Comments on: Digital Immigrants Teaching the Net Generation – Much Ado About Nothing?

By: KScaringi

KScaringi — Wed, 01 Dec 2010 04:45:54 +0000

You write” The report did reveal another weakness created by having access to interactive devices. Because students really like activity, they love to cut-and-paste. The report goes on to note, “There is a lot of anecdotal evidence and plagiarism is a serious issue.”

This is a good point, the digital natives will need some guidance and navigation to effectively and safely navigate through the digital world.

By: Evelyn

Evelyn — Tue, 30 Nov 2010 17:03:00 +0000

I read this article and really enjoyed it; it was very interesting to see the labeling of Digital Natives vs. Digital Immigrants. I forwarded it to my principal because it did contain great insight on why it is hard for some teachers to give in to technology.
Such a large part of our lives include us blogging, e-mailing and searching the internet that anything else or going backwards will just be odd. We have transformed into a technology world and it is true that our students and children are becoming “digital” but I wonder if it is too much. So many of the things the “digital immigrant” values are due to the ability to learn through experience, touch, sense. I wonder if we are losing some of the important things in life because of technology. I understand that it keeps transforming daily and that it is important for our students to learn how to prepare themselves for the digital world but they still need to have old traditional logic instilled in them.
I think that parts of this article did apply to me as a teacher. I could understand how the younger students become highly engaged in technology activities but are probably not as engaged during non-technology activities. Teaching in a low income urban area my kids are not exposed to the update technology as frequently as others therefore sometimes the old way of doing things is the only way to get the message across.

By: VannyMo

VannyMo — Tue, 30 Nov 2010 04:15:15 +0000

An Urban Legend!

Will the discussions about the Net-Gen’s tech savvy “superiority” be considered an urban legend in the future (or is it already one)? An urban legend is a story that is believed by the authors to be true, but may end up being just a myth, or only partially true or false.

I for one, have worked with the Net-Generation and although they are wonderful, they are not as advanced and tech savvy as they are purported to be. In fact, I would say they are less savvy, because they do not have the critical thinking skills or knowledge to effectively use their tech skill and abilities.

I do agree that we have to learn new ways of educating our youth in order to keep them engaged and to advance learning, however, we don’t need to justify it by stereotyping and pitting one generation against the other.

By: JFrank

JFrank — Tue, 30 Nov 2010 01:03:45 +0000

While I don’t think that the discusion about digital natives and immigrants is much ado about nothing, I don’t think the evolution of technology and education and a disconnect between generations is entirely new. In order to effectively prepare our students for the world they are living in and the workforce they will be entering, it is necessary to adapt traditional teaching methods and embrace technology and the new ways that students think, learn, and communicate. I do not think, however, that all traditional teaching methods are antiquated. Some traditional instructional methods are very effective and should not be abandoned entirely. The focus of education needs to shift along with our instructional tools. The skills that this generation needs are different than those needed in the past and our instruction should reflect that. Critical thinking, problem-solving, innovation, and collaboration are becoming increasingly valuable skills and should soon outweigh the ever-emphasized standardized test scores.

By: Rhonda R.

Rhonda R. — Tue, 30 Nov 2010 00:58:59 +0000

It is very apparent to me that today’s youth is not fully technology savvy. I know of many students that are knowledgeable about various forms of technology, but do not sufficiently put it to good use. Social networking has taken a major turn over the recent years, yet some of the same problems are still surfacing. I.e. cyber bullying, plagiarism (cut & paste method), “sexting”, and the list goes on… I do believe that technology has offered the youth an opportunity to view the world in a broader perspective. Not everything on the Web is negative, but due to the lack of effective technology “savvy” skills many of the positive features become misused. Technology should provide a wide range of learning to reach all types of learners, no matter your race, gender, or economic standing. Now I will say due to students’ knowledge of the technology available places them at an advantage. I still believe it takes an educated specialist to teach how to take full advantage of the technology placed before us. Being aware of how to use relevant and trustworthy forms of research, using social networking as a tool to increase global awareness, and increasing internet safety is the biggest reward to help overcome the shortcomings of technology misuse! That’s why I am a big advocate of Professional development. The only way an educator can completely bring teachers, education and students together with Web 2.0 and/or multimedia, one must be able to successfully integrate relevant technology into the classroom. The only way to ensure that is to be as educated as possible on its proper and most effective usage.

