I have previously discussed that I feel that the line between "digital native" and "digital immigrant" isn't quite so clear cut as age.
However I would use my mum's friend Nancy as a great example of someone who threatens the notion of native/immigrant in digital culture. She is 55 yet has an amazing knowledge of computers as she has worked with them since they became accessible to her, around 20 years ago, as she worked in management and found that keeping information on a computer was far more beneficial than keeping mounds of paper which were easily lost.
Nancy knows far more about computers than I do (which is a fair amount) and she started her own company in 1998 based just outside London. She insisted on having all of the latest technology so she could fully embrace the digital age and be at an advantage amongst her competitors. which certainly worked as her company is still going strong today but it would be at a great disadvantage without the sophisticated network she has in place.
I went to visit her office last year where she showed me how her company and the system she has in place works - she showed me endless baffling shortcuts and tricks on Windows that I had no idea about. Therefore while I'm a "native" and she is an "immigrant", our paths certainly cross somewhere in the middle.
Showing posts with label digital immigration. Show all posts
Showing posts with label digital immigration. Show all posts
Friday, 27 March 2009
W9 - Task B: The youngest digital immigrant I know
The youngest digital immigrant I know would be Melanie, who I used to work with. She is 33 (31 at the time) and worked on the shop floor, however got promoted to work in the office where she needed training on the most basic of computer skills having "never really used a computer before", in her own words.
She picked up the skills quickly as the system was a very basic one, however she still had what Prensky calls her "accent", doing things such as stock-checks on paper when they could have been done on a hand-held terminal and then uploaded to a computer, or drafting letters on paper before typing them up on the word processor.
She had little confidence in the computer, especially as it was quite temperamental and crashed a lot therefore losing work sometimes. Although I don't work there anymore, she recently told me that the systems have now been upgraded and she is more confident with it, even starting to draft her letters straight onto Microsoft Word!
She picked up the skills quickly as the system was a very basic one, however she still had what Prensky calls her "accent", doing things such as stock-checks on paper when they could have been done on a hand-held terminal and then uploaded to a computer, or drafting letters on paper before typing them up on the word processor.
She had little confidence in the computer, especially as it was quite temperamental and crashed a lot therefore losing work sometimes. Although I don't work there anymore, she recently told me that the systems have now been upgraded and she is more confident with it, even starting to draft her letters straight onto Microsoft Word!
Thursday, 19 March 2009
W8 - Digital Immigration: URLs
ARTICLE 1: "Digital Natives, Digital Immigrants: Some Thoughts from the Generation Gap" - Timothy Van Slyke.
http://technologysource.org/article/digital_natives_digital_immigrants/
ARTICLE 2: "Listen to the Natives" - Marc Prensky.
http://www.ascd.org/authors/ed_lead/el200512_prensky.html
ARTICLE 3: "Report: The next step in brain evolution" - Richard Woods.
http://entertainment.timesonline.co.uk/tol/arts_and_entertainment/article683193.ece
ARTICLE 4: "Digital Natives vs. Digital Immigrants" - Rochelle Mazar
http://www.mazar.ca/2006/07/18/digital-natives-vs-digital-immigrants/
ARTICLE 5: "In which RSS gave me digital citizenship" - Kevin Gaugler.
http://www.worldatways.com/2008/10/23/in-which-rss-gave-me-my-digital-citizenship/
http://technologysource.org/article/digital_natives_digital_immigrants/
ARTICLE 2: "Listen to the Natives" - Marc Prensky.
http://www.ascd.org/authors/ed_lead/el200512_prensky.html
ARTICLE 3: "Report: The next step in brain evolution" - Richard Woods.
http://entertainment.timesonline.co.uk/tol/arts_and_entertainment/article683193.ece
ARTICLE 4: "Digital Natives vs. Digital Immigrants" - Rochelle Mazar
http://www.mazar.ca/2006/07/18/digital-natives-vs-digital-immigrants/
ARTICLE 5: "In which RSS gave me digital citizenship" - Kevin Gaugler.
http://www.worldatways.com/2008/10/23/in-which-rss-gave-me-my-digital-citizenship/
Wednesday, 18 March 2009
W8 - Digital Immigration: Article 5
The final article is another blog, by an associate professor who studies in languages, but who also created "Identity Quest" which rethinks technology and study abroad. The author posts around relevant subjects in New Media Cultures such as social networking and Web 2.0. The blog is supported by Cengage Learning and was written in October 2008, therefore is up-to-date and current. Although not referenced, the blog is well written, easy-to-use and free from spam.
He discusses a discussion about RSS feeds with "20-something" students whereby only one had heard of them. While they had iPods, they had never subscribed to Podcasts. The author introduces the term "digital citizenship", which he had achieved through RSS. I found this an important term, as surely in the same vein that foreigners can have a better understanding of English than English people do after several years of study, digital immigrants can eventually have a better understanding of technology than digital natives do?
He concludes that immigrants can expose natives to points of view which don't otherwise slap them in the face from Facebook and MySpace, and give a flavoured view of digital surroundings. Therefore he feels that digital immigration doesn't mean that immigrants are worthless, they are just "digitally different" - a view I agree with.
