Digital Native and Immigrants

 


Week 4 Discussion: Digital Natives vs. Digital Immigrants

  1. According to Prensky, what category do you fall into and how has this affected your learning?
  2. Draw from your creativity as you come up with one idea for how this course could implement a new digital native methodology for learning?
Discussion Topic 1:
  • According to Prensky, what category do you fall into and how has this affected your learning?

In regard to categories, I would be labeled as a digital native. I have grown up with computers and technology around me. In grade school, we didn't use it much, and even in junior high, but in high school, I moved to a new state and school district, and they issued us all chrome books on day 1 and I remember that being interesting. 

I learned how to write on a computer and my handwriting has gone from nice to almost illegible. When I was and currently am assigned paper handouts, and have to use a pencil, it is interesting trying to write in the space they give us, instead of typing that aligns everything so nice in a box.

Learning has been a challenge when my instructors are not comfortable with us using technology. Although my parent had for us growing up an encyclopedia, everything I want to look up or research is online. I googled an online encyclopedia and what looked like libraries of books popped up to buy for 500-$700 dollars. (See photo below), but I also found encyclopedia.com. (Encyclopedia.com | Free Online Encyclopedia) Maybe understanding an encyclopedia is the digital immigrant's version of google, would help me better understand why and how to us it. 

So sometimes when we are not permitted to use google or computer, it is my version of their dictionary, and it is my way of checking my grammar and spelling. 
Some instructors ask us to not use computers. I liked the comments in Prensky's article saying why ban calculators, instead teach students how to use them for statistics and other functions. If there was a calculator use class, I might really benefit from that. 

To actually know how to use a calculator for advanced things I will use in the future would be great. Even in my family that has people in healthcare, they said they do not write in a chart or use as much shorthand anymore it is all electronic in the computers in the hospitals. 
I feel that if our professors and anyone trying to teach us would use technology alongside us and help us enhance how and what we look up, it would be better for everyone. Also, if any of them asked, or wanted us to help them learn, most of us would be more than happy to do it. 

Discussion Topic 2: 
  • Draw from your creativity as you come up with one idea for how this course could implement a new digital native methodology for learning?
After reading some of the ideas and suggestions in the articles from both Prensky and comments from Kirschner, I think there are some great ideas out there that work well. Ideas around gaming and using the digital natives' sense of competitiveness, yes, we want to all beat the game, would be helpful when trying to get students to pay attention. 

Like the article stated, we are multitaskers and used to doing many things at once, and loose attention quickly if it is boring. I think using graphics in a course and offer opportunities to respond to blog posts creatively rather than just an essay, would be helpful. When we apply to jobs, are the people hiring also digital natives? If so, they would like to see fun things from us and expect it from us. If they are digital immigrants, can we keep it fun and relative but also professional? I would appreciate the understanding on both commutating online and when working outside of college. An example is a cool resume I found online at onedesblog.com, that looks like the person is up to date with technology. I would like to know how to do something like this. 

I see that as a way of being different even after college in the job market. So many of the same papers, ads resumes, why not be different and use technology to stand out. I would suggest assignments that we can save for later after school and use when posting, commenting or communicating with people we would like a job with. Can I reply with graphics and emojiis? Is it ok to put graphics and photos in our work? If we can respond to an assignment with only graphics and see if everyone can tell what we are trying to convey, it would be fin and give you an idea of how each student things. Also, the challenge and fun of it being like a game to figure out the puzzle, would keep me engaged. 

designer-personal-branding.jpg (825×1522) (onedesblog.com) 

https://www.bing.com/search?q=world+encyclopedias&FORM=SBRS01

A fun Video that looks like a video game, heck he is trying! 
https://youtu.be/UBCOH6lS0AQ

<iframe width="1026" height="577" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/UBCOH6lS0AQ" title="Math Antics is......" frameborder="0" allow="accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture" allowfullscreen></iframe>



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