They have access to articles, videos, slide shows, graphics, and can combine these in their learning and projects.

Incorporating technology is extremely important in today's classrooms. Showing videos, power point presentations, and using sites like Cool Tools For Schools, can help digital learners stay focused and use their skills as a digital native to research and work together. Allowing students to use the internet for research is a must, so learning how to do that effectively needs to be part of the curriculum. Educational video games can also be used.

With technology moving forward so rapidly, it is imperative our education system keep up.

Resources

Cool tools for schools. (2010). Retrieved from http://cooltoolsforschools.wikispaces.com/

Prensky, M. (2001). Digital natives, digital immigrants. On the Horizon, 9(5), Retrieved from http://www.marcprensky.com/writing/Prensky%20-%20Digital%20Natives,%20Digital%20Immigrants%20-%20Part1.pdf

DISCLAIMER: This blog is an assignment for an Interdisciplinary Studies course at National University. It is not a real blog.