He discusses a discussion about RSS feeds with "20-something" students whereby only one had heard of them. While they had iPods, they had never subscribed to Podcasts. The author introduces the term "digital citizenship", which he had achieved through RSS. I found this an important term, as surely in the same vein that foreigners can have a better understanding of English than English people do after several years of study, digital immigrants can eventually have a better understanding of technology than digital natives do?
He concludes that immigrants can expose natives to points of view which don't otherwise slap them in the face from Facebook and MySpace, and give a flavoured view of digital surroundings. Therefore he feels that digital immigration doesn't mean that immigrants are worthless, they are just "digitally different" - a view I agree with.
W8 - Digital Immigration: Article 4
This page is a blog page, which is in response to Article 3 and offers a rant-like opposing view on the article. It appears this author has no specific interest in the subject and instead writes her blog on what she finds interesting, but has a lot to say about this article. Written in 2006, it is just as up-to-date as the article it discusses but offers no references (apart from the original article) or theory.
The author objects "strenuously to the suggestion that those 20 and under are somehow more “digitally native” than those of us who came to the internet/computers later in life and the difference between natives and immigrants is not early experience but a willingness to accept something new in their lives.
Furthermore, the author raises the fact that she is 31 and has used computers for 12 years, while her friend is 44 and has used them since he was 27. Therefore they may be "immigrants", but they have used computers since they first became accessible. She picks apart various parts of the article, calling the digital native a "digital naive" because of incorrect terminology that was used.
Therefore this author states that it's not about experiences of brain chemistry, it's about exploring, being changed by technology, and a desire to be connected online, making it a choice but they are "not limited because we're not 20."
The author objects "strenuously to the suggestion that those 20 and under are somehow more “digitally native” than those of us who came to the internet/computers later in life and the difference between natives and immigrants is not early experience but a willingness to accept something new in their lives.
Furthermore, the author raises the fact that she is 31 and has used computers for 12 years, while her friend is 44 and has used them since he was 27. Therefore they may be "immigrants", but they have used computers since they first became accessible. She picks apart various parts of the article, calling the digital native a "digital naive" because of incorrect terminology that was used.
Therefore this author states that it's not about experiences of brain chemistry, it's about exploring, being changed by technology, and a desire to be connected online, making it a choice but they are "not limited because we're not 20."
W8 - Digital Immigration: Article 3
This is an article written for the Sunday Times, therefore written for a wide audience. Published in 2006, the article is fairly recent and discusses Facebook and iTunes, for example. The author is a journalist and therefore writing on the subject as a newsworthy item and The Times is a respected broadsheet, however beyond researching this article I see no evidence of any specific interest in the subject.
One person quoted in the article claims that digital natives are used to to the turnover of gadgets, whereas immigrants are likely to embrace technology but not upgrade it. I found this interesting as my parents are typical examples of this, having not thought about their Sky package since 1999 and only finally upgrading the dial-up internet connection after seven years of me moaning at them.
The article focuses on the effects of new technology, such as its complexities and the changes it has made. It points out also that digital natives sift through and discount information far easier than digital immigrants do. The article is well-sourced and uses quotations from academics and young people alike, and finishes on a rather poignant statement that "we are raising a whole generation in this totally new environment — without any firm evidence of what will happen to them.”
One person quoted in the article claims that digital natives are used to to the turnover of gadgets, whereas immigrants are likely to embrace technology but not upgrade it. I found this interesting as my parents are typical examples of this, having not thought about their Sky package since 1999 and only finally upgrading the dial-up internet connection after seven years of me moaning at them.
The article focuses on the effects of new technology, such as its complexities and the changes it has made. It points out also that digital natives sift through and discount information far easier than digital immigrants do. The article is well-sourced and uses quotations from academics and young people alike, and finishes on a rather poignant statement that "we are raising a whole generation in this totally new environment — without any firm evidence of what will happen to them.”
W8 - Digital Immigration: Article 2
This article is a strong primary source as it is written by someone at the forefront of the subject. The author read in the subject and this work was published in a 2005/2006 journal and therefore the work is relevant and quite up-to-date. The article is re-produced but easy-to-read and clearly referenced so the original article can be found. The article is very much based on the author's own thoughts, only referencing two articles - one of them being his own.
He recounts his previous work and states that today's students are so different from us that 20th century knowledge and training cannot be used to best educate them, therefore digital immigrant-teachers must engage in a 21st century way in the same way that digital natives do, using one-to-one teaching to highlight an individual's skills, or self-chosen learning groups of children and their peers.
The article's pleads for the digital immigrants to listen to the digital natives and their suggestions for direction in how to educated them effectively. Computers play a large part of this as statistics from US teachers are quoted as saying computers affect their teaching methods "to some extent" (86%) or "a great deal" (55.6%).
I feel this article is somewhat one-sided and plays down the experience of digital immigrants. Indeed, much can be taught on a computer and through new ways of learning, but the basic features of life - eg. socialising, love and interaction are clearly threatened by the isolation that computers offer, and only experience teaches.
