Digital Native vs. Digital Immigrants

I consider myself a digital native. While reading the article and the guidelines Marc Prensky set up for defining immigrants and natives, I realized I was absolutely a native. I am definitely a learner with a short attention span. I like to learn by doing, and not necessarily in a linear or step by step way. I think this is true for most digital natives as one can visit a website and learn how to use the website without actual directions, but just by clicking around. I love learning, but I have had too many instructors who have no interest in engaging me.

I really liked this quote from Engage Me or Enrage Me: “The big difference from today is this: the kids back then didn’t expect to be engaged by everything they did.” This could not be any truer. Kids today are richer in so many aspects of their lives; in terms of communication, media and creative opportunities outside of school. They can create their own playlists, choose what video game to play and what music video to watch, but in school they are forced to learn in a very specific “cookie-cutter” way. These are 2 vastly different approaches and it is no wonder so many of our children are being left behind.

I have been pretty fortunate in my technology experiences as a learner. I took several keyboarding classes, then advanced to Word classes and finally took Computer class. I had many primary classes which made us integrate technology into them. I remember making a video for an English class as a book report; and creating a power point that’s focus was “Where will I be in 5 years?” These assignments still stick with me because I retained so much. I wasn’t just being asked to regurgitate information, I was allowed to be creative and I was learning how to incorporate technology in what could have been basic assignments.

My technology experiences were so useful to me because it allowed me to think outside the box. I was able to incorporate my knowledge o f technology with some other content area. In other words, I was able to practice my skills. I really liked the Fast ForWard program mentioned in Do They Really Think Differently because it “requires students to spend 100 minutes a day, 5 days a week, for 5 to 10 weeks to create desired changes, because ―it takes sharply focused attention to rewire a brain.” At first this sounded so extreme, but then I got to thinking about how often kids play video games, IM or watch TV in any given day/week/month. If they can spend all that time doing something that is not benefiting them, surely we can find ways to engage them for that amount of time with useful information.

This quote from Digital Native, Digital Immigrants really encompasses how I NOW feel about use of technology in the classroom “It is now clear that as a result of this ubiquitous environment and the sheer volume of their interaction with it, today’s students think and process information fundamentally differently from their predecessors.” Before reading the articles I wasn’t sure that it was necessary to incorporate technology, but now I realize how fundamental it really is. Students are not the same as they were 20 years ago; we live in a digital age and we need to remember that as educators. I never put the instant gratification aspect of technology together with how students learn and how they pay attention, but now it makes complete sense.