Being a Digital Native

This blog post is a reaction to the article, "Digital Natives, Digital Immigrants" by Marc Prenksy.

Prensky writes about how the world is changing in a way that has changed the way students learn. Today’s students are what Prensky calls, digital natives. The current educators are digital immigrants. Digital natives have grown up with computer technology. The internet is an inseparable part of the digital native’s life. On the other hand, digital immigrants did not grow up with the internet. It is new terrain for them. Prensky argues that the rift between digital natives and digital immigrants is why teachers are having a difficult time teaching their students and keeping their students engaged. This is an interesting idea and it does seem to have some truth to it. The way digital natives interact with computers and technology has changed the way we think. Some interpret this as bad. They believe that the current generation is unintelligent because of their heavy reliance on computers. Even if this is so, we have reached a point of no return. It would be near impossible for someone born in this age to return to the ways of the past.

Prensky believes that we should embrace this change and teach digital natives in a way that is more suited to their way of learning. He discusses the possibility of teaching with computer games. I think that this is an excellent idea. However, I would not want the education system to become completely technological. I know students who would not learn well in this way. Also, I loved my English class in high school and I believe that English classes rely heavily on in class discussion that could not be replaced by a computer game. However, these games could be a valuable supplement to learning. I was talking to my high school history teacher last year and he told me about a computer game that he was including in his curriculum. It is a game in which the player takes on the role of a slave in the 1800s in the southern states of the U.S. The objective of the game is to successfully flee to the north. This game gives students a more immersive view of life as a runaway slave. I believe this will be beneficial to his students.

In addition to Prensky’s article, we were assigned two articles about multitasking. They were interesting and frightening. I always have a tab on my computer for facebook, email, and tumblr. When I am working on homework, I occasionally check these tabs as little breaks or to see if anyone needs to contact me. The articles made it sound as though the act of checking email while working was multitasking and therefore harmful. I also often study with other people. We will take breaks to discuss whatever topic comes to mind. These are aspects of my life that will not soon change. If I did not study with people, my social time would be severely lacking. If I did not check my email often, I would constantly be anxious about what I was missing. I understand what the articles were saying and I believe that they do offer some good points. I will stop multitasking when I can. For example, I do not need to check my phone while walking or talking to people. However, I will not stop studying with people because I value the social aspects of this activity.