He recounts his previous work and states that today's students are so different from us that 20th century knowledge and training cannot be used to best educate them, therefore digital immigrant-teachers must engage in a 21st century way in the same way that digital natives do, using one-to-one teaching to highlight an individual's skills, or self-chosen learning groups of children and their peers.
The article's pleads for the digital immigrants to listen to the digital natives and their suggestions for direction in how to educated them effectively. Computers play a large part of this as statistics from US teachers are quoted as saying computers affect their teaching methods "to some extent" (86%) or "a great deal" (55.6%).
I feel this article is somewhat one-sided and plays down the experience of digital immigrants. Indeed, much can be taught on a computer and through new ways of learning, but the basic features of life - eg. socialising, love and interaction are clearly threatened by the isolation that computers offer, and only experience teaches.
W8 - Digital Immigration: Article 1
In this article, the author criticises Marc Prensky's work. The author teaches instructional technology courses and lives in Hungary. His e-mail address ends in ".edu" and therefore one would assume he's a well-read academic. He has written several articles about the digital age and also has a blog, albeit a sparsely-updated one.
It was written in 2003 and therefore fairly up-to-date, but doesn't encompass the recent successes of social networking ie. Facebook/Twitter. The article is easy to use with black writing on a white background, easily accessible and has no adverts or spam.
The article uses Prensky's work as a starting point, and then criticises it heavily. He claims that Prensky "overemphasizes the differences between his two groups [natives and immigrants] and de-emphasizes the similarities". He uses practical experience to discount Prensky's view that children learn the "new" very easily and resist the old.
The author also disagrees with Prensky's generalisation that today's students are glued to the computer or watch television endlessly as children come from a variety of backgrounds of different qualities and affulence. In general, the author meets Prensky half-way on many issues, but feels that Prensky can sometimes to be too blanket in his judgements, and concludes that teaching can be a mix of traditional and modern methods to be most effective.
It was written in 2003 and therefore fairly up-to-date, but doesn't encompass the recent successes of social networking ie. Facebook/Twitter. The article is easy to use with black writing on a white background, easily accessible and has no adverts or spam.
The article uses Prensky's work as a starting point, and then criticises it heavily. He claims that Prensky "overemphasizes the differences between his two groups [natives and immigrants] and de-emphasizes the similarities". He uses practical experience to discount Prensky's view that children learn the "new" very easily and resist the old.
The author also disagrees with Prensky's generalisation that today's students are glued to the computer or watch television endlessly as children come from a variety of backgrounds of different qualities and affulence. In general, the author meets Prensky half-way on many issues, but feels that Prensky can sometimes to be too blanket in his judgements, and concludes that teaching can be a mix of traditional and modern methods to be most effective.
W8 - Digital Immigration: What is it? Who cares about it? What general attitudes have been based upon it?
In their book "Born Digital", Palfrey and Gasser define a "digital native" as someone born after 1980. Therefore by definition, a "digital immigrant" would be someone born after that date and now over the age of 28/29.
Marc Prensky coined the terms "digital immigrant" and "digital native". He expands on digital immigrants, saying they adapt to their environment but always retain their "accent", their foot in the past. An example of this is printing off an e-mail or document to edit it, or getting someone in their office to look at a website when the URL could have been e-mailed to them instead.
Having coined the term, clearly Prensky cares about the notions - as do academics who have written about it. In the wider world, people may not know the specific terms, but they will care about it. Examples are the digital immigrant parent who asks their digital native child how to use a piece of technology, or the office-worker whose work is now done online instead of on paper. The debate will likely have affected most digital immigrants, whereas to digital natives it may not be noticed as it's all they've ever known.
Of the academics and bloggers who have written on the subject, most are skeptical about it. For example one blogger discusses a newspaper article (both of which I will discuss later). This blogger feels that the difference between natives and immigrants is not early experience, but a willingness to let something new in your life. So is the digital immigrant/native debate as clear-cut as being born one day making you a immigrant, and the next day a native? I don't think so.
Marc Prensky coined the terms "digital immigrant" and "digital native". He expands on digital immigrants, saying they adapt to their environment but always retain their "accent", their foot in the past. An example of this is printing off an e-mail or document to edit it, or getting someone in their office to look at a website when the URL could have been e-mailed to them instead.
Having coined the term, clearly Prensky cares about the notions - as do academics who have written about it. In the wider world, people may not know the specific terms, but they will care about it. Examples are the digital immigrant parent who asks their digital native child how to use a piece of technology, or the office-worker whose work is now done online instead of on paper. The debate will likely have affected most digital immigrants, whereas to digital natives it may not be noticed as it's all they've ever known.
Of the academics and bloggers who have written on the subject, most are skeptical about it. For example one blogger discusses a newspaper article (both of which I will discuss later). This blogger feels that the difference between natives and immigrants is not early experience, but a willingness to let something new in your life. So is the digital immigrant/native debate as clear-cut as being born one day making you a immigrant, and the next day a native? I don't think so.
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