Am I A Digital Native or Immigrant?

 

Digital Native or Immigrant?

My simplified definition of the two:

Digital Native: A person who grew up on technology and has used it as a source of information, communication, and entertainment for the majority of their lives.

Digital Immigrant: A person who grew up with technology, but it was not their main source of information, communication, and entertainment. They merely adopted it later in life.

What is the Divide between Digital Natives and Digital Immigrants?

    What seems to me, to be the divide between digital natives and digital immigrants is the understanding of technology and how it is used between the two. This seems to be major problem of the two groups. Those who grew up with technology and have used it as a form of learning have a wide range of skills that those who are digital immigrants do not, but the same can be said the other way around. Digital natives don't have some the social and learning skills that digital immigrants have. The divide is entirely that of not understanding one another.

    It has affected how students learn today, do to teachers who are digital immigrants not understanding that students can learn in multitude of different ways using technology as a useful tool. Digital Natives, Digital Immigrants By Marc Prensky, brought this up when using a game called "Monkey Wrench" to teach how to use AutoCAD and complete tasks to learn how to use the system.

   

    Teachers who are digital natives, since there are some who are now teachers. Use technology as a learning tool and seem to be having a great influence on students in the classroom. I have seen this firsthand in a middle school setting. I think forms of technology is the way to go. 

Which Am I?

    From my own definition, and how Marc Prensky describes the two groups. I am under the impression that I am digital native. I grew up watching educational programs, playing games, and using technology quite a bit. However, I am also in the weird age group where it didn't really become a large part of my life until I was entering grade school. For those curious, I was born in 1997. 

    I think that this has both pros and cons to being a digital native. Compared to those younger than me, I was taught how to research using both books and computers as for those who are more digital immigrants. Looking at how I learn, I appreciate being a digital native, because I think there is more ways to learn how to do something, and being able to navigate through the various forms of technology has made it easier to do so. The cons of it, would be the desire to read books, but I personally love reading, whether it is a on paper or on a device of some form.