Digital Immigrants

1907 Words4 Pages
bulb-icon

Recommended: Impact of technology on education

Introduction

"The arrival and rapid dissemination of digital technology in the last decade of the 20th century has changed the way students think and process information”. (Prensky)
This notion is at the heart of what has become the ‘digital native debate’ – i.e. should education systems be changed in order to accommodate a new generation of technologically savvy learners? The term ‘digital native’ itself refers to those who were born or raised during the age of digital technology; this contrasts with Prensky’s concept of a ‘digital immigrant – i.e. someone who was born prior to the rise and spread of digital technologies ().
By analyzing and drawing on a variety of academic sources, this paper will critically evaluate the ‘digital …show more content…

131). By not incorporating or utilising digital technologies within the classroom many educational commentators fear ‘digital natives’ will become increasingly disengaged with a system that is not in tune with the way they learn and develop. In his article “digital natives, digital immigrants’, Marc Prensky illustrates how many students feel unengaged by traditional teaching methodology – one student stated, “every time I go to school I have to power down,”(prensky …show more content…

He goes so far as to attribute a number of today’s educational problems to the rigidity of digital immigrant educators in regard to digital technologies.( do they really think differently 1) . in part two of his digital native, digital immigrants prenksy presents evidence of just how digital natives think in a different way.

Prenskys desire for a digital educational reform, despite being partially backed up by his own studies, is somewhat at odds with evidence collected by kennedy and anoush. They both conclude that not all ‘digital natives’ are totally tech savvy and in dire need of new teaching methods, with many quite happy to conform to traditional learning

Show More
Related

  • Overview of The Dumbest Generation by Mark Bauerlein

    1175 Words  | 3 Pages

    In “Cultural Illiteracy,” a preface to the novel The Dumbest Generation, Mark Bauerlein critically evaluates how technological distractions affect the younger generation. Bauerlein states that “digital diversions” are cutting the younger generation off from culturally enhancing mediums and is in turn making the younger generation less intelligent. Though Bauerlein is correct about the increase of peer pressure due to technology, he is mistaken about how technology is making the younger generation unintelligent.

    Read More

  • Digital Natives and Immigrants: What Brain Research Tells Us' by Nancy K. Herther

    1019 Words  | 3 Pages

    'Digital Natives and Immigrants: What Brain Research Tells Us' is an organized, rhetorical piece by Nancy K. Hethers, explaining the reasons and rationale behind the great divide of Digital Natives and Digital Immigrants, and sheds light over the effective cognitive development that takes place as a result of stimulating experiences in the light of Neuroscientic evidence and research. The underlying purpose of this article is to shed light over the fact that the brain adapts itself to the challenges and situations that it comes across, and that the brains of the Digital Natives are not more effectively equipped than the brains of the Digital Immigrants. The individuals termed as Digital Immigrants have also proved that they have adequate adaptive abilities to counter the challenges of today as effectively as Digital Natives can. The author addresses the general public as audience, while delivering an insightful research over the workings of the brain, and specifically seeks to refute the arguments of claimants, who believe that Digital Natives are born with specially equipped brains, and the Digital Immigrants stand no chance at competing with them at cognitive levels.

    Read More

  • A Rhetorical Analysis Of 'The Digital Parent Trap'

    405 Words  | 1 Pages

    In this intriguing article, "The Digital Parent Trap" by the respected Eliana Dockterman, the author convincingly argues that this generation of American kids is the tech-savviest in history and this trend is going to bring about a severe change in the society. The author effectively and steadfastly builds the argument by using a variety of persuasive and argumentative rhetorical techniques including but not limited to specific and convincing evidence, logical reasons, and appeals to emotion through a careful choice of words.

    Read More

  • Sherry Turkle: Is Information Technology An Identity Technology?

    1211 Words  | 3 Pages

    Turkle discusses the impact of technology in human life through the young minds of students that she evidently observed. She further argues that the technology that embeds “in a culture that supports democracy, freedom of expression, tolerance, diversity, and complexity of opinion is one of the next decade’s greatest challenges” (Turkle, 2004). This paper will discuss whether the evocative object (i.e. computer) has helped to find the identity of the users or induced the users to lose their identity. Even though there are negative impacts from the advanced technology, Sherry Turkle proves how technology has changed the way of learning and thinking that helps to find the identity of individuals. Human Relationship with the Computer Computer has made the life easier by providing various applications and technologies.

    Read More

  • Media Panics

    996 Words  | 2 Pages

    middle of paper ... ... However, it is important to approach these panics with a degree of skepticism because we must not forget that the young generation do have a mind of their own. If adults feel the pressure to monitor and restrict children from learning using new media, it could affect the way they learn and prove problematic. Works Cited Drotner, K. (1999).

    Read More

  • Persuasive Essay On Formal Education

    844 Words  | 2 Pages

    The use of textbooks and paper tests in classrooms was necessary in the past century because it prepared students for the use of the same materials in their future workplaces. However, in today’s workplace technological devices like the personal computer and ipads have replaced those form of materials making them irrelevant. Although today’s workplaces reinvented their traditional archaic method of working, same cannot be said about today’s school system. In our society, the decision to reinvert today’s education system should be prioritized due to the fall of the American Education system in the Organization for Economic Co-operation and Development rankings. A question today’s technological advance society needs to ask is “how do we make over the twentieth-century classroom to take advantage of all the remarkable digital benefits of the twentieth century”(Davidson 55). To reinvent our educational system teachers and leaders in our school system need to unlearn the traditional way of learning. “Instead of teaching we need to learn”(Davidson 50). Teachers need to learn from today’s technology savvy 21st century students and incorporate some ideas in their methods of teaching. Although this experiment breaks the educational institute patterns of learning, it also gives

    Read More

  • Summary Of In Defense Of The Igeneration

    1182 Words  | 3 Pages

    In Renee Wilson’s article, “In Defence of the iGeneration” (2013), she explores her belief of the iGeneration being the smartest generation yet. Through the use of many anecdotes, Wilson reflects on her experiences of teaching the iGeneration and their ability to ignore negative criticism and still show their full potential. In her article, Wilson discusses the iGeneration’s reliance on technology and social media; however, she does not engage the disadvantages of technology, in particular laptops in the classroom, which, as I argue here, is in need of more study. In this essay, I argue that the use of laptops by students in a university classroom is distracting not only to the student, but also to surrounding students. Inevitably, multitasking

    Read More

  • The Negative Impacts of Social Media

    1923 Words  | 4 Pages

    Turkle, Sherry. "Digital Nation." Interview. PBS. PBS, 22 Sept. 2009. Web. 20 May 2014. .

    Read More

  • Importance of Bridging the Digital Divide

    2662 Words  | 6 Pages

    Mark Prensky (2001) has coined the phrase Digital Natives versus Digital Immigrants. To put it simply, Digital Natives (DN) have always had the new technology (cell phones, video games, digital music, computers) while Digital Immigrants (DI) have come into these things later on in life and have had to learn “it” above and beyond the old ways they had of doing things. Is there a difference? Children today are born into a digital world and use technology from a young age. The Digital Natives/Learner finds technol...

    Read More

  • Digital Immigrants

    1919 Words  | 4 Pages

    It is said that digital natives are active experimental learner, excellent at multitasking, and dependent on communication technologies for accessing information and for interacting with other (Frand, 2000; Oblinger and Oblinger, 2005; Prensky 2001a b; Tapscott, 1999). It has been stated that these characteristics raise valid question about weather that the current education system is equipped to meet the needs of new student (digital natives). Tapscott (1998), described education in developing countries as already in crisis with more challenge to com: "There is growing appreciation that the old approach [of didactic teaching] is ill-suited to the intellectual, social, motivational, and emotional needs of the new generation' (p. 131). This was echoed by Prensky's (2001a) claim that: 'Our students have changed radically. Today's students are no longer the people our educational system was designed to teach' (p.

    Read More

  • Benefits of Technology in the Classroom

    1820 Words  | 4 Pages

    Do you ever think about how much technology has changed the way we work, learn, play, and even think? Technology is a major beneficiary to society; especially in the classroom where we get the opportunity to learn and grow. In recent years, schools have begun implementing tablets and other devices in the classroom to better student’s education. The use of technology in the classroom provides more of a personalized learning experience and gives students a widespread availability to engage in learning. Technology is necessary in today’s modern globe, it is basically “the pen and paper of our time and the lens through which we experience much of our world” (Warlick, 2013). Technology is not just considered the “internet”, it is so much greater than that. Overall, it enhances the quality of education and engages students deeper than ever before. With all the significant gains, why would people argue that technology hinders students more than it helps? Critics may try to repute the use of technology in the classroom but I believe what really matters “is the way we use it, the context that we use it in, and the learners who we use it for” (Chong, 2012).

    Read More

  • Marc Prensky Digital Natives Digital Immigrants Analysis

    573 Words  | 2 Pages

    One of the problems Prensky identifies is that the older generation does not value the methods by which the younger generation think and learn. In turn, the “Digital Natives” are bored and dissociated from the same material that used to capture students' attentions. Prensky argues that we should update the educational content so as to be more relevant and engaging for the students. He adds that this is not enough however, and emphasizes the need to also create new content that is more relevant to the students' future needs in a world filled with

    Read More

  • Argumentative Essay On Digital Media

    1189 Words  | 3 Pages

    Imagine someone born in the early 1900’s entering a modern-day classroom. They would likely be confused as to what televisions, computers, cell phones, and other electronic devices are. It is also likely that they would be overwhelmed by the instant access to information that the internet provides. Digital media has become a large part of people’s everyday lives especially with the rise of digital media in classrooms. Digital media is growing so rapidly that people who are not adapting to this shift in culture are falling behind and becoming victims of the “digital divide”, this is leaving people misinformed. Digital media has a large effect on the way that people communicate, this is especially evident in the way that students interact with

    Read More

  • Information Behaviour of Middle School Students

    1587 Words  | 4 Pages

    Miller, C., & Bartlett, J. (2012). 'Digital fluency': towards young people's critical use of the internet. Journal of Information Literacy, 6(2), 35-55.

    Read More

  • Difference Between Digital And Information Literacy

    1360 Words  | 3 Pages

    Information and digital literacy both play vital roles in our society and are necessary tools for citizens to have in this growing information age. Information literacy is “the ability to recognize the extent and nature of an information need, then to locate, evaluate, and effectively use the needed information.” Digital literacy is “the ability to find, evaluate, utilize, share, and create content using information technologies and the Internet.” The purpose of this essay is to show the contrasting and similar experiences people have had acquiring both digital and information literacy. To do this, I interviewed two citizens from different generations, one a millennial and the other a baby boomer, about how they acquired both digital and information

    Read More

More about Digital Immigrants

Open Document