Digital Natives and Digital Immigrants
Digital Natives vs Digital Immigrants
According to Marc Prensky, there is a unique new generational phenomenon. There is now two classes of people; digital natives and digital immigrants (Prensky, 2001). Digital natives are people who have had the internet and technology present in their lives for as long as they can remember, especially in their education. Digital immigrants are people who have adapted to the new technological world and are equipped with skills and know both pre- and post- introduction to technology.
This week I will be answering a couple of questions in regards to Pensky's digital perspectives.
What category do I fall into, and how has this affected my learning?
I would definitely say that I am a digital native. Since 1st grade technology has slowly been integrated more and more in my education. In elementary and middle school it was a really helpful tool. Students that were more advanced in subjects had access to more content or opportunities to continue to further their learning in specific subjects. It also gave students who were struggling new ways to practice and learn material. I then was exposed to school work fully online in 2020 my junior year of high school. Due to Covid-19 my last two years of high school were spent doing school through Zoom in order to graduate June of 2021. This exposure to online school in high school brought me to where I am today... an Ecampus student doing all of my higher education fully digital.
What the myths Kirschner associated with Prensky's findings from 2001?
Kirschner associated the general myth that digital natives do not exist from Prensky's findings (Kirschner adn De Bruyckere, 2017). While I think this is a difficult one to argue, the myth I found most intriguing is that the digital skill that digital natives have allows them to multitask. I do not agree with this statement that Prensky claimed and agree with Kirschner that it is a myth. I have found that the more I use technology the worse I am at trying to filter and accomplish more than one thing at a time. If the task I am doing involves working or doing school online I cannot have any extra tabs or distractions happening at the same time; equally if what I am tasked to do does not involve technology I must put all devices away as to not get distracted by it.
References:
Kirschner, P. A., & De Bruyckere, P. (2017). The myths of the digital native and the Multitasker. Teaching and Teacher Education, 67, 135–142. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.tate.2017.06.001
Prensky, M. (2001). Digital Natives, digital immigrants. Marc Prensky.
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