Digital Natives, Digital Immigrants

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Digital Natives, Digital Immigrants

• Teaching Todays Generation

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Definitions

• Digital Native, n. A technology user under the
  age of 30, who was born into the digital world.
• Digital Immigrant, n. A technology user,
  usually over the age of 30, who was not born into
  the digital world.

Digital Culture Immigrants and Tourists Cheri
A Toledo
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Characteristics of a Digital Native

• Used to instantaneity of information
• Like to parallel process and multi task
• Random access as opposed to a process
• Thrive on instant gratification and frequent
  rewards
• Prefer games to serious work
• Little patience for lectures
• Crave interactivity and have shorter attention
  spans for old ways of learning
• Lost the ability to reflect

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Characteristics of a Digital Immigrant Teacher

• Dont believe that students can learn by watching
  TV or listening to music
• Think learning can or shouldnt be fun
• Turn to internet second instead of first
• Teach slowly, step-by-step, one thing at a time
• Believe in tell-test instruction
• Speaks from an out dated language
• Would rather teach from traditional methods

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Behaviors

• Digital Native

• Digital Immigrant

• Google on the internet
• Pop in a CD or installer wizard
• The more the merrier

• Pick up a newspaper book or journal
• Read the manual
• Step by Step

Digital Culture Immigrants and Tourists Cheri
A Toledo
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Alternative Models

• Digital reclusive model need to function, not a
  choice
• Digital refugee model unwillingly forced to use
  technology, prefers paper
• Digital immigrant model willingly uses
  technology
• Digital native model chooses to use technology
• Digital explorer model uses technology to push
  the envelope, seeks new tools
• Digital innovator model adapts and changes
• Digital addict model dependent on technology,
  goes through withdrawal
• Digital tourist model One still reluctant to
  purchase a
• a computer

Digital Culture Immigrants and Tourists by
Cheri Toledo
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Mind Shift

• Methodology Need to learn to communicate in the
  language of their students.
• Content Legacy and Future
• Legacy Traditional curriculum
• Future Digital and technological curriculum

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Changing Brains, Changing Minds

• Neuroplasticity brain structures reorganize
  based on continual input received over a period
  of time
• Malleability ones thinking pattern changes
  depending on ones experiences
• Different experiences different development
• Different culture different thinking
• Different areas of the brain are larger and more
  developed than others based on the amount of
  repeated experience

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Digital Game Based Learning

• They are bored by todays traditional classroom
  and are needing something to capture their
  attention
• Need to be well designed, well desired games and
  produce learning
• Not simple drill and kill
• Combined creatively with real content
• An increase in popularity of games
• Games make use of the principle of play as an
  instructional strategy.
• Games bring cognitive disequilibrium and
  resolution to content standards.
• Address educational and entertainment equally
• Many times blends strategy with action and role
  playing

Digital Game-Based Learning by Richard Van Eck
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Research in Favor

• Will we realize the potential that DGBL has to
  revolutionize how students learn?
• Increased popularity of games produces increased
  interest in skills on those games
• Research that is against is mistaking technology
  use for technology integration
• - if the technology does not align, then do not
  use
• - poor results when just using any game with no
  proven positive results just for gaming sake
• Integrating media by alignment with instruction
  shows more of a difference in results
• Educators are now moving toward technology
  integration, pre-service teacher training,
  emphasizing alignment of the curriculum with the
  technology.

Digital Game-Based Learning by Richard Van Eck
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Research in Favor Cont.

• Immigrants have a type of accent to the digital
  natives.
• As traditional immigrants, digital immigrants
  need to be acclimated to the behaviors and
  nuances.
• Digital Immigrants need to be immersed in the
  digital age.
• Teachers who decide to immerse themselves in the
  digital world will find they have less of an
  accent. Therefore will be more effective.

Digital Culture Immigrants and Tourists Cheri
A Toledo
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Research Against
Research Characterizing the relationship between
age computer experience and literacy.

