Digital Natives, Digital Immigrants. (by Marc Prensky)

According to Prensky, the common assumption among “Digital Immigrant” teachers is that our current students are more or less the same as those of the last generation. In this article, Prensky argues that our students have acquired an “entirely new language” that is derived from the digital world. The students of this generation are more likely and willing to adopt rapidly advancing technology; this is the attitude of a Digital Native. Digital Immigrants are reluctant to approach new technology and seem to be frustrated by the challenge that Prensky explains: To effectively teach modern students, educators must learn the new digital language and utilize the potential teaching tools of technology. Today’s students think and process information differently than the people of the previous generation. Additionally, these young people are constantly surrounded by computers, cell phones, video games, digital music players, and other technologies. For Digital Immigrant teachers to make progress and learn the digital language, Prensky recommends that they consider the following: Learning can be fun and high-paced; lecture does not have to be the default instructional strategy; and even serious, complex content can be integrated into a video game.

In reading this article I tried to consider where I fall along the spectrum of digital adoption. I was born in 1984, and therefore I probably fall slightly out of the range of the Digital Natives. However, I don’t think I could be considered a Digital Immigrant. I agree with Prensky that the current generation of students is very different from its parents’ generation. I feel that it may be a challenge for me to keep up with advancing technology and its effects on my students. The factors that I believe will determine the difficulty of my task are based on two questions: How fast technology advances and how fast my students are able to acquire and integrate it into their lives. I am literally blown away by predictions about the acceleration of technology, yet an economy based on linear (as opposed to exponential) growth appears unable to allow all starry-eyed individuals to access or consume it at the same rate. Despite my uncertainties, I do plan to challenge myself to engage my students by integrating new technology into my classroom.

Prensky, M. (2001). Digital Natives, Digital Immigrants. On the Horizon, 9, 5.