As technology continues to grow in usage within society, the eduction field is drastically being impacted by the affects of such usage. As suggested by Prensky (2001) in an article titled Digital Natives, Digital Immigrants Part 1, instant messaging, cell phones, e-mail, computer games, and the internet in general are examples of such technologies that surround society’s everyday life (p. 2). The results of this ever so connected world is believed to be changing the type of students, we as educators, are interacting with on a daily basis. Pensky (2001) introduces the idea that the type of student that is currently present in the classroom is much different than the teacher that is educating them. He discusses the idea that current students can identify themselves as digital natives, whereas the teachers can identify themselves as digital immigrants (p. 3). A digital native being an individual born into a society with such technology, as mentioned earlier, present, and a digital immigrant as an individual that was not born into such a society but became fascinated and learned how to use such technologies.
In a video titled Do “Digital Natives” Exist? by PBS Idea Channel, it is suggested that digital natives are those born after 1980. However, I was born in 1989, nine years later than suggested in the video, and I can not consider myself a digital native. I feel I would fall more into the digital immigrant category. Possibly, somewhere in the middle? Although I did have internet, it was dial-up, which meant I could only use it for certain amounts of time before being yelled at to get off, thus the phone lines in the house could be used again. Email, on the other hand, was used, but AOL instant messenger was much more popular. Cell phones were nonexistent until I reached about 8th grade, and I believe at that point it was a pre-paid Firefly! Although, soon after the flip phone became popular with wireless carrier plans. Computer games begin in my memory as the floppy disc Oregon Trail in elementary school with slow massive desktops. I suppose I do meet the majority of criteria to be considered a digital native, however the advancements within such technology certainly happened over a short period of time during the 1990’s. I feel that the digital native born date should be moved more to around 1995 rather than 1980.
Although I associate myself more as a digital immigrant rather than a digital native, I don’t ever experience any frustration with new and innovative technologies. In fact, I enjoy diving head first into new technologies. However, at times I am definitely a little stubborn when it comes to jumping on band wagons. For example, it took me until this year, 2017, to join the Twitter and Pinterest crews and I still do not have an Instagram. I do enjoy photos though, thus I’m not quite sure why I haven't joined Instagram yet. Hence the stubbornness. Even though I feel very comfortable with using and figuring out new technologies, I don’t necessarily agree with the way that the majority of society uses such technologies. We are becoming a society that is connected more so than ever before and only views such technologies as entertainment. I see it on a daily basis in my classroom. I consider my 4th grade students, who were born in 2007 and 2008, digital natives. Thus, to incorporate my generation, being born in the late 1980s and early 1990’s, in the same digital native category as my 4th grade students seems a little irrational. I feel that we might need to revise the understanding surrounding digital natives and digital immigrants. Maybe adding a category that lies in-between digital immigrants and digital natives would be something to consider. Or, adding a group after digital natives that covers individuals born after 1995 called digital enjoyers (Logan, 2017)?
References
Logan, M. (2017). Digital Immigrants, Digital Natives, and Digital Enjoyers. Blogger. Retrieved from http://infinitebrainwork.blogspot.com/.
Marc Prensky, (2001) "Digital Natives, Digital Immigrants Part 1", On the Horizon, Vol. 9 Issue: 5, pp.1-6, https:// doi.org/10.1108/10748120110424816.
PBS Idea Channel. (2013). Do digital natives exist?. YouTube. Retrieved from https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9WVKBAqjHiE.