• Research conducted from a multi-site study of
  2,000 pre-service teachers between 2001 and 2004
  showed no statistically significant difference
  with regard to information and communication
  technology among different age groups for either
  pre-program or post-program surveys.
• Pre-service teachers arrived in the program with
  varying levels of ICT competency, ranged from
  20-60 years old, and were mostly female.

Digital natives, digital immigrants R. Dobson
Guo
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Research Against

• Results of Four different Hypotheses
• Age and Perceptions of ICT Competencies-It showed
  there was no statistical difference between the
  four age groups but there was a statistically
  significant difference between the age groups
  when the N/A group (group did not provide age
  information) was included.
• Interaction of Age and ICT Score-The distribution
  of scores was parallel indicating that all the
  groups of teachers had higher ICT scores at the
  end of the program however, there was a
  statistically significant difference between the
  N/A Group and the age groups.
• The Digital Divide-There was no indication of
  significant differences between the age group
  20-24 (digital natives) and the group over 25
  (digital immigrants).
• Interaction of Age (Digital Divide), Pre- and
  Post-Program ICT Scores-There was no
  statistically significant interaction between age
  and program change in the tests.

Digital natives, digital immigrants R. Dobson
Guo
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Research Against

• Qualitative evidence observed in different
  environments since this study shows support for
  these findings that there is no difference in
  effective use of technology teaching in pre- and
  in-service teachers born after 1980 and those
  born before.
•  
• This study suggests that the differences between
  digital natives and digital immigrants have been
  exaggerated.

Digital natives, digital immigrants R. Dobson
Guo
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Research Against Cont.

• Hierarchy of terms in digital native discourse
  subordinate (immigrant) vs. dominant (student)
• Student needs are market-driven and marketed
• Immigrant term is a metaphor with an underlying
  negative connotation
• Constructs of the digital world Can it be
  defined by what is included vs. excluded?

The digital native and digital immigrant by
Bayne Ross
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VanSlykes Disagreements

• We are harming students by de-emphasizing
  legacy content. We should be placing an even
  greater emphasis on critical thinking and
  research skills.
• Not all students fit the stereotype that Prensky
  has created. Can a computer game adapt its
  lessons to meet the following diversities?
• Some students have disabilities.
• Some students are not interested in computer
  games.
• Some students do not have computers at home.

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VanSlykes Disagreements Continued

• The computer does not make an effective teacher.
  The computer is only a tool, and the learner and
  the teacher are the mediators.
• Not all technology-assisted learning needs to be
  presented in the typical Digital Native format to
  be heard or understood by a Digital Native. They
  are capable of using processes that Digital
  Immigrants are familiar with. Example Video
  game discussion groups.

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Conclusion

• This topic has been frequently discussed it is
  important to remember that these terms digital
  immigrant and digital native are metaphors and
  not a fact. There is persuasive research
  supporting both sides.

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References

• Bayne, S., Ross, J. (2007). The digital native
  and digital immigrant A dangerous opposition.
  Presented at the Annual Conference of the Society
  for Research into Higher Education. Retrieved
  June 15, 2009, from http//www.malts.ed.ac.uk/sta
  ff/sian/natives_final.pdf
• Guo, R., Dobson, T., Petrina, S. (2008).
  Digital natives, digital immigrants An analysis
  of age and ICT competency in teacher education.
  Journal of Educational Computing Research,
  38(3), 235-254. Retrieved June15, 2009, from ERIC
  database.
• Toledo, C. (2007). Digital culture Immigrants
  and tourists, responding to the natives
  drumbeat. International Journal of Teaching and
  Learning in Higher Education, 19(1), 84-92.
  Retrieved June 15, 2009, from hhtp/www.isetl.org/
  ijtlhe/
• VanSlyke, T. (2003). Digital natives, digital
  immigrants Some thoughts from the generation
  gap. The Techonology Source. Retrieved June 15,
  2009, from http/depd.wisc.eduhtml/TSarticlesDigi
  tal20Natives.htm
• Van Eck, R. (2006). Digital game-based learning
  Its not just the digital natives who are
  restless. EDUCASE Review, (41)2. Retrieved June
  15, 2009, from http//www.autzones.com/din6000/te
  xtes/semaine12/Eck(2006).pdf