By: Zack

Zack — Sun, 28 Nov 2010 17:07:00 +0000

Much ado about nothing? No, not quite. However, I agree with many points in your post. It is assumed that today’s students have a tech savvy that many of them simply do not have. The point that “most ‘digital natives’ had real difficulty choosing good search terms” really hit home with me. When my students search for images, they try one or perhaps two searches, and then move on. I have to teach them how to use different words, combinations, quotes and the like. Even the most tech savvy among them have poor research skills. Today’s students have many tech skills that are not in any way academic or constructive. This is what they need to be taught.

However, there should be much ado about the way that we are moving away from the ability to concentrate for long periods of time on something that does not beep or flash. There is and should be an emphasis on technology in the classroom, but some people seem to believe that means placing “educational” video games in all our classes. This makes me shiver with fear. Forget books and writing essays. Time to play. If this is the path we go down, it is surely the end times a’comin.

Much ado SHOULD be made about this.

By: Crystal L.

Crystal L. — Sat, 27 Nov 2010 00:30:09 +0000

I think that there is a problem. As mentioned above so many teachers are not digital natives, they are trying to immigrate but they are having a hard time. For example my neighbor, she is an amazing teacher but she is so set in her ways that any set back will turn her off to that tech and she may never try it again. I have to coax and use her sense of competition against her to get her to use the tools I am introducing to her. It’s cool though because she loves it once she’s there. But this is the way that most of my co workers are, it is hard for them.
But I think it is even harder on the board of Ed. They are old, outdated and not down with these new digital natives. They are restrictive and judgmental. They can’t see how social networking can be used, how cell phones can be our friends in education. They don’t see what we have seen in these courses. And there are so few of us to show them. I hope to be a voice in my county, but I am still not sure how to start. The funny thing is my neighbor may be my way in, I just have to show her and maybe she will be my supporter.

By: Lorna

Lorna — Fri, 26 Nov 2010 17:17:36 +0000

Without a carefully planned and executed strategy to understand the working of our youths’ minds many of us as adults will continue to make wider the existing gap between our youths and us, to our detriment. Our assumptions and responses to their actions are important decision factors in ensuring that we do not also build a wall to permanently separate us from reaching them. This situation is much too vital to our survival for us to not urgently seek to find the necessary answers to the questions that elude us and render our hands tied behind our backs while our youths drift away aimlessly. There must be some concerns to be resolved, since the situation could not all be as a result of our imagination. Of the many studies being done there will quite likely be some information gained that will help us to halt or reverse the situation, whether it is real or imagined.

By: Martin J. Kaczmarek

Martin J. Kaczmarek — Wed, 24 Nov 2010 23:19:43 +0000

As a Master’s student in instructional technology, I applaud you and your article on digital natives. I do believe the current generation is much more native to technology than my generation (I am 51). It is interesting and exciting to learn how to bridge the gap between natives (our youth) and immigrants. It is my belief that today’s educators must bridge this gap. It is highly understandable that today’s youth are better at technology than previous generations. They have grown up with nothing else. The surprise I see with today’s youth is that even though they are tech savvy, they also seem to know when to multitask with it (entertainment) and when to singletask (studies). We can, no must, use this to fully engage them with strong pedagogical lesson using technology as an enabler.

By: Shayna

Shayna — Fri, 20 Aug 2010 02:37:09 +0000

You bring up a good point when you stated, “For example, the report indicated that this new generation of tech users were anything but “expert searchers.” In fact, the researchers found that most “digital natives” had real difficulty choosing good search terms.” My husband teaches seventh grade GT Social Studies and his students work in a National History Day research project. Now you have to understand that he work in a community where every child had grow up with technology and has every type of technology in their house. He has found that his students know how to get by when conducting research on the computer and they know the basics, like going to Google, but they do not know how to develop good search terms. They also tend to believe everything they read on the Internet and they tend to want to copy and paste and not give credit to the site or person they are getting the information from.