DESCRIPTION
The article driving question ‘Are digital natives a myth or a reality’ is all about the modern age of technology and technology use. The topic of the article is about new technology amongst the emerging generations and how they are being brought up around it. The main two positions around this topic argue whether digital natives do, or do not exist. Marc Prensky refers to digital natives, those who were raised with technology and digital immigrants, those who were exposed to technology later on their lives. FEELINGS
Initially, I was unsure on my position of whether digital natives exist mainly because I had never heard the term before. However, after further reading and research, I am in complete agreeance that digital natives are a reality but am uncertain I agree they are as Prensky portrays them. Marc Prensky’s explanation of digital natives and digital immigrants perfectly describes two distinct groups of people; those who are native to technology and those who are not, but I am unsure I agree with the skills he believes digital natives possess.
EVALUATION
Marc Prensky refers to the arrival of digital natives as a ‘singularity’, an event which changes things so fundamentally there is absolutely no going back (Prensky, 2001). Whilst I agree with Prensky his position on digital natives does not address thoroughly the negative aspects for the digital natives. The assumption is generally we need to adjust our idea of teaching to suit their way of learning. I believe whilst digital natives may, in fact, be a different breed, they are still human and too much digital exposure can have adverse effects. Without addressing these issues his argument is less convincing because it assumes this shift to digital teaching is ideal.
ANALYSIS
There is no argument the post 1984 generation has grown up with easy access to digital technologies and a saturation of information, but does this make this generation tech-savvy, multitasking gurus? As Paul Kirschner says in’ The myths of the digital native and multitasker,’ The skills and competencies attributed to this generation of students are the same as any other skills and competencies, namely that they need to be properly taught and acquired before they can be applied (Kirschner, 2017). Therefore, as teachers, we need to be able to utilise technology, but we need to teach and allow for consolidation of learning as with any area of learning.
CONCLUSION
In conclusion, although Prensky highlights the differences in this generation, I don’t believe he is convincing about digital natives. Whilst the term suits them well, they are native to technology, his views are not shared by most studies.
ACTION PLAN
This new knowledge is important to me as we are living in an era which is saturated with digital technologies. Having learnt more about the debate on digital natives I feel more equipped to both comment and have an opinion. I believe this will be important to my further practice because I now have an insight into both sides of the argument, and the importance of teaching and consolidating learning whatever the concept.
References
Au-Yong-Oliveira, M., Gonçalves, R., Martins, J., & Branco, F. (2018). The social impact of technology on millennials and consequences for higher education and leadership. Telematics and Informatics, 35(4), 954–963. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.tele.2017.10.007
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, October). Digital Natives, Digital Immigrants part 1. ProQuest. https://sso.acu.edu.au/samlsso
Dear Georgia,
I can see all the solid work and time that you have invested into your reflective blog. It was great to see the breakdown of reflection you used in your blog post, “Are digital natives a myth or reality?” This showed me how you came to your conclusion and the thought process around this decision, and it made reading your blog enjoyable and relatable.
What I enjoyed the most about your blog was the evidence of strong research, backed by theory and referencing.
An area in which you could have improved in your blog post would have been to use personal experiences. Utilising personal experiences allows the reader to connect with you deeper. They may have gone through…
The website’s introduction was well written and easy to navigate around. However, I’d wish to see the website to be more aesthetically pleasing for the readers. Your reflective piece on ‘Are digital natives a myth or reality?’ has a great range of vocabulary. The introduction clearly highlights the themes and your personal opinion. I like how the reflective piece clearly demonstrates the use of Gibbs’ Reflective Cycle which is highlighted within the success criteria. However, I found it difficult to read in the way it was structured as it doesn’t flow. A suggested improvement I wish for is to change the layout of the writing. What if you tried getting rid of titles and create paragraphs that link to one…