Blog Post 1: Do digital natives really exist? Is there a difference between the 2001 digital native and the 2018 digital native?
I believe that digital natives really do exist. Children in todays society have been raised in I very different way to how children were raised 20, or even less years ago. “Todays students are the first to grow up with technology” (Prensky, M. 2001)They are introduced to technology from a much younger age and it is a part of their every day lives. People use to learn in different ways a few years ago, but now children can learn from technology and it is hidden in a fun manner. While children may be thinking that they are having a fun time watching for example, a television show, they can also be learning at the same time. Shows such as sesame street include different educational aspects to the story that they are telling.
There are some negatives that come with digital natives though. “Young people belonging to this generation are therefore supposed to be “native” to the digital lifestyle, always connected to the Internet and comfortable with a range of cutting-edge technologies.” (Thomas. M. 2011) With this expectation that all young students are technologically savvy, there is a chance of stereotypes being formed. As teachers, we need to “continue to check that we are designing our teaching for real students and not the stereotypes we have imagined.” (Frawley. J. 2017) If teachers and the education system get too ahead of themselves with the advances of technology, there is a chance that it may become too advanced for some students which could risk them becoming disengaged in class and left out.
The advances of technology in the classroom environment is very beneficial and has the ability to educate children and keep them engaged at the same time. However we need to make sure that we are creating the education system for and around the students rather than these stereotypes that have been created over the years.
REFERENCES
· Prensky, M. (2001). Digital natives, digital immigrants part 1. On the Horizon, 9(5), 1-6. Retrieved from https://search.proquest.com/docview/214629645?accountid=8194
· Thomas, M. (Ed.). (2011). Deconstructing Digital Natives. New York: Routledge.
· Frawley, J. (2017). The myth of the 'digital native' - Teaching@Sydney. [online] Teaching@Sydney. Available at: http://sydney.edu.au/education-portfolio/ei/teaching@sydney/digital-native-myth/
IMAGE REFERENCES
o http://www.kidsappmaker.com/home (digital)
コメント