What is Digital Nativity?
Albert Einstein once said, "It has become appallingly obvious that our technology has exceeded our humanity." The term digital native refers to someone who has grown up in a world of technology and is very familiar with it all; examples would include someone who is familiar with texting on a cell phone, using the I-pad, or using websites like facebook.
Typically the younger generation is more of a digital native, but some of the older generation also is because of jobs. I would consider myself a digital native. Although I do not have an I-pad or a blackberry, I still text (probably more than I should) and listen to music on my I-pod while I add to my facebook page (usually instead of doing homework). I recently got a MacBook Pro and it only took me a few hours to understand how to use all the programs and all the shortcuts one can do with the click of the trackpad and the combination of a few buttons.
"Any sufficiently advanced technology is indistinguishable from magic," quoted by Arthur C. Clarke. If someone sees technology as magic and not something that is beneficial and something that has purpose than they are probably not a digital native. They are considered a digital immigrant. A digital immigrant is someone who has grown up with limited or no technology and is not familiar at all with it; someone who is intimidated by technology or frustrated easily by it. No one in my family is a digital immigrant because even my grandparents text. They sent me an email about technology that included a video. I do not have a personal connection to someone who is a digital immigrant but I would assume that they do not know the many perks of a cell phone or the internet and I doubt they have a facebook account.
An example of a digital immigrant is in this video.
An example of a digital native is is this video.
I like your use of quotes to define the terms, and the videoes were great, but I would like to point out that being a digital immigrant can mean that you are technologically accquainted, but it doesn't mean you are a digital native.
ReplyDeleteI don't know you grandparents, but I doubt that they are digital natives, because they didn't grow up with technology like we have. Sure they may be technologically well-off, but it doesn't mean they are digital natives.
I agree with bluekatchamelion about what you said about digital immigrants. What did Jenkins and Prensky have to say about the definition of digital immigrants? Great videos you've chosen! But be sure to discuss them--don't just toss them on here. Comment on them and explain why you think they are significant. Nice quotes!
ReplyDelete