"It had been documents that young children are actually demonstrating an ability to handle screen texts even when not exposed in their own home." -- Digital Natives, Chapter 10
I found this very interesting, especially when discussing children who were not at school age. It makes me wonder where the children have been exposed to technology. To have knowledge of something, children usually have to be exposed to it. If the children haven't been exposed to computers and digital text in their own homes, then where could they have been exposed at? We live in a very digital world, so it stands to reason that somewhere, whether at a daycare or when staying with another family member or a friend, perhaps they were exposed then. I find it hard to believe that children would just know how to operate technology if they hadn't seen and experienced it before.
"There may indeed be a small subset of young people who are highly adept with and interested in digital technologies, but there is mounting evidence to suggest that patterns of access and use are varied and complex." -- Digital Natives, Chapter 11
People, as a whole, are diverse, and sometimes I think we forget that. It's so easy to lump everyone into a group and to apply generalizations to them. In this case, we're saying that all young people are Digital Natives, and that all Digital Natives are good with technology. However, that is not always the case. Sometimes, students don't have that skill set. Also, some students can do more advanced and complex things with a computer. Some may have a basic knowledge of coding while others have no clue what HTML is. These kinds of things are based on the experiences that the students have, not just their age or when they were born.
"We know from our research that for young people to develop sophisticated skills, it is crucial that they have a home where parents support them, schools where teachers support them, and libraries where librarians support them." -- Digital Natives, Chapter 12
I think this is a true statement about everything. In general, children who have more support at home and at school do better. They go further. If parents don't care about their child's grades, then usually the child doesn't care either. There is no motivation or expectation for them. I think the order the areas are listed is important, too. For kids, the learning and interest usually starts at home. Parents are the ones who should push and support their kids and give them every opportunity. Then, the kids come to school, and the teachers should do the same. Teachers should support their students and motivate them to learn. Unfortunately, that is not always the case, and instead of nurturing interests, teachers kill them. Lastly, I think it is important to have librarians who are supportive and willing the help. If a librarian is unapproachable, students are less likely to visit and use the resources available, which will ultimately hinder their learning.
Digital Literacies and Digital Natives
I think the most important idea mentioned in these chapters is that not all digital natives are the same. Not all digital natives are tech savy young adults, and not all digital immigrants are clueless with technology. The truth is, the human race is a diverse group of people, and we all have different interests and different skill sets. Also, the terms digital literacy and literacy are seen as different, but to me, they seem very much the same. Literacy can be defined not only as the ability to read and write, but also as competence in a specified area. Therefore, with this definition, literacy is the same as digital literacy.
Meme
This meme goes with the last quote I included, because I believe that this is especially important when it comes to teaching. This is something that is important just in today's teaching world or even in the past. It's also important in the future. Without support from teachers and parents, students are less likely to succeed in everything they do.
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