Week Nine - Blog Post 4 - The Rewrite
Original Reflection:
Do Digital Natives really exist?
Yes, I believe that digital natives do exist. I have been able to come to this conclusion through extensive research into different theorist and reputable sources, including Mark Prensky.
A digital native is defined as ‘a person born or brought up during the age of digital technology and is familiar with computers and the Internet from an early age.’ (Google Dictionary) The opposite to a digital native is a digital immigrant which is defined as, ‘a person born or brought up before the widespread use of digital technology.’ (Google Dictionary) So to put it simply ‘digital immigrants are said to use technology with an accent and experience some difficulties expressing themselves to the level of proficiency of younger generations who were born with technology surrounding them.’ (Morris, 2014) We are able to see a gap between generations and the ability to confidently use technology in everyday life. The readings of Prensky speaks of these distinctions as digital learners/ immigrants will use the internet as a second means of research and will also require work to be printed out before being able to edit it whereas digital natives are extremely comfortable with using all online programs regardless of the task at hand (Prensky, 2001). I see these differences in my own life, as I feel comfortable editing work on a word document whereas my mum or grandma would require it to be printed onto a hard copy and then mark corrections with a pen or they would rather hand write it in the first place. I even see differences between myself and younger family members as many primary schools have introduced the use of ipads and laptops in younger year levels therefore making children even more confident with the use of technology. Therefore I am able to conclude that as time goes on the younger generations are becoming more and more comfortable using technology in every day life.
Do Digital Natives really exist?
Yes, I believe that digital natives do exist. I have been able to come to this conclusion through extensive research into different theorist and reputable sources, including Mark Prensky.
A digital native is defined as ‘a person born or brought up during the age of digital technology and is familiar with computers and the Internet from an early age.’ (Google Dictionary) The opposite to a digital native is a digital immigrant which is defined as, ‘a person born or brought up before the widespread use of digital technology.’ (Google Dictionary) So to put it simply ‘digital immigrants are said to use technology with an accent and experience some difficulties expressing themselves to the level of proficiency of younger generations who were born with technology surrounding them.’ (Morris, 2014) We are able to see a gap between generations and the ability to confidently use technology in everyday life. The readings of Prensky speaks of these distinctions as digital learners/ immigrants will use the internet as a second means of research and will also require work to be printed out before being able to edit it whereas digital natives are extremely comfortable with using all online programs regardless of the task at hand (Prensky, 2001). I see these differences in my own life, as I feel comfortable editing work on a word document whereas my mum or grandma would require it to be printed onto a hard copy and then mark corrections with a pen or they would rather hand write it in the first place. I even see differences between myself and younger family members as many primary schools have introduced the use of ipads and laptops in younger year levels therefore making children even more confident with the use of technology. Therefore I am able to conclude that as time goes on the younger generations are becoming more and more comfortable using technology in every day life.
Peer & Tutor feedback:
Rewrite Reflection:
Do Digital Natives really exist?
Yes, I
believe that digital natives do exist. Through my own observations and
extensive research into theorists and reputable sources such as Mark Prensky, I
am able to conclude there are many distinctions in everyday life that show the
existence of digital natives and digital immigrant.
A
digital native is defined as ‘those born into an innate “new
culture”’ (Prensky, 2001) The opposite to
a digital native is a digital immigrant which is defined as, ‘those who
are old-world settlers, who have lived in the analogue age and immigrated to
the digital world.” (Prensky, 2001)
To to put it simply ‘digital immigrants are said to use
technology with an accent and experience some difficulties expressing
themselves to the level of proficiency of younger generations who were born
with technology surrounding them.’ (Morris, 2014) We are able to see a gap between generations
and the ability to confidently use technology in everyday life. The readings of
Prensky (Prensky, 2001) speaks of these distinctions as digital learners/
immigrants will use the internet as a second means of research and will also
require work to be printed out before being able to edit it whereas digital
natives are extremely comfortable with using all online programs regardless of
the task at hand.
From a
pre-service teachers point of view I can see many benefits to using technology
in the classroom as many students are excited and easily engaged when it comes
to using technology. Technology also has many features and apps therefore there
will be something to suit each individual student, which is great as all
students will feel confident using the devices. Being introduced to technology
at an early can further develop children as they are gaining life skills at an
early age that can then be used in effective ways in the future.
However
in saying this constantly using technology in the classroom can hinder
children’s development. For example computers and Ipads have spell check and grammar
check which can make students lazy, as they never have to correct their own
work . This can have negative effects all throughout a child’s schooling they
are not gaining writing and comprehension skills, which are crucial as year
twelve VCE exams are all hand written therefore it is a skill all students must
possess.
I am
able to conclude that as time goes on the younger generations are becoming more
and more comfortable using technology in every day life however if not used in
moderation children are at risk of losing essential writing and comprehension
skills
References:
Morris, S. (4014) Instructional
Design. Do Digital immigrants exist? Retrieved
from
Prensky, M. (2001). Digital natives, digital
immigrants part 1. On the Horizon, 9(5), 1-6. Retrieved from http://search.proquest.com.ezproxy2.acu.edu.au/docview/214629645?accountid=8194
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