March
2009
Digital Natives Debate0
This week’s readings were on the debate of ‘Digital Natives’. I learnt from these readings that the term ‘Digital Natives’ refers to the generation born between the years 1980 and 1994, and ‘Digital Immigrants’ are those born before this time (Bennet, Maton & Kervin, 2008). It has been claimed that because the ‘Digital Natives’ live in such a “technology-rich culture” (Bennet et al., 2008, p. 776) and possess different skills and interests from previous generations, there is a need for education to fundamentally change.
The majority of today’s students are ‘digital natives.’ Their lives are immersed in technology hence their familiarity and reliance on ICT (Bennet et al., 2008). On the other hand, many teachers are ‘digital immigrants.’ According to Bennet et al (2008, p. 777), digital immigrants lack “the technological fluency of the ‘Digital Natives’ and find the skills possessed by them almost completely foreign.”
It has been suggested that today’s students “think and process information fundamentally differently from their predecessors” (Prensky, 2001, p.1) and are said to be multi-taskers, experimental learners and “dependant on communication technologies” for various purposes (Bennet et al., 2008, p. 776). Prensky (2001, p. 2) argues that today’s teachers (digital immigrants) are “struggling to teach” these students because of these differences. Prensky (2001) continues that teachers do not fully appreciate the skills students have gained from their experiences with technology and this creates “alienation and disaffection among students” (Bennet et al., 2008, p. 777). To resolve this problem, it has been suggested that “curriculum, pedagogy, assessment and professional development” (Bennet et al., 2008, p. 777) needs to change.
I disagree with Prensky for the main part. While I agree that society has become more technology driven and that today’s students have been brought up surrounded by ICT, I believe that you cannot generalise about a whole generation. Every child is different; they have different interests, skills, learning styles and there are also the cognitive differences that need to be considered. It also cannot be assumed that every child has access to the same technologies. This can differ depending on culture, socio-economic status and location (Bennet et al., 2008). Therefore I disagree with Prensky’s claim that education needs to change in order to cater for ‘digital natives.’
While I believe it is important for teachers to familiarise themselves with and include the many different applications of ICT in the classroom, I do not think this should be done at the expense of the children who do not have the skills with or access to this particular technology. I believe that it is more important for teachers to have balance in the classroom (for example, using books as well as the Internet) whilst still keeping up to date with the many technological advancements outside in the society.
References:
Bennet, S., Maton, K. & Kervin, L. (2008). The ‘digital natives’ debate: A critical review of the evidence. British Journal of Educational Technology, 39(5), 775-786.
Holly taking test on computer by Wade from Oklahoma (flikr).
Prensky, M. (2001). Digital natives, digital immigrants. MCB University Press, 9(5), 1-6.
Reading aloud to children by Old Shoe Woman (flikr).
