Ellis Solaiman :: Blog

I have to admit that when I first heard about the digital natives and the digital immigrants, specifically within this environment of e-learning, my immediate thought was that the Digital Natives are teachers and lecturers (You) wanting to persuade and teach students (Us) about learning technology, so that we can migrate to a new way of learning (e-learning).

But that is not the case ! As defined by Mark Prensky [1] the originator of this theme, the Digital Natives are students that:

"have spent their entire lives surrounded by and using; computers, video games, digital music players, video cams, cell phones, and all the other toys and tools of the digital age."

But how strict is this definition? Speaking from personal experience, I was once upon a time a High School student during the early 90's in Syria, which at the time was certainly not very digitalised. My only experience of using a computer during that time was a 1 month summer course learning BASIC programming using a Commodore 64. I didn't begin using computers properly until starting university in 1995, as a Computer Systems Engineering Student at Sunderland University. I have not spent my entire life surrounded by Digital Gadgets, but I do not consider myself less comfortable using such technologies than those who have.

I turn to the Internet first rather than later for information, I enjoy experimenting with how to use new technology first before turning to a manual, and I do a fair bit of on-line socialising. So by Prensky's definition, am I a Digital Native, a Digital Immigrant? Something in between? Or are computing and technology graduates an exception to this definition?

Also, the most complete and popular social networking site on the internet at this time is Facebook Launched in the year 2004, 3 years after Marc Prensky's paper: Digital Natives, Digital Immigrants [1]. So there seems to be a new generation that came after the original Digital Natives of the late 1990's, what do we call this new group?

"If we ask ‘native of where?’, we begin to see that each demands a territory, a nation‐state or a landmass"[2]

So I am slightly confused about what is meant by Digital Natives and Digital Immigrants, who belongs to these groups? Findings in [3] suggest that there are a number significant minorities within the younger generation that are not as technologically adept as their fellow students, and that there are indeed differences between age groups, and between student groups in difference locations. The paper suggests that "age maybe less important than exposure to technology", a statement which makes more sense to me than Prensky's definition.

My mother and elder members of my family have been exposed to technology for a relatively short period of their lives, but they are confident Digital consumers. And I'm not sure how they would react if I told them that in some academic and learning circles they are known as "Digital Immigrants". They would probably laugh, but even so I don't see the point in using terms that divide directly or indirectly people from each other based on their age.

Having said all this, I do agree with Prensky's intentions. This is an age where students (of any age) have access to the conveniences of the Digital world. There are more ways to interact with each other than ever before, and they have access to anything they need when they need it. They don't even need to go to the library to find information because it can be found from home on the internet in many formats; Wikis, Videos, News Articles, Blogs, etc.

Therefore teachers must adapt and make use of this technology in order to make learning more of an effective and enjoyable process. But also, the appropriate educational bodies must provide teachers with all the support they need so they can this.