Digital Natives: Reflecting on the Myth

Quotes

"Contemporary children have many of the same interests, concerns, and preoccupations as children in previous generations -- even if the ways in which they manifest these through their use of technology is likely to be rather different."  -- Digital Natives, Forward

This quote stood out to me as I was reading.  It takes me back to when I was ten and I was obsessed with Pokemon.  Those who know me well will know that I still kind of am obsessed, but that's not the point.  Back then, we played the games, traded Pokemon cards, and watched the television show.  We would even play games centered around the whole experience.  I still have the binder I collected my cards in at twenty-four years old.  Why am I telling you this?  Because I see the same things happening with kids today.  I've watched fifth and sixth graders trading Pokemon cards at the lunch table and I've overheard them talk about the games and their strategies for accomplishing this and that within the game.  I've watched a kid's eyes practically pop out of his head when he saw me carrying around a 3DS and I had to explain to him that it was mine and not one that I confiscated from another student.  This is just one of the examples I have related to shared interests across generations.  Even though I was born into the start of the digital age, the technology I played the very first Pokemon games on is so much different than what is out today.  It's grown and changed.  Even the Pokemon cards kids collect are different than when I started my own collection.  But at the heart of it, we both (teacher and student) have an interest in the same thing (Pokemon).

"It is not unusual to see self-proclaimed "digital luddites" lamenting the need to escape the control and disruptive interference of email or hear them telling their students to switch off their mobile phones and laptop computers as they enter classrooms.  Some have banned the use of Google, Wikipedia, and social media applications in classrooms."  -- Digital Natives, Chapter 1

The author's tone in these two sentences suggests that this sort of attitude is a negative thing, which I disagree with.  As far as the classroom is concerned, technology always has a time and a place.  Should we, perhaps, use more of it?  Yes.  Should we allow students to keep their phones out at all times and respond to tweets, texts, emails, etc.?  No.  And that, of course, is exactly what they're doing.  I've seen this far too many times to think otherwise.  I've been guilty of it myself from time to time.  I think we all have.  Any device with internet access is a temptation, especially if the subject matter being discussed in class is not of particular interest.  I do think that these devices can be useful in the classroom, though.  I've often had students use their phones to look things up instead of taking a trip to the computer lab or borrowing the mobile lab.  It's easier and more convenient.  In this way, though, the technology use is structured.  The other part of this I have issues with is the mention of Wikipedia.  Wikipedia is usually considered the most "evil" site out there.  It's not that the information it provides isn't good, but that it can be changed to anything.  None of the reasons mentioned in this section of the book are really why teachers forbid the use of Wikipedia.  It is forbidden because it's information cannot always be counted on.

"Having grown up with digital technology as toys, Digital Natives are much more at ease with its use than the generation that did not."  -- Digital Natives, Chapter 2

This was another quote that stuck with me as I was reading, because I have a story to go with it.  Not too long ago, I was sitting in a team meeting with a group of teachers who were discussing their frustration over the four weeks it took for them to complete their testing.  One of the teachers, and one that does not belong in the Digital Native category, said something then, and it reminds me of this.  She questioned why they couldn't also make use of the school's iPad labs for testing as well, because it would allow more students to test and cut down the amount of time taken away from class.  She also pointed out that while "we" (as in some of the older teachers) were not as comfortable with typing on the iPad keyboard, that many of the students were more familiar with it because they had grown up with it.  I think this is a great example as to what this particular chapter was trying to point out, and that's that children today have grown up with the technology, and so they're far better at using it.  It's natural to them.

"Each generation is exposed to a unique set of events that defines their place in history and shapes their outlook."  -- Digital Natives, Chapter 3

There wasn't a lot in this chapter that I found particularly interesting.  This happens to be the first quote that I flagged in my reading, and I happen to agree greatly with it.  Every generation, or era if you will, is defined by something.  When we think of the 60s or the 80s, we think of music and fashion trends.  Kids in my generation are always reminiscing about the 90s, and how everything is just not quite the same.  In ten years, the generation after mine will be doing the same.  It's a trend that never changes, and what we grow up with defines how we see the world.  90s kids will always complain that TV today is awful in comparison to what we grew up with.  I'm sure that older generations could say the same thing about my generation's taste in fashion or music.  The current generation will undoubtedly be defined by their use of social media or something of the sort.

Digital Natives

The concept of Digital Natives and Digital Immigrants is an interesting one to me.  I had never heard that terminology before.  To me, this is actually a really good metaphor for what is occurring in our Digital Age.  I feel as though I am a Digital Native.  I was born near the start of technology taking off (or at least it feels that way).  I remember life without the Internet and Cell Phones.  I actually remember when we first hooked our computer up to the Internet, and of course it was the painfully slow Dial-Up of the past.  But because I was at the beginning of the era, I grew up with technology, and so I'm really good at working with it.  My Mom, on the other hand, is far from the Digital Age and has difficulty even checking her email most of the time.  So, where I would be a Digital Native, she is most definitely a Digital Immigrant.  Unfortunately, unlike some, she has not quite integrated, and maybe she never will.  My Grandmother certainly won't.  I don't feel like my thinking on this and how people think, learn, and socialize has really changed, because I'm still a "young person" in my own right.  I might understand the concepts just a little bit better, but I've not seen a revolutionary change in my thinking.

The Digital Generation

I don't know that this is much of a "visual" metaphor, as it is a quote, but I felt like it hit on what I've been talking about in this blog post, and sometimes I think words are the best way to go.  This quote, to me, is the definition of a Digital Native, and the Digital Age we live in.  Kids today aren't just surfing the web or chatting or playing games, but they're also creating, which is the point.  Growing up with technology means that kids today not only know how to use that technology, but they're also improving it and creating their own things, whether it's videos or games or even webpages.  They're creating.