What do you make of the (divergent) positions of Boyd and Prensky? What do you hear each of them saying about who youth are? Where do you stand on the “digital native” terminology?
Prensky is saying children this day and age are digital natives and that older people are digital immigrants. I do not fully agree with this terminology but I think what he is trying to say is that we can learn from our students and children. We shouldn’t just assume we know more about technology than they know and we should be open to learn about how they access technology. We need to be mindful of how they navigate and process the information. One thing that stood out to me was the students read pictures more than the words. I also think it’s important to keep use what they know and are interested in to our advantage. Boyd is saying we can’t assume children know how to use technology just because they were born into this advanced technology era. Children still need to be taught how to use technology from the “immigrant” population. She mentions how technology is very easy to use now (no lengthy manuals needed) and children often are able to navigate it but they don’t always understand what they are doing and how to get the information they need. She talks about Wikipedia getting a bad name and that it’s actually better than Google because it shows edits and the thought process/debates that occur behind the edits. I can relate to being told Wikipedia was not a good source to use. My teachers in high school told me the same. My students this year did not know how to log onto computers. They needed my assistance. It didn’t come naturally to them. They had to learn how to type, how to log in, how to navigate the learning platforms, and I had to be their guide. They didn’t come in being tech savvy. My students are underprivileged and many do not have internet access at home. Those who do usually just use their parents phones. Just because they have access doesn’t mean it’s quality access like Hargittai stated. This applies to the population I work with. I find they are at a disadvantage when it comes to technology because it’s not readily available or at their fingertips to be able to play with all day long and especially after school. Technology is not part of the curriculum yet I spend hours teaching my students and their parents how to use the computers. If students automatically knew how to use technology in the classroom, I would know. The student’s computerized test scores would not be so inaccurate either.
Emily you make a good point about access and technology skills. We need to be mindful that those gaps exist and intentionally teach into technology skills which are too often taken for granted in this "digital native" generation.
ReplyDeleteSorry, I assumed my name showed up but the previous comment was made be me- Eileen
DeleteWikipedia has always had a negative connotation attached to it. I was told all throughout high and college that it is not a reliable source but I see Wikipedia being updated more often than google or any other "reliable source".
ReplyDeleteHi Emily, I enjoyed reading your response. I too learned from some long forgotten source that Wikipedia was not reliable for research citations. I have told my students that Wikipedia is useful as a starting point to get background knowledge but then to look towards more reliable research on the Gale Library research site that the school uses. However, two weeks ago in a graduate course I was taking, I had to do a one page mini research project about a researcher. I could not find anything on the Adams Library site that was pertainable or easily accessible. In desperation, I went on Wikipedia and Youtube and found the biographical information needed and wrote the response and cited my resources. The thing about it was that I was anxious for using these sources of information at the graduate level in a homework response. Through the reading I was happy to gain the insight that Wikipedia can be considered and cited as a legitimate resource